What are leg locks on a tripod?
Multi-section tripod legs will have some sort of locking mechanism to prevent the legs from retracting when loaded or from extending farther. The two most common types of leg locks are the flip lock and the twist lock. The flip lock is a lever that tightens around the next smaller section of the tripod leg.
How do tripod flip locks work?
There are two commonly used types of tube locks used on tripods. Flip locks (also known as lever locks) use a plastic or metal lever to operate a cam to compress the upper tube and clamp the lower one. As far as I know, this the only model tripod to be offered in both lock types in an otherwise identical package.
What is the center column on a tripod?
Center columns are a common feature on tripods, and for good reason. The center column provides additional height to a tripod while adding relatively little weight, and it allows the user to quickly and accurately adjust the height of the camera.
What is the standard tripod screw size?
1/4-20
Bolt threads Per ISO 1222:2010, the current tripod bolt thread standard for attaching the camera calls for a 1/4-20 UNC or 3/8-16 UNC thread. Most consumer cameras are fitted with 1/4-20 UNC threads.
How do tripod legs work?
Most tripods have telescopic legs which can be extended. These tubular legs are divided into sections, each with a circumference slightly bigger or smaller than the other. When the legs are extended or retracted, these sections slide into or over one another. The more sections the legs have, the longer they can extend.
What is a tripod spreader?
Spreaders do the opposite of what their name implies, and keep the legs from spreading all the way out. They allow you to control the height and stability of the tripod legs. Spreaders can be removed when shooting on soft ground, and the tripod legs’ foot spikes driven into the ground.
What is a center column?
The Center Column is dedicated to providing quantitative data on tripod stability. This is to both help inform purchasing decisions and and to understand what techniques get the most out of the tripods that we have.