Buying your first tripod - Strike the right balance between usability and price

November 2015.

This post is for beginners in photography and readers who want to buy a tripod for use during their travels but don't have much idea how to start looking for one. The post does not cover the intricate details about high-end expensive tripods but gives an overview of how to go about buying your first affordable tripod.

I am no expert in photography yet, neither am I an expert in tripods. I am someone who is learning photography. And as one learns to capture more challenging pictures, often in inadequate lighting conditions like starlit night sky or the Northern Lights, one feels the need of a tripod. I recently purchased a tripod and although there are a lot of articles on the internet about how to decide which tripod to buy balancing price and usability, I figured that I could put down the research I did which may be of some use to someone who is setting out on the path to learn photography and is thinking of investing in a tripod.

I have been traveling for nearly 8 months now and photography has become an integral part of my travels. And as I slowly graduated from point & shoots to more sophisticated cameras (I recently purchased a Nikon D5500 with a 18-140mm lens), I realized that there are situations where a tripod can make a lot of difference in how a picture turns out to be. Although many cameras (DSLR's or otherwise) and lenses these days have image stabilisation / vibration control functionality, still sometimes there is no substitute of having a good tripod handy.

When is a tripod handy!

Situations where a tripod might improve the quality of your pictures:

• Low lighting (needs slower shutter speeds which makes the camera vulnerable to shakes)
• Trying to capture the night sky (needs very slow shutter speeds and clicking with a hand held camera results in blurred pictures)
• Extremely cold conditions where your hands start to shake and a picture which otherwise would have turned out to be fine is affected by the shake of your hands
• Waiting for a specific moment to click a picture (say sunrise or sunset: holding the camera in your hand at awkward angles will tire you leading to shakes and lower quality pictures)
• Clicking a subject at awkward angles is easier if you have an appropriate tripod
• Taking a series of photos at different angles to produce a panorama
• It is easier to take your own pictures while traveling alone as a tripod gives you the freedom to click from various heights and at different angles 

Things to consider before buying a tripod!

Even though a tripod performs a pretty basic function, choosing the best tripod often involves many competing factors. I am putting these down in order of their importance (useful for a person who likes to travel and is buying his/her first tripod but not sure how much to invest in it)

• Weight of the tripod: You are used to carrying just your camera till now. But the tripod itself will have weight and will need effort to lug around.  Most of the times you will want to carry your tripod in cabin baggage while flying and thus the weight becomes more of an issue (7 Kg hand baggage limit). But keep in mind that tripod weight and sturdiness are related. Don't sacrifice too much of one for the other as the end objective of a tripod is to keep the camera steady. 
• Load capacity of the tripod: Depending upon the type of camera and lens you use or plan to use in the near future, different load capacity tripods might be relevant for you. All brands give the load capacity of their tripod. Entry level tripods support ~2Kgs and as you go higher, they support around 5Kgs. Unless you are a professional and using very heavy cameras and lenses, these should suffice.
• Maximum and minimum Height of the tripod: Maximum height is especially important if you're quite tall, since you could end up having to crouch. (Keep in mind that using the center column to increase the maximum height makes the tripod less stable). Minimum height is important if you take macro (shooting a subject from very close) shots often.
• Contracted tripod height: This is important if you want to fit the tripod in a small bag or suitcase like your cabin luggage while flying. Cabin baggage dimensions allowed in aircrafts are 55x40x20cms.
• Price of the tripod: I have put price lower down in terms of priority as there are many brands available in the market and you will probably be able to get what you want at different price points. So I believe price should come after one has considered above factors.
• Tripod Head: The two most common types of tripod heads are pan-tilt and ball head:
• Pan-tilt head: It has two to three separate handles which allow you to move the camera along different axes (horizontal, vertical) to be able to click pictures in a specific direction or at a certain angle. For ease of storage, do check that the handles are easily removable so as to make the tripod easy to pack and carry along .
• Ball head: Allows you to position your camera in any direction in a single action instead of using 2 or 3 handles as in case of pan-tilt head. The downside is that ball head is less accurate in terms of positioning the camera. In a pan-tilt head, one can change the positioning on one axis (horizontal / vertical) while keeping the other exactly the same (due to presence of two different handles). So, a ball head is easier to use but comparatively less precise when it comes to camera positioning.

There are tripods of different brands on Amazon India website (or any other e-commerce website of your liking). Couple of brands that I thought might be appropriate for beginners who want a tripod that lasts them at least a couple of years are Manfrotto and Vanguard (this list is not exhaustive and may change depending on the features you are looking for and the cost associated). Manfrotto is more expensive of the two. I personally found Vanguard to be a better bet when it comes to balancing quality and cost vis-a-vis its more pricey competitors. There are other cheaper tripods available online as well but I feel that they lack in something or the other from the above list and eventually the safety of your camera and lenses depends on the tripod you use.

I hope that I was able to provide some pointers which will help you in buying a tripod that suits your needs without going overboard in terms of cost. There are many other useful articles on the web that you could read to get more information on any specific aspect. 

Please feel free to comment and/or share if you find the post useful. 

Happy hunting :) !!

In search of the Northern Lights: Iceland - The land of Fire and Ice

Iceland.
September 2015.

Writing about Iceland is immensely challenging as no matter how expressive the words are or how fascinating the pictures are, it is almost impossible to do justice to what this paradise has to offer. Regardless, here I am trying to give it my best shot.

Isn't it a nice view to fall asleep to :-)
Jokulsarlon Glacial Lake

My recent trips were within the Asian sub-continent (most recently Bhutan) and it had been quite some time since I had traveled to one of the western countries. So began the phase of deciding which country to visit. I had nearly decided to do a 3 week trip to Austria and neighboring countries but then a friend suggested Iceland. And once I got to know Iceland a little, it was Iceland all the way. In addition to it being called the land of fire and ice, I would say it is the land of rainbows and waterfalls. You close your eyes for a few minutes while in the car and you are sure to miss one or the other in a picture perfect setting just along the road :).

Somewhere in Icelandic Countryside

Before you plan a trip to Iceland, keep in mind what are you looking for from the trip. Go in June-July if you want daylight for around 20 hours (will let you drive around for more time each day but most certainly will kill your chances to see the Northern Lights). Everything is at its most expensive during this time. As you move towards the shoulder season, the prices of hotels and car rentals come down substantially and so does the temperature.

I flew Lufthansa to reach Reykjavik (pronounced Reykyavik) via Frankfurt and I liked their in-flight service. Iceland's airline is called Icelandair. A lot of airlines fly to Iceland during the summers but some airlines discontinue their flights in the shoulder and off-peak season.

The view of the coast just before landing at Reykjavik was delightful. The feeling of landing on a landmass so far up north and so close to the Arctic was simply exhilarating.

Icelandic Coast close to landing

Iceland is a country where you should hire a car and head out. I was lucky to meet a friend in Iceland which made the trip even more fun. We drove the complete circle along the Ring Road with some diversions in between (in all ~1500Kms) in 6 days.

Northern Lights is one of the topmost attractions of Iceland. A lot of my misconceptions were cleared about them. Human eyes cannot see the relatively faint colors of the aurora at night. To the naked eye, it appears gray and white. But with a decent camera (capable of clicking pictures with high exposure settings) and a tripod, you can see colors like pink, blue, green, etc. We were extremely lucky to see the aurora 3 nights out of 8. It needs clear sky, cold conditions and luck to see this natural phenomena. On one of the nights, it was so bright that we could see light shades of green with our naked eyes. Unfortunately I didn't have the photography skills required to capture the aurora in my camera (I am learning those right now :)). It was my dream to experience the 'Aurora Borealis' and Iceland did not disappoint me.

Iceland is full of attractions which will leave you enthralled. Be it the famous Strokkur geysir in the southwest erupting about every 8-10 mins up-to a height of 15-20m (sometimes upto 40m), the sulphurous mud and steam springs at Namaskard which seem to be boiling with relentless energy, the Jokursarlon glacial lagoon where huge blocks of ice constantly break off the glacier and float on the lagoon as a result of the warming climate, the alluring azure blue crater lake in Myvatn, enormous natural pyramid made of basalt rock columns, the Green lagoon geothermal spa or the magnificent black sand Reynisfjara Beach.

Strokkur Geysir, Southwest Iceland (Erupts to heights of 15-40m)

Sulphur springs at Namaskard

Myvatn Crater Lake, near Akureyri, North Iceland

Basalt Rock Columns, Vik, South Iceland

Green Lagoon Geothermal Spa, Myvatn

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

 I was in for a visual treat while driving with spectacular double rainbows and meandering step waterfalls after every few minutes. In fact I came across them so often that after a couple of days, they seemed to have lost their charm (if that is even possible :)).

Seljalandsfoss, South Iceland (one can go behind the waterfall)

Iceland is definitely more expensive than some of the other European destinations, takes more time to reach, may have harsh weather (depending on when you visit) but once you overcome these factors, you will get to see mind-blowing landscape, incredible natural phenomena, startling terrain and erratic weather (there's a saying in Iceland - "If you don't like the weather, wait for 5 minutes").

Let's just say if you are someone who wants to get close to nature or need some solitude, Iceland is the place to be. And if you are still unconvinced about how amazing this small country is, then scroll down and decide for yourself.

Hverfjall Crater, Myvatn

6 days were too less for Iceland. I wish to come back to this place to explore the central highlands, trek the volcanic mountains, camp in the countryside, see puffins and of course to take back my heart which I left in this dreamy country.

With love, from Iceland :)

 P.S. Thanks to my friend for the contribution towards the pictures.

And the love affair continues... My date with the mountains of Leh !!

July 2015.
Leh, India.

Before I share my experience, I will share some reasons why you should definitely visit Leh:

• To realize how harsh the conditions get at some of the places where the Indian Army operates
• The feeling to have been on some of the world's highest motorable passes (Khardung La, Zoji La, Taglang La, to name a few)
• To 'live' the beautiful sceneries that we have seen only on our desktop wallpapers
• To get a picture with a sign-board which says "Staying here for more than 20-25 minutes can be harmful for your health" (This one is a bonus, for adrenaline junkies like me)

Kargil war memorial with names of the bravehearts who laid down their lives in Kargil war. Just visiting the memorial and looking at the surrounding mountains instills a sense of tremendous respect. Talking to some localites made me realize how adverse the circumstances were in which our soldiers fought. Hat's off!! 

At the Kargil War Memorial

It was time to put on my travel boots again. In order to satisfy my wanderlust, I headed off to Leh with 2 friends. This was however a little different from my previous solo backpacking trip, as in, it was not solo and it was not backpacking either ;).

Travel Trail

Leh needs no introduction. Any traveler (Indian or foreign) worth his salt has either already been there or is exploring it right now or has it on his list of must-visits. I too had been to Leh back in 1999 with my family. With the few but powerful memories I had from my previous trip, I decided that it was time to pay another visit to what is called (and rightly so) - Heaven on Earth.

If you are visiting Leh, chances are that you will spend some time in Srinagar and surrounding areas as well. We decided to make it a total road trip: flying to Srinagar and then onwards via road to Leh, Manali and back to Delhi. For 10 days, it was just the mountains, the water, the sky and us.

On way to Leh...

I am not the one to have traveled on all the continents yet (although that's my eternal dream), but reminiscing about the few places I have been to, I can say, with conviction, that the scenery that Leh has to offer is unparalleled and will blow your mind away. You will want to stop the car after every few minutes because the present angle has something extra, something that you could not capture in your DSLR on the previous bend: the shadow of the clouds, the sand is different, the sun's spectrum, and the list might never end. If there is/ever was a hidden photographer in you, this place will bring him out for sure.

Along the way (Srinagar to Leh and then Leh to Manali), you will see rivers playing hide and seek. There will be times when you will be driving along the river accompanied by the soothing sound of running water, and then before you realize, the stream will start getting further and further away as you start gaining altitude. The roads are a perfect mix of good, bad and ugly, but hey, this is considered to be one of the most difficult natural terrain in the world.

As if the river is traveling with you...
Alongside Srinagar-Kargil Highway

Going to Leh means going to a land of extremes: the highest passes like Khardung La (I am talking about altitude upwards of 17,500ft from the sea level; the cruising altitude of a commercial airliner is around 35,000ft), the majestic mountains, the mesmerizing blue-green Pangong Lake, the cold desert (Nubra valley) and many other surprises that need to be experienced to be believed. The huge variety and extreme terrain forces you to bow down in front of nature and appreciate the grandeur of its creations.

There are people who conquer this challenging terrain on manual geared bikes as well. I could not believe my eyes when I saw a young cyclist climbing the steep highway where on the other hand, our car was literally sobbing for being forced to keep going.

There are so many hidden wonders in this part of the world. If you are visiting Leh, you should not (cannot) miss the below.

Pangong Tso Lake
Imagine this: You cross a pass and descend on the other side of the mountain to see a lake so tranquil that you don't believe your eyes. Pangong Tso lake is one such awe-inspiring marvel of nature. If you have a thing for water (or mountains, or serenity, or altitude, or romance - did I miss any category ;)), make sure you stay along the lake in one of the many camps.

Nubra Valley
Have you been to a cold desert? Leh has just the right one for you. Miles and miles of undulating sand dunes interspersed with double humped camels and occasional green patches. It has the correct mix of all elements for you to go crazy. At least we did ;) !!

My travel buddies on this trip... Kapish and Kartik

Rafting @ Zanskar
Rafting at such heights has a charm of its own. And knowing that the same river freezes in winters and one can trek across the river to enter the inaccessible villages in the interiors of Leh made me wonder in amazement (another day, another plan :)).

There are many other things that you can do in Leh like spending time at the Tso Moriri lake. J&K is also considered to be a trekker's paradise. Or you could just choose to visit the Siachen base camp and try to imagine the conditions that prevail at the top where the soldiers stand guard.

Leh has something for everyone. For me, it was re-living the memories of my childhood, stretching my limits, going crazy with friends and introspecting. I am sure to visit this paradise again in future, hopefully with someone who I love :).

Unforgettable memory of the trip
The eye-popping view of the sky with its millions of stars, big & small, shining & dull, when I happened to look skyward in Nubra Valley at night (of course with a peg of scotch in hand). That moment made me forget where I was, who I was. My mouth was open, but I was speechless. I was in a trance and I never wanted to be woken up.

Find what Leh has in store for you. As they say, Come to Leh... get Leh'd.

My Tryst with Cambodia

March 2015. I had just left my job in banking and was raring to travel, my long (and nearly lost) wish. I wanted to backpack and since it was my first backpacking trip, I wanted to go somewhere close by, perhaps some country in South-east Asia.

Cambodia is a country which, if you mention as a possible tourist destination to anyone often surprises them. Having Thailand as its more glamorous and popular neighbor to the west, everyone asked me the reason behind choosing Cambodia. I decided to go to Cambodia because I wanted to go someplace unusual, somewhere I had never thought I would go. I had never heard anyone within my friend circle talking about it or having been there. I wanted to travel like a backpacker, and Cambodia became my first destination.

There are many aspects about this excursion that make it special, right from the inception of the idea, planning the trip and actually being in that country. But the one that stands out is how the country never failed to surprise me at every step of my trip. The pre-trip research included everything from reading about the country, the currency used there and the challenges that a backpacker is likely to face in Cambodia. I was surprised to know that USD is the generally used currency in the country.

Cambodia is famous for Angkor, one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Spread over nearly 400 sq km, its two most famous temples are Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. I wanted to witness these archaeological wonders and this removed any lingering doubt in my mind about choosing Cambodia as the destination. But little did I know what the country had in store for me. It has everything that a traveler looks for while deciding his destination.  

 I landed in Siam Reap in northwestern Cambodia, the gateway to the ruins of Angkor, to start my 10 day trip. Reaching Siam Reap was no less a feat. To minimize my flying expense, I had to fly to Thailand from India (which itself was a hopping flight) and then take an Air Asia flight to Siam Reap. As Air Asia flies from a different airport in Thailand (Don Mueang Airport), I had to take Thailand visa (visa on arrival) to enter the country only to exit in the next few hours (I had to do the same on my way back). After nearly 15 hours of departing from Delhi and having set foot on 5 airports in 3 countries, I found myself standing near the visa counter of a small yet intriguing airport. And 15 minutes later, after a bench of nearly 10 people scanning my passport one after the other, I was all set to enter the Cambodian kingdom.

Siam Reap

I reached Siam Reap at around 10 PM and went straight to the hostel I had booked. As I was new to staying in hostels (I opted for Mad Monkey Hostel http://madmonkeyhostels.com/) while traveling abroad (this was my first backpacking trip), I was pleasantly surprised to see the atmosphere. The first thing I saw was a pool with a couple of youngsters sitting around and chatting (teenagers if I had to guess). For the money that I was paying, I was very happy with the place. It had a rooftop 'beach bar' and had a fun board with 'interesting' info with regards to the party in the evening (pic below). (What would you have worn - Red / Yellow or is it Green ;)). And yes they had free shots too.

The one thing that I definitely wanted to see was the Angkor ruins. Apart from this, my only objective was to travel across the country, feel the vibe the country has and not necessarily visiting the ‘touristy’ places. Siam Reap is a place frequented by many tourists from across the world due to its proximity to the Angkor ruins. And the city has a very active night life. One place worth mentioning is “The Pub Street” or the party hub of Siam Reap. People from different countries come together to drink and enjoy here. Some pubs have loud music going on with people dancing to the tunes of music on the roads in front. It was definitely a treat to be there and soak into the atmosphere. The street reminded me of a place called “LKF” in Hong Kong (a different work related trip).

Pub Street, Siam Reap

Visiting the magnificent temple ruins was an experience in itself. Some temples were so spread out that it took around 2 hours to walk to the other end of the temple (and then 2 hours back to reach the entry point).

People gathered to watch sunrise at Angkor Wat

And on one of these mornings (April 1 of course) ... ;). The expressions of people in the background made the prank totally worth it.

Not a bad place to 'fake' propose ;). Centuries of history standing witness.

And how can I forget about “tuk-tuk”, the popular means of transport in Cambodia. It is somewhat similar in concept to the cycle-rikshaw we have in India, just faster, trendier and sometimes a little hip-hop too.

With Kapish (friend and a former colleague)

Phnom Penh
After two days in Siam Reap, I traveled southward to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. It is a busy city. I took a mini bus from Siam Reap to reach the capital. Phnom Penh has its own share of places to see like the Cheung Ek killing fields, Royal Palace, etc. A river cruise in the evening made me realize how quickly the city is changing due to rapid commercialization. On the left of the cruise boat, I saw small dilapidated boats with entire families living on them, whereas on the other side, I saw huge under-construction buildings owned by reputed developers to give a boost to tourism and infrastructure. It again reminded me how stark the difference is between the upper and lower income strata in developing and under-developed countries.

Flags of various countries on the riverside boulevard.
The Royal Palace in the background

Families having to live on boats

My stay in Phnom Penh was just one day as I wanted to spend more time in other smaller towns towards the south like Kampot and the beaches near Sihanoukville. Next day I was on my way to Kampot without having the slightest idea of the surprise that was in store for me.

Kampot
Kampot is a quaint riverside town. The highlight of the town is its riverside promenade. A walk along the river and you will see amazing sunrise and sunset views. Kampot was probably the best experience I had during my entire trip because of the slow pace of the town. Laid back diners, pubs and restaurants with small groups of people sitting and enjoying. Nowhere do you get the feeling of being swamped with people. Waking up at 6 in the morning and having the entire water front to yourself is an experience hard to forget.

Yummy pineapple pancake to start the day

The surprising element was the proximity of the city to Bokor hill station. A one hour car ride literally teleported me to the top of the Bokor mountain. Engulfed in fog and dotted with ancient French buildings and an abandoned church, the mountain gave me mesmerizing views of the valley. The city really slows you down and makes you wonder if all the pace and frantic of the world is really worth it.

On Bokor Mountain

Mysterious church atop Bokor

Sihanoukville
From Kampot, I moved further south to Sihanoukville and nearby islands. My love for water always leads me to beaches and islands wherever possible. Sihanoukville has the best beaches in Cambodia. Depending on what one prefers, you could sit near a stretch more frequented by travelers with pubs alongside the beach or find a quite stretch away from all the lighting and the crowd. As for me, I had the best time sitting on the beach alone, my phone kept in the sand and playing old hindi songs for hours into the night.

Some beach on the mainland

Koh Rong Sanloem Island
From there, I went to Koh Rong Sanloem Island. It is very pristine island with gorgeous beaches. It is not frequented by a lot of travelers and you can visit this or any of the other nearby islands to spend time with your loved one or just stroll the beaches and spend some alone time. I enjoyed the tranquility that the island had to offer. I enjoy travelling alone and always relish such places where you could feel nature in your veins. It gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction. Every trip has moments that get etched in one’s mind. The view from the wooden bridge at sunrise is one memory that will stay with me forever from this trip.

Koh Rong Sanloem Island

The island was my last stop in Cambodia. Starting from the ancient temple ruins in the north to rivers, beaches and islands in the south, the country has all the ingredients to make for an adventurous and interesting excursion.

In hindsight, I am happy that I selected a not so popular destination. It changed my beliefs about backpacking and taught me that there is only so much one can learn from the internet or hearing from travelers who have been to a particular country. Unless you travel yourself, you will never know what the place has to offer. My perception about Cambodia has changed totally after the trip for the better. Yes, one needs to be a little careful but that stands true for any country; be that in Asia or Europe.

Before planning this trip, I took input from the articles on the internet and other people’s stories to plan my trip and know about hidden places which we don’t hear about in general. I will publish a separate post on 'Cambodia on a budget'. I hope my experience inspires people to travel to and explore this beautiful country.