Digital Camera World

Best tripod head: 6 top models tested and rated Mar 26th 2013, 00:00 For quick framing and stability, you need a good tripod head. We test six to see which is the best tripod head in terms of features, capability and value for money Even the best tripods can go weak at the knees without a decent head attached, spoiling your shots. The smart solution is to buy the tripod legs and head separately, so that you can get the best combination to suit your needs. Even if you've bought an all-in-one kit, it can make sense to upgrade the head to a more versatile and stable model. What's more, new heads are usually easy to fit. Unlike video tripod heads, which only offer pan and tilt adjustments, photographic heads need to enable triple-axis movement. This is so you can shoot in portrait (upright) orientation as well as landscape (horizontal). This ability to pan, tilt and swivel is the reason conventional photographic heads are called three-way heads. The more popular option is a ball-and-socket head, but you can also buy a pistol or joystick variety. Both are variations on the ball-head theme. But which is best tripod head type for you? We find out… Best Tripod Heads: Benro BH2 Price: £55, $72 Buy it:   www.kenro.co.uk Benro's ball head is a basic affair, with a single locking screw, no additional, adjustable friction-damper and no pan-only lock. However, releasing the locking screw by about half a turn enables smooth and easy adjustment while maintaining fairly high friction. Undoing it a full turn facilitates free movement. The scissor-action quick-release lock is easy to use and offers good security against accidental loosening. A bubble level on the camera platform makes for easy levelling, too. Our only complaint is with the mounting surface that connects to the camera. It relies on two narrow rubber strips, which make the connection feel quite spongy, especially with heavier camera and lens combinations. The BH2 is compact and light. Its size bodes well for storage, and the ball head deals with movement efficiently, making it easy to adjust position. Weight: 400g Max Height: 9.7cm Max Load: 8kg Pan-only Lock: No WE SAY… Simple but performs well. The rubber strips on the mounting are our only niggle. Score: 4/5 PAGE 1: Benro BH2 PAGE 2: Giottos MH 1311-652 PAGE 3: Manfrotto 494RC2 PAGE 4: Manfrotto 496RC2 PAGE 5: Manfrotto 324RC2 PAGE 6: Vanguard SBH-100 PAGE 7: Five things to look for when choosing the best tripod head READ MORE 9 secrets to using a tripod like a pro 10 things photographers can do to stop wasting pictures Camera Shake: the ultimate cheat sheet for using tripods, monopods and shooting handheld Control depth of field to isolate subjects Mar 25th 2013, 11:00 Using depth of field creatively can make your focal point really stand out. In this quick tutorial we show you how to control depth of field to isolate subjects. In the fight against distracting backgrounds, your aperture wheel is your biggest ally. Using a shallow depth of field to render your background out of focus will make your focal point stand out (so you'll need to take care when focusing) as well as enhancing your image with pleasing out-of-focus areas or 'bokeh'. How to control depth of field f/22 f/22 Shooting at an aperture of f/22 gives you an image that looks sharp throughout and, as a result, the subject can get lost. Small apertures (high f/stops) make busy scenes such as this one look like snapshots.   f/8 f/8 Taking the f-stop down to f/8 has made the image look less flat and one-dimensional, as the subject has been isolated a little. But the semi-blurred background is still distracting.   f/2.8 f/2.8 Opening the aperture to f/2.8 has given this image a lovely out-of-focus background, which in turn isolates the focal point leaves. It now looks creative and has a two-dimensional appearance. Control depth of field carefully Close-up studies, such as this lichen, lend themselves to shallow depths of field to isolate the subject. But even small apertures, such as f/22, can provide limited depth when working at such close distances. The effects of aperture choice are magnified by longer lenses, with blurred areas becoming more prominent. READ MORE 10 common camera mistakes every photographer makes 44 essential digital camera tips and tricks DoF Defined: controlling depth of field in photography Photography Basics: how to add depth to your photos

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