Camcorder Supports Buyer's Guide

Nothing screams "amateur" like shaky and jerky video. Sure, there are times when you want to keep the camera moving, even erratically, but for the other 95% of the time, you want a solid system that does nothing but stay where you put it or move when you want it.

In this Buyer's Guide, we will review the most important functions and qualities of tripods, dollies, jibs and Steadicam-style devices.

Let's face it, there's very little about most stabilization devices, especially tripods, that will impress anyone except another videographer. The very best performers will contribute absolutely nothing to the final product. And it's precisely that "nothing" that is the Holy Grail of cinematography. All tripods, dollies, jibs or motion stabilization devices are measured by how well they keep the camcorder stable and how well they allow the camera to pan, tilt or move.

In short, you want systems that are both solid as a rock and smooth as silk.

A good tripod can be your most trusted friend or the bane of your production. Beyond giving your camcorder a solid platform from which to pan and tilt, a tripod should also be easy to set up and operate in a variety of weather conditions. It must inhibit vibrations from wind and little bumps, resist twisting during pans even under high drag settings and be robust enough to handle being tossed into the back of a pickup truck over and over again.

Most, but not all, tripods have two separable parts: the head and legs. The head is really at the heart of your tripod. The right one will let you "feel" the shot like there's nothing between you and your subject, with just the right amount of resistance, called "drag." There are many things to consider when choosing the right head for you. The first is the weight of your camcorder. Do not think that getting a head capable of supporting a heavier camcorder will make your shots more fluid and stable. It could do just the opposite. Try to match the weight of your camcorder to the middle of the rated range of a particular head. If you think you may be upgrading to a heavier camcorder in the future, look at heads that let you change the counter-balance springs. You can mix and match some heads with some legs, but, unless you have done your homework, it's best to stay with ones made by the same manufacturer.

Watch out for heads claiming to have "fluid-like" action or some such claim. Many videographers know that a true fluid head with its variable and smooth drag settings is what they want, but the high costs can make it tempting to consider alternatives if they don't have professional aspirations. Non-fluid heads use friction between two lubricated plates to adjust the amount of drag and can feel quite smooth in the beginning and under moderate temperatures. Over time, however, the once-smooth pans and tilts will become rougher. In extreme cold or heat, these heads can be considerably stiffer or looser than you'd like.

Legs are most commonly made of aluminum, but some lighter-weight designs are carbon fiber. And yes, some are still made of wood. In fact, there are some cinematographers who swear by these "sticks," claiming they dampen some types of vibration better than metal or composites. All legs need to resist twisting during pans, even in the cold, when the head is often stiffer, or when using higher drag settings. Legs have a few different design configurations. Those with a crutch or split-leg design do a very good job of resisting twisting, but their added material can make them heavier than one-piece models. Some legs lock into place with levers that flip horizontally or vertically; others twist; and some you extend, level and lock by depressing spring-loaded tabs.

If you often shoot low angles, make sure to look at the specs for the distance from the ground. With some designs, this measurement is made from the ground to where the head connects, so be sure to include the height of the head in your calculations. To get as low as possible and to increase overall stability, many tripods incorporate removable spreaders that secure all three legs together at the mid-point or bottom. Finally, how the rubber hits the road (or rocks, or sand or wood) will be your last consideration. If you will be shooting on varied terrain, be sure to at least have feet that convert from rubber to spikes. Setting up on a rocky, windy cliff with flat rubber feet might get you great footage, but only after you've collected the pieces. Tripods have three basic leveling methods. The fastest uses the ball-and-socket design with a single hand-tightened locking mechanism for securing in place. The second system uses a plate design and requires you to adjust its position by loosening and tightening on two axes. The last design is the slowest and really has no separate adjustment for leveling. It requires you to lengthen or shorten each leg to get that "zero bubble."

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