What is tripod and the uses?

Answer 1

A tripod is a three legged stand which a camera sits on so it can be very still and stay in the same place while pictures are taken.

Small tripods are also used in chemistry labs to support a variety of lab utensils such as flasks, beakers, Bunsen burners, etc.

Answer 2

The short answer: When you need long shutter speeds.

The general rule for using a tripod is thus:

If your shutter speed is equal to or slower than the reciprocal of your effective focal length, then you will need to stabilise your image somehow.

Some brief clarifications are in order: * The effective focal length is what counts; i.e. the focal length required to get the same field of view on a 35mm camera. This is because any defocus (or camera shake) in a photo from a cropped sensor (or smaller-than-35mm film) will be more visible when viewed at the same size. Consequently, crop factor comes into play.

* The reciprocal of your effective focal length means, for example, that if your effective focal length is 50mm, then you will want a shutter speed faster than 1/50th sec. * You will need to stabilise your image somehow does not necessarily mean using a tripod. Many modern lenses (and cameras) have image stabilisation features built into them. Ken Rockwell claims that image stabilisation will typically permit a shutter speed 3-4 stops slower (one stop slower is double the shutter speed; for example, three stops slower than 1/100th sec is about 1/15th sec). And a tripod is not the only physical means of stabilising a camera; you can read most discussion of "tripod" below but substituting "monopod".

There are three primary factors (not including artistic factors, such as the desire to freeze or blur motion) that will affect the shutter speed you want to use in a given situation. The first, is simply how much light you have available. The second, is the speed (maximum aperture) of your lens; a faster lens will permit you to use faster shutter speeds in the same conditions, and a slower lens (such as cheap zooms) will force you to use slower ones to get a consistent exposure. And finally, there are questions of ISO; the slower ISO (lower number) that you want to use, the longer your shutter speed will need to be to get the same exposure in the same conditions.

So, back to the question: given the above, when would you want to use a tripod?

When you want to use a small aperture on your lens, or where small ones are the only ones available. A smaller aperture will give you more depth of field (i.e. more of your photo in focus). But smaller apertures also let less light in, and consequently force you to use longer shutter speeds. If you need extreme depth of field, for example, then this might force you to use a long shutter speed and, consequently, may force you to use a tripod. On large-format cameras (think the huge film cameras with bellows that landscape photographers use), tiny apertures like f/22 are not uncommon. A tripod is essential for this sort of thing.

When you must use very low ISOs in low light.Professional low ISO films like Velvia 50 will force longer shutter speeds. For the absolute best in image quality (i.e. less noise) on digital cameras, you may find yourself using a slower ISO (this is especially so for point-and-shoot cameras, with tiny sensors more susceptible to noise, but less of an issue on modern digital SLRs).

When you use very long lenses. Remember that with a 300mm lens, even on a full-frame digital (or 35mm film) camera, you'll want to use a shutter speed faster than 1/300th sec. Conditions may not permit doing this.

In very very low light, or when you want a longer shutter speed for artistic effect. Much night-time Photography, even with the fastest lenses shot wide-open and high ISOs, won't give you any choice but to use a tripod. "Artistic effect" means that you want a long shutter speed to blur motion, for example (think of those gorgeous long-exposure running-water photos, with the water itself turned into a flowing, dreamy haze).

When you need several shots of exactly the same thing. If you're doing high dynamic range photography (which typically requires three or more different exposures at different shutter speeds, which are later composited and tone-mapped), or time-lapse photography, then you'll want all your shots to be exactly the same. Image stabilisation won't help much with this.

But. An even better question might be "when should I avoid using a tripod?". The answer to that is any time you possibly can. A tripod infringes on your ability to rapidly reframe shots, and move around, and generally to experiment. It's also more weight to carry around, which is a disincentive to getting out there and taking photographs at all. See "Digital Killed My Tripod" by Ken Rockwell in the related links below. Get a faster lens (this aren't necessarily expensive, but otherwise, use aperture-priority mode on your camera and shoot the lens you have wide-open), or use a faster ISO (or use a faster film) if you can, or turn on image stabilisation.

Of course, sometimes you won't have any choice but to use one, and that's OK. But don't carry one around just because you think that's what real photographers do. They usually don't.

Answer 3

They can be used to keep things above Bunsen burners when you need to heat something.. usually used with wire gauzes otherwise the apparatuss would fall through the middle

Answer 4

A tripod is a stand with three bars hoding it up. usually used for holding up a camera or photography equiptment.

Answer 5

Is used to support the wire gauze.