As much as I really don’t want to make a certain person any richer than he already is, I ordered two tripods through Amazon. JB can thank me later. I need two because they will allow me to test which camera I will use in making videos for my YouTube channel; my cell phone or my Nikon D3500.

Fortunately each one came with illustrated instructions for assembly. Being old school I find this method of learning more efficient than watching internet videos since those online experts tend to skip over steps needed to fully understand what the heck you are doing. It’s that “intuitively obvious” syndrome YouTubers suffer from, which causes their disdain for any references to the shallows of progress.

The first tripod to arrive on my doorstep was the cheap one to hold my cell phone. It is advertised as a selfie stick attached to a three-legged base and lives up to its modest hype; another reason to be grateful. Assembly takes two steps: How to release the tripod; and How to position the phone holder. As an added benefit there is also instruction on how to properly pack it all up again.

Finally! A medium I can understand.

The one inconvenience is that the phone, for which I bought a protective cover, doesn’t completely fit in the holder. The thickness of this rubber cocoon exceeds the holder’s tolerance. Still it is snug enough for my purpose, but I may decide to risk my phone’s fragile fate in order to form a more perfect union between it and the tripod – if it will help the quality of the video.

The more expensive tripod arrived fashionably late. Due to its cost it probably traveled first class. And to my joy it came with another set of printed instructions. The added glory this makes for both tripods is that there were no missed steps in the assembly. It is a rare delight these days to get from A to Z without needing to do another internet search for a potentially fragmented explanation.

The glamour tripod is a Victiv. Its manual contains the promise that I will “Enjoy Life More” as a consequence of using this product.

Such promises enhance the chances that I will chose to use my Nikon camera to record my videos since it is mounted on this fabulous, life-giving device. To know for sure I need to put the Nikon and my cell phone to an unbiased test to determine audio/visual supremacy.

This requires a twin set up, using both cameras to record me in tandem. My bedroom is my set, my recliner my only prop, but I decline to recline as I express my management wisdom. The rest is just me and my cameras recording what I hope does not prove to be a doom loop.

I say my piece and watch the playback on each device. Unfortunately this does not allow for a valid comparison. I need to download both videos to my editing software and see how they compare on an independent screen. The problem this raises is that I now have to learn how to use the software; another week’s message and more on-line tutorials no doubt. The road to influencer fame and fortune is paved with technologically challenged good intentions.