Choosing the right tripod to buy can be a bit of a tricky thing. There are a lot of things to consider and various decisions to make on tripod features. On top of that, there are many different brands and models all with very similar specifications. At the end of the day, weight, cost, and ease of use will probably end up being three of your biggest considerations, but I am going to explain some of the main things that I look for in a tripod in order to help guide you through your tripod purchasing decision.

1 – Weight – Everyone wants a light weight tripod for ease of use and good portability, especially if you have to carry it for a long time when traveling. But light weight means that if you are shooting outdoors, and in windy situations, then you risk your tripod being blown over, along with all your expensive camera gear attached to it. You also risk camera vibration with a light weight tripod which hinders your ability to stabilize your camera and get a sharp picture with slow shutter speeds. Ideally you want a tripod that isn’t too heavy, but yet one that offers a reasonable amount of sturdiness and can support at least 13 pounds of gear. So a bare minimum weight of 5 pounds for a tripod is best. But if you are shooting mainly indoors then weight and portability aren’t so much of a consideration and you can get away with buying a heavier tripod to save on cost. Bear in mind though that your tripod head is going to add an extra pound or two of weight to the tripod on top of whatever the tripod itself weighs.

2 – Good Stability – Stability is the main purpose in using a tripod in most situations. Sometimes you might use a tripod when you want to get your camera into a precise position as well as not having the camera change position at all for say some time lapse shooting. Stable tripods are especially important at times when it would be a challenge to fix the position of the camera if you were shooting your camera handheld. But many people use a tripod when shooting in low light situations where they need to steady the camera from motion blur with slow shutter speeds. A tripod is also really handy in situations where, even if you have ample light and shutter speed, you are trying to focus lock on a small subject or shoot with a telephoto lens using a shallow depth of field. A tripod will help to steady the camera and allow you to capture a sharper image in both of those situations. So a stable tripod really means one that has enough weight that the legs won’t slip and slide and change position very easily when you need stability, especially if you put a heavy camera and lens onto it.

3 – Ease Of Use – You also want a tripod which is fast and easy to setup and collapse so you don’t miss fleeting opportunities. The better the release mechanisms, then usually the more costly the tripod is going to be, but the quick release type tripods are the most preferred as they are the fastest to operate. Ones where you can simply press a button to extend the legs and collapse them again without having to manually unscrew or unclip locks to extend each segment of the legs are ideal.

4 – High Quality Material – A tripod with high quality materials is important because if the metal is low quality then it might easily rust or corrode over time, especially if it gets exposed to natural elements like salt in ocean water or the rain. And rust and corrosion can leave you unable to move the mechanical parts or extend the legs of the tripod in the future.

Carbon fiber are the highest quality tripods these days. They won’t rust, they are light weight and very strong. Stainless steel tripods wont rust or corrode either and is another option if you are working in locations where your tripod will get wet very often. The only downside to carbon fiber tripods though is that they often weigh less than 5 pounds and are not as secure when shooting outdoors with a bit of wind. But carbon fiber can often support a heavier weight camera setup than stainless steel. So that is a plus if your camera gear is quite heavy.

5 – Value – It is good to assess the price of the tripod versus what features it offers. Don’t spend a lot of money just for fancy branding or extra functions that you don’t need. There are now a few Chinese made brands which are decent too and very low cost compared to the more well known European brands, although the less expensive Chinese made tripods may not last you as long.

So that covers most of the major considerations. Sadly, one must prioritize their requirements a bit because you are not going to be able to get all the features you want in one tripod. For example, a very sturdy tripod is also most likely going to be very heavy. So if you want something that is both super sturdy and light weight it isn’t really possible. Also, if you want high quality carbon fiber materials then that rules out a low cost tripod. Thus, from here it is best to define your needs taking the above considerations into account and make compromises where you can in order to get a tripod that offers the most of what you need. Think about where you will use the tripod the most. Indoors or out? If indoors then you can get away with choosing something heavier weight and more affordable as I mentioned and you don’t need to pay extra for fancy quick release functions.

What tripod do I use myself? I actually have 3 tripods I use at the moment and they each cover me for different uses.

For all my shoots on location I use an aluminum made Manfrotto 458B Neo Tech Pro Photo Tripod. It is priced at about US$450 and has quick release legs. Very fast for setting up and taking down and a reasonable weight at around 5.3 pounds. Fully extended it can reach up to 61.5″ in height, which is a very good height too.

When I am in my studio I use my older Gitzo G-1220 MK2 tripod which is an aluminum tripod that weighs a few ounces less than the Manfrotto tripod at 4.9 pounds, but the Gitzo feels a bit more stable and sturdy. The legs don’t push outward as much if you put a lot of weight on the top of it. It does however have screw locks on the legs which are slower to setup and takedown and need to be oiled or the locks get stuck and can take a lot of strength to loosen. So I normally use the Gitzo in the studio when I am not going to be changing the camera location often.

The Gitzo G-1220 has a maximum height of 48″ with the column extended, so it doesn’t reach as high as my Manfrotto 458B. Unfortunately the G-1220 isn’t being made anymore though. Gitzo is making a GT-3330 which is a comparable aluminum tripod, but it weighs a bit more at 7 pounds and costs around $450. At the time I paid around $300 for my G-1220. It seems Gitzo no longer makes light weight aluminum tripods like the G-1220 though. Their light weight tripods are now all made of carbon fiber and a lot more expensive. The least expensive Gitzo carbon fiber tripod right now is the GT2531LVL which weighs only 3.5 pounds, but sells for around US$750.

The 3rd tripod I bought recently is a Manfrotto 058B Triaut. It is a very heavy tripod weighing 13.5 pounds. It is made of a mix of aluminum and steel. The reason I like this tripod is that, because of its heavy weight, it is very sturdy. It can also extend to a maximum height of 85″ with the top column fully extended. This is great for getting shots with a high, up top view. It also has a fantastic one-motion quick release system to drop all 3 legs at once. The downside for travel though is it is very heavy and not so portable. But it is great when you want a lot of height, stability, and legs that extend quickly with the release of just one lever and then lock into place. They run around US$450, which is quite reasonable for such a sturdy tripod. Manfrotto has been making this same tripod design for over 20 years already and, if you buy one of these, it should last you nearly a lifetime.

Manfrotto (Italian made) and Gitzo (French made) are perhaps the two highest quality brands in tripods, but will also be at the upper end in terms of price. Manfrotto generally being a bit more cost competitive these days on price though than Gitzo.

The last thing to consider is the tripod head, which is something that needs to be purchased separately. In the coming weeks I will do a follow up post on helping you choose the right tripod head for your tripod. Heads can add weight and a lot more cost to a tripod setup, so they pose a whole separate set of buying considerations.

Feel free to post any questions or comments on tripod considerations below.

*UPDATE #1 / 29-April-14* – I just posted the other related article I mentioned about How To Choose The Right Tripod Head. The article is here.