Ball Head Tripods have a single locking knob control on the ball and socket design. This style allows for multi-directional adjustment in one fluid movement.

Pros:

• quick to adjust
• smaller
• easier to carry than pan and tilt tripod heads

Cons:

• sometimes less precise than pan and tilt tripd heads, especially when making small adjustments

Pan and Tilt Head Tripods have two separate axes of movement: horizontal pan and vertical tilt, with some models adding a third axis for lateral tilt. They allow for precise control, commonly used for composing images that require straight horizons or deliberate angles.

Pros:

• excellent for fine-tuning composition
• very stable

Cons:

• can be slower to adjust
• generally bulkier than other tripod heads

Fluid Head Tripods are designed primarily for video, typically have long handles and allow for smooth pans and tilts during filming.

Pros:

• very smooth movements
• ideal for capturing video

Cons:

• typically larger
• not convenient for travel