Section 1 The Basics
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Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
method used for positioning the camera, tripod
heads can be classified into one of two general
categories—pan heads and ball heads.
A pan head allows you to move the camera in
either two or three axes. As shown in Figure 2-45,
a two-axis head can tilt the camera forward or
backward, or pan from side-to-side. A three-axis
head, or pan-tilt head, allows tilting from side-to-
side, as well as forward and back. A variation of
the pan-tilt head, the gearhead, uses gears rotated
with cranks or knobs to achieve even greater
precision of movement.
Although they provide excellent control
of the camera’s positioning, pan-tilt heads are
rather cumbersome and slow to operate. Many
photographers have switched to a ball head,
which uses a single control to lock the camera
in position, Figure 2-46. A typical ball head
has a camera platform attached to a highly
polished metal sphere contained in a housing.
When a locking device, such as a lever or knob,
is released, the ball can be rotated 360° and tilted
through an arc of 180°, providing quick and
almost infinitely adjustable positioning.
Pan
Tilt
Pan
Tilt
Tilt
A B
Manfrotto
Figure 2-45. Pan head operation. A—The two-axis head is able to pan (turn) horizontally and tilt forward or backward.
Usually, a single handle is used to control movement in both axes. B—The three-axis head can move in a third plane,
tilting from side-to-side. Separate controls are used to adjust and lock each axis.
Manfrotto
Figure 2-46. This ball head variation uses a squeeze
handle to control movement. When pressure is released,
the head locks in position.