This episode is for Rhonda in Fort Worth, Texas, and all you camera club folks out there. Today I'm doing another ranting episode, and it's about center columns on tripods. Exciting, huh? But seriously, stick with me on this one. The center column. It's the post in the middle of your tripod that lets you raise or lower your camera without adjusting the legs. Harmless, right? But apparently not.
About 12 years ago, I met someone on a photo tour here in New York City who asked me, and completely sincerely, what do you think about cutting off your tripod's center column? At first, I thought I misheard, but nope, they meant it. Like take a hacksaw and physically cut off that center column. The reason? Because it's unstable. I was pretty baffled by this, so I started digging. And wow, I found out it was a real thing.
There are bloggers and forums full of people swearing you should never use the center column because it ruins your sharpness, destabilizes your camera, and maybe poisons your crops too. Okay. All right. I know I'm exaggerating, but seriously, come on. So I asked a few of my colleagues, one of them just dead panned, why not stop at the center column, cut off all three legs while you're at it, set the tripod directly on the ground. You'll get tons of stability that way. Touche.
Let's be honest, the center column is less stable when fully extended. That's not up for debate. But that doesn't mean you should amputate it. It's there for a reason. You just have to use it correctly. The center column gives you an extra 12 to 18 inches of height without needing a gigantic tripod. And let's be real, nobody wants to carry a bigger tripod. You all complain about the one you already have.
Why would you intentionally do something that would force you to carry a larger one? Using the center column means you can travel lighter and still have some flexibility to adjust your composition. And that's the key here, micro adjustments. When I'm shooting, I almost always set up my tripod just a little bit lower than I think I need. Then, if needed, I raise the center column slightly to fine tune my composition. Boom, done.
No tripod yoga, no fiddling with all three legs, just a quick, easy tweak. And honestly, I don't know anyone who gets their tripod height perfectly on the first try. Can you get lucky? Sure. But most people don't get it on the first try, and those who don't make adjustments after setting up are just being lazy. And they're just settling for a mediocre shot. Now, the anti-center column crowd wants you to believe that
any extension at all makes your setup unstable. I say they're wrong. A two inch lift isn't going to ruin your shot. You know what will? Being too lazy to adjust the legs and settling for an okay image. And not having the center column means that you're more likely to settle for that. Every time I tell someone on a photo safari to adjust their tripod for a better angle, you'd think I'd ask them to carry a baby elephant,
but five seconds later after they've made the adjustment, they're happier with the shot every single time. So yeah, the center column helps you work smarter. You just have to resist the urge to treat it like a flagpole and raise it all the way like you're trying to broadcast to space or something. That's where you lose stability. Just a quick side note. If you're using a travel tripod, the smallest leg sections also aren't super stable.
But you don't hacksaw those off, do you? You use them when needed. Same principle. Don't extend your center column all the way unless you have to. If you're going to need to make an adjustment more than about six inches, it's probably time to extend your legs. That is if you can. And if you can't, do the best you can and make sure to use a timer or a remote shutter so you don't shake your camera. Back when I was doing architectural photography,
I'd often be on a stepladder with my tripod fully extended legs and center column because I needed to shoot from seven feet up. Without the center column, I would have needed a tripod so huge, I might've needed a permit to carry it around. So please, for the love of photography, stop cutting off your center column. It's not the villain here. And to anyone saying, well, manufacturers are making tripods without center columns now. My response is,
they're just responding to consumer desire, not actual need. They want to sell tripods. They're not going to fight some viral myth. They're going to capitalize on it. And now I have to pay extra to get a center column for that very, very expensive tripod? So please keep the column, use it wisely, adjust your height, fine tune your shot, and let go of this crazy idea that you need a hacksaw. And that's it for today's gear rant. Rhonda?
I hope that was helpful. And if anyone else out there is reaching for a power tool, maybe just take a deep breath and don't. Until next time, keep on shooting.
