VISIONARY TRIPODS OFFER STABILITY AT VALUE PRICES
Digital cameras offer the chance to easily achieve good results in low light, but built-in flash only lights up the closest parts of the picture, leaving the background dark and boring.  For more interesting results, it's time to switch off the flash and let the camera expose correctly for the whole view.
That's when it's vital to hold the camera extra steady and Visionary's new range of tripods makes that possible without straining the bank balance or your muscles.  In fact, using a tripod for motionless subjects in good light, such as landscapes, will improve the sharpness of these images, too.
Even the economical Visionary VT-30, at around £19.99, provides firm support for digital compact cameras, thanks to the cross bracing that locks the legs into position, while the  larger sized, £29.99, VT-50 model is easily adequate for today's lightweight digital SLRs with standard zooms.  For use with a longer zoom lens, the VT-70, with its thicker legs will give the extra strength needed, yet is still reasonably priced at £39.99.
All of the Visionary tripods are equipped with a tough, 3-way pan and tilt head, smooth enough for use with a video camera, and a cranked centre column with a hook from which you can hang a bag to give additional stability.  The camera is attached using a small quick release device that can be conveniently left on the camera when the tripod is not in use.
Whatever the size of a tripod, the aim is to keep the camera as steady as possible, so a locking ring is fitted to fix the cross braces into position and the lever operated leg locks provide firm, but easily operated, adjustment of leg length.  
The legs are manufactured from aluminium which is of closed channel construction, so they are sturdy and easy to keep clean, while the soft feet are mounted on ball fittings, allowing them to sit flat on a floor without scratching the surface.  
The two larger models have a spirit level built in and all the Visionary tripods are fitted with a handle to make carrying easy.  The maximum operating heights are 1530mm for the 
VT-30, 1600mm for the V-50 and 1660mm for the VT-70.
Visionary tripods are imported and distributed in the UK and Eire by Optical Hardware Ltd - for more information and a stockist list, see www.opticalhardware.co.uk.
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June 2008.