Tripods

I promised in my very first real post that I would go more into depth about tripods. There are, of course, a variety of different tripods, depending on application and budget. 

As I tried to establish in that first post, wether you have a cheap Walmart tripod or something more substantial, at least having something is a good start. 

I'm going to detail exactly what you may want to invest in depending on what kind of thing you want to shoot and what kind of equipment you have.

Cheapie-Charley

Image Courtesy Bower

We've all seen (and likely had the misfortune of using) the cheap aluminum and plastic tripods pedaled at the big-box stores. I will say again that something is better than nothing. If this is what you have, keep using it. However, these tripods present problems like stability and overall quality issues, not to mention a very low weight limit and very unsteady panning. Granted, a nice smooth pan isn't essential for photography, but it is both nice and helpful.

Bottom line, these types of tripod are okay for small point-and-shoot cameras and, once again, are definitely better than nothing

Legs

Once you decide to go with a professional tripod, there are two main components to any tripod: the head and the legs (or 'sticks'). We'll detail the legs first as there are many more head variants. 

The most important thing for legs to be is stable. They should isolate the camera from movement and vibration while at the same time being versatile: easily adjusting to uneven terrain or other obstacles. Photographic purists will tell you that wooden legs are the only way to go, as they best isolate the camera from vibration. For those of us who do not wish to break our backs hauling wood around, aluminum or carbon fiber are generally accepted as standard.

There are several considerations to make before choosing a set of legs. 

1. Do you want to travel with it? If so, think about getting a "travel tripod." These tripods generally have more leg sections which saves room but takes a bit longer to set up.
2. Do you want to put a big lens on it? If you do, make sure it is rated to hold at least the weight of the tripod head, your lens, camera, and any other accessories. I would, of course, suggest going above that total weight as other stresses (such as you leaning on it) could cause problems.
3. How tall will you want it? Leaning down is fine but if you're 6'4" and your tripod is 5', you will likely become uncomfortable very quickly. Making a tripod shorter is easier than making it taller. Also, try not to rely on the tripod's center column as this will make the tripod less stable.

(CC BY-SA 3.0) By Nebrot

Ball Head

One of the most popular types of heads among photographers is the ball head. It allows one to pan or tilt in any direction with a varying amount of resistance. These are great for being able to follow a subject, even fast moving subjects. These heads are basically all-purpose workhorses and are very highly recommended.

Manfrotto 222

Courtesy Vitec Group

Pistol Grip Head

Pistol grip heads are essentially a slight variation to the ball head. These heads (also called "joystick" heads) move freely when squeezed but lock when let go. These are great for things like portraiture, scenery, and object photography. However, they will prove more cumbersome than useful for things like sports and wildlife, especially if you are using a zoom and/or manual focus lens.

Wimberley Head II
Courtesy Wimberley, Inc

Gimbal Head

Gimbal heads are designed for using long lenses for things like wildlife and action. Long lenses have feet and they are placed on lenses in such a way that, when mounted to a camera, it is close to balanced. A gimbal head relies on this to make using a long lens a easy experience.

Gitzo Series 3
Courtesy Vitec Group

Panoramic Head

Panoramic heads are, obviously, for panoramic photography. This is a pan-only head with a precise gauge for panoramic stitching. This is a very specialized head with limited usage.

Manfrotto 229
Courtesy Vitec Group

Three-Way Head

The three-way head (also known as a "pan & tilt" head) is basically a higher quality version of the head on the cheap tripods. That being said, these heads are great for portraits and group shots, among other things, of course. It allows the photographer to lock the camera firmly at any angle of pan, tilt, and spin.

Arca-Swiss C1
Courtesy B&H Photo/Video

Geared Head

The last head type we'll look at is called a geared head. These heads are highly precise and are created for use in techniques such as macro photography and stop-motion animation. Each adjustment is marked in small measurements and can be easily adjusted in very small increments.

Arca-Swiss plates
from Really Right Stuff

Quick Release Plates

Most tripod head manufacturers offer at least one style of quick release plate. However, you should know that the "Arca-Swiss Style" plate is generally considered industry standard. In fact, B&H groups its quick release plates into "Arca-Type" and "Proprietary" Also, you'll notice that three of the heads on this page take these plates. The good news is, they are available from a variety of companies. You can get generic plates or plates created for specific cameras and lenses. Further, you can get adapters for tripods not compatible with this system. This way, you can have a quick release plate for every tripod-mountable piece of equipment.

Perhaps I'll go into quick releases in a later post.