We’ve talked about why tripods are important before in 6 Tips To Getting Super Sharp Photographs so let’s take a look at finding that right tripod for you.
Tripods come in all shapes, color, sizes, and of course prices. So when meandering through this enormous maze, how does one choose the right tripod? There are many factors to consider when choosing a good tripod for your specific photographic needs.
- Use
- Size
- Portability
- Price
Use - The frequency of carrying around your tripod is probably the most important thing to consider. The more you use the tripod, the better overall quality you will require. If you plan on using your tripod very often, you’ll most definitely want to choose one that can take whatever beating you’ll put it through.
Size - Tripods can be as small as a computer mouse or as large as a person. What will you use it for? If you aim at sharpening up those landscape photos then you’ll want a standard sized tripod typically expanding to 5-6 feet in height. The urban photographer may be able to get by with a Gorillapod to wrap around stairways and pipes.
Portability - Some tripods can collapse from 47 inches fully extended all the way down to a mere 18 inches! If you are trekking through subways or abandoned buildings you may need to store it in your camera bag. Remember that the tripods can come in a variety of materials which can determine the weight of the equipment. You want the “heaviest tripod you can carry”.
Price - Obvious enough, your wallet will limit the quality of tripod you can afford, but fear not, there are discounts and bargains galore. You just may have to do a little extra searching to find what you’re looking for in price.
Let’s take a closer look at some standout tripods that you may want to consider adding to your photography equipment arsenal.
The Gorillapod by Joby comes in many sizes and even a few colors. What’s so special about these products? They’ve been flying off shelves since their debut because they really filled a gap in urban photography by providing city trekking shutterbugs the opportunity to carry a versatile, lightweight, and compact tripod. Innovation at it’s best if you ask me. The fact that there seems to be a growing “cult” of Gorillapod users (and knockoffs) only solidifies these photographer’s tools as a must have for just about any urban photographer. At a price range starting at around $22 for the Joby GP1-01EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod 
On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the Gitzo GT2530 6X Carbon Fiber 2 Series 3 Section G-Lock Mountaineer Tripod
There really are some great tripods you can start with if you’re just not willing to drop the cash on the Gitzo.
The Bogen - Manfrotto 190XPROB Black Tripod Kit with 484RC2 Mini Ball Head & Tripod Case
Coming in at under $100 the Sunpak UltraPro 757 Full-Size Tripod with Extra Quick-Release Plate (Satin Silver)
While these are just a few brands and models to look into, your best bet will be to head over to your local camera shop and get your hands on the tripods. Feel them in your hands, the weight, the materials, the knobs and levers all will be variables in what could be one of the most important pieces of equipment you could purchase for your hobby. Don’t forget to ask around as well. Which reminds me…
Do you have a different tripod that works great for you? Let us know in the comments section below (don’t forget to give us a price)!
Photograph Sharing my passion with a mate. by the_wolf_brigade. You can also follow his blog The mediation of life.
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I highly recommend thinking about the type of photography you wish to pursue in the future, as well as what you currently undertake.
I bought the tripod in the photo above (a Slik AMT Pro 320) for my digital camera (a Fuji Finepix S6500fd) because I wanted to do some long exposures at night. Now the digital wasn’t very heavy so I figured a medium weight tripod that could take a reasonable sized camera as well as a small film SLR (that I also had) would be all I’d need. Tripods last (or should last for the amateur) for about 10 years if not more. My father’s one is over 25 years old.
I paid $180AUS a year ago for mine, though it wasn’t long before it felt way too small. I soon acquired a Pentax 6×7 and numerous other medium format film cameras. With them I do a lot of night landscape photography. While I couldn’t predict this at the time, I frequently wish that I’d done more research and saved up to buy one that has a removable head and expandability in terms of adding a new head etc. as well as having a larger leg structure. While this would have meant it would be heavier on some of my more adventurous trips, it may have offered more options from it’s increased sturdiness.
While the Slik is *just* adequate for my current uses, my wish to expand into 4×5 really means that I’m going to need another more heavy duty tripod. It’s likely that I’ll continue with the Slik lineup as they offer more pro level tripods as well as prosumer models with a feature I haven’t seen on any other tripods out there yet: they have a foam surround on the top half of the first leg section which, while occasionally absorbing moisture, has meant that in the recent spate of zero degree (centigrade) nights my hands haven’t been frostbitten after touching my tripod after an hour or more’s exposure. Friends haven’t been so lucky - the metal tends to get very cold!