As a total newbie I made a mistake when I ordered a Samsung WB 600 with a Velbon CX-586 tripod that is designed for video cameras.
Can I use them together at all? Do I have to return the tripod?
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Sign up to join this communityAs a total newbie I made a mistake when I ordered a Samsung WB 600 with a Velbon CX-586 tripod that is designed for video cameras.
Can I use them together at all? Do I have to return the tripod?
Yes. Tripods are nearly always compatible and when they are not, there is usually an extremely cheap screw adapter to fix the difference.
Video tripods (technically video tripod heads) are designed for smooth motion in one direction at a time. This is actually good for panoramas, as you want to pan without changing tilt or pitch.
The most common photo tripods use a ball head which once you loosen move freely in all directions. This makes pointing the camera much quicker. While filming though it is very hard to make smooth steady motions with it.
Many ball heads also have a separate panning control mostly for doing panoramas. It allows you to pan without loosening the ball part of the head. Some tripods have a circular center column which does the same movement as well.
You should probably get a tripod with a panning ball-head if you plan on using it regularly for photography.
Yes you can put your camera on that tripod as it has a standard mounting screw. Video tripods are broadly similar, the main difference is that video tripod heads are designed for smooth panning which is relatively unimportant for still photography.