A tripod is simply a tripod, a movable stand or platform, usually used as a support for the weight of some object, and holding down the central axis of alignment. The tripod has many varied uses in photography, from hand-held devices to an easel or tabletop tripod. Some tripod designs are better known as collodial or multi-purpose, while others are designed exclusively for one particular purpose. The tripod stands in many sizes, from those that are easy to hold with just one hand to those that are quite hefty and stable when being used for extended periods. Most people tend to prefer the light-weight tripod, especially if they are doing an amount of manual work, but there are still some very useful tripod designs that can be used for both photography and video.
One such tripod model is the tilting angle lens camera tripod. This tripod, which does not actually tilt, instead, can be moved along its hinge in a 180 degree angle, so that the camera is actually mounted much closer to the lens than when it is on the stand. By tilting the camera, this tripod allows you to get a clearer shot of your subject without having to move closer to it and also allows for more creative shots. The tripod allows for some degree of blur, but generally speaking, the image produced by a tilting camera tripod is much more crisp and clear than one used in conjunction with a normal zoom lens or flash.
Tripods come in a wide variety of colors, styles and materials, and are available in most any store that sells fine photo equipment. Today, many of the more popular brands are available online and through catalogs. There are several good tripod manufacturers, including Sanyo, Nikon, Canon, Kodak and Panasonic who all make a range of basic tripods suitable for both general photography and travel photography. While tripods can be expensive, the advantages of having a compact, stable support system for your camera, coupled with a tripod that can also be used for photojournalism make a tripod an excellent investment for any serious photographer.