Video Tripod Construction

[simonbarker]

Probably a stupid question but I've been wondering for a while and never seen it answered before.

Why do more expensive video tripods tend to have multiple separate shafts in the legs unlike ones designed for photographers?

 

[HoppyUK]

Probably a stupid question but I've been wondering for a while and never seen it answered before.

Why do more expensive video tripods tend to have multiple separate shafts in the legs unlike ones designed for photographers?

I suspect there's quite a lot of tradition involved, but video cameras are often big, heavy and cumbersome things - usually with a crew to carry them. The multi-leg tripod design has higher mechanical integrity, is more robust in all dimensions of movement and with plenty of room for a fat fluid head on top. But they're also big, heavy and cumbersome, less versatile, and the ratio of height to closed length tends to be poor.