Okay, let’s take a close look at tripods. Now it’s a remarkable just how versatile a piece of kit like this can really be. And just how many unique features each tripod has. I’ve got a small selection with me here today, but what we’ll be looking at is how a piece of equipment like this can be use in a variety of situations. At the butch end of this scale we have this one, costing around 15 pounds, it’s small, compact and lightweight. In the middle, we have this one, which is slightly heavier and has leg braces which have their advantages and disadvantages which we’ll be seeing later. Now this one has seen many years of use, and I’m talking around 25 here, so that’s a reliable one. And finally we have this beast, costing around a hundred pounds, and it’s a lot heavier. Now the key thing to think about size is how practical it is to use, if you’re doing lots of different types of photography, you may find that one size doesn’t suit all situations. Now with size often comes weight, and this can be handy if you’re in windy conditions, or if you got a telephoto lens to support where stability is key, but not so great if you’re the adventurous type, trekking half way up a mountain to get that killer landscape shot. So if you think this applies to you, then your hiking buddy is the carbon fiber tripod. Now this one weighs around half a kilo, where as this beast weighs around 5 kilograms. Okay, so let’s take a look at heads, now this range from the simple panel tilt, ball, geared and three way set ups. Now this model has a tilt function, making it easy to switch from landscape to portrait. Whereas this model doesn’t, which means you have to fiddle around to achieve the same thing. Now connections to the camera are either by the screw thread which is a slow and clumsy method compared to the more popular quick release plates as seen on this model. Okay, so let’s have a look. Here’s a quick down, the camera clicks on the front, like this, just one click, and it’s off. So that’s definitely something to think about if you’re as impatient as me with things like this. Now let’s turn our attention to legs, no not mine, these. Now all tripods work on a telescopic principle, so that their legs extend out. Some are braced and some are not. And whether manufacturer will then distinguish themselves is in the locking mechanism for example. Now this model has tension adjustment, whereas this model doesn’t. And as you can see, the grip seems to slacken off wear over time. Now opening the legs out will allow for uneven and slippery ground and of course height. The thing to bear in mind though is your own height. The last thing you want to be doing is stooping over a short tripod and hurting your back. Also, consider the amount of space you require. For example if you’re in a wedding, the last thing you want is people tripping over your equipment, something to think about there. Now that’s all well and good for most situations, but what about the lower levels, so just how low can you go with a tripod? With this model, if we drop the legs down, we’re still 14 inches from the ground, whereas this more expensive model lay flat legs which brings you within 6 inches. Okay, so how do we achieve this, well firstly we remove the center column then we unclip the legs. If you can't afford the more expensive equipment, then here’s a handy tip. On this model, if you invert the center column, you can get to a much lower shooting position while still having access to displays and controls. Now all these also works really well with table top photography of smaller items like jewelry and you can offset the camera from its legs position, just be careful it doesn’t topple over, like when I did it. Now if you wanna get really low, you can obviously just use a bean bag or the plain old ground. So there you are, some quick tips for you to try out yourself.