A tripod, in the context of photography, is a three-legged stand for a camera, used to stabilize and elevate the camera. Tripods are used for both still and motion photography. A tripod of some sort is often necessary for professional photography as well as certain video uses; HDTV video in particular, due to peculiarities inherent in the MPEG-2 algorithms used, tends to be almost unwatchable without some sort of stabilization. A tripod refers to any three-legged structure. ... Lens and mounting of a large format camera Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. ... A camera is a device used to take pictures (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound, such as with video cameras. ... High-definition television (HDTV) means broadcast of television signals with a higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL) allow. ... MPEG-2 (1994) is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group), and published as the ISO/IEC 13818 international standard. ...

For maximum strength and stability, most photographic tripods are braced around a center post, with collapsible telescoping legs and and a telescoping section at the top that can be raised or lowered. At the top of the tripod is the head, which includes the camera mount (usually detachable with a thumbscrew to hold onto the camera), several joints to allow the camera to pan and tilt, and usually a handle to allow the operator to do so without jostling the camera. Some tripods also feature integrated remote controls to control a camcorder or camera, though these are usually proprietary to the company that built the camera.

There are several different types of tripod. The least expensive, generally made of aluminum tubing and costing less than US$100, is used primarily for consumer still and video cameras; these generally come with an attached head and rubber feet. The head is very basic, and often not entirely suitable for smooth panning of a camcorder. A common feature, mostly designed for still cameras, allows the head to flip upwards 90 degrees to allow the camera to take pictures in portrait format rather than landscape. 8mm Camcorder mini-DV Camcorder Sony DV Handycam A camcorder is a portable electronic device (generally a digital camera) for recording video images and audio onto a storage device. ... Self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh A portrait is a painting, photograph, or other artistic representation of a person. ... The Harvesters, by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1565: Peace and agriculture in a pre-Romantic ideal landscape, without sublime terrors The word landscape as most westerners use it is completely entrenched in western notions of land, nature and art. ...

More expensive tripods come with swappable heads and optional spiked feet for rough ground, and usually feature "fluid" heads, which are designed to move more smoothly than the basic heads on inexpensive tripods. The most expensive of all are wooden tripods designed for use with film-based movie cameras and studio still cameras. Many tripods, even some relatively inexpensive ones, also include leveling indicators for the legs of the tripod and the head.