Choosing the Right Manfrotto Tripod Legs

Serious and professional photographers choose Manfrotto tripod legs for their quality, durability, and strength. They're available on their own, allowing you to select the best tripod head for your purposes, or they come as a complete unit with a Manfrotto tripod head. Manfrotto makes legs for all applications, from lightweight units for travel purposes, to robust professional video filming tripods.

Understanding Tripod Load Capacity

When selecting tripod legs, it's essential to consider the weight of your camera. The tripod load capacity should always be higher than the maximum combined weight of your camera and equipment. If your camera gear is too heavy, the tripod won't be stable, and under certain conditions, it could topple over. The fundamental purpose of using a tripod is to make certain your camera is steady and doesn't move, especially during long exposures.

Manfrotto Carbon Fiber Tripods vs. Aluminum Tripods

Aluminum and carbon fiber are the most common materials used for tripod legs. Aluminum is durable and strong. However, it's about 30% heavier than carbon fiber, although this difference is less pronounced when you add in the weight of the tripod head and camera equipment. Besides being lighter, carbon fiber is stronger and more rigid. This difference is especially noticeable when using a tripod fully extended, especially if you raise the center column. The additional rigidity of carbon fiber construction means there's less chance of the camera shaking in windy conditions or when using heavy telephoto lenses.

Tripod Legs With Extendable Heads

Many tripod legs have an extendable head column, allowing you to raise your camera for a better perspective. Also, many tripods enable you to reverse the center column so you can use your camera close to the ground. If you plan to make extensive use of a center column, consider buying a slightly heavier and stronger tripod, so there's less movement in the fully extended position. If you do a lot of nature photography, a geared height adjustment makes it easier to position your camera at just the right height.

Professional Camera Tripods

Serious photographers benefit from robust and stable tripods which can hold heavy camera gear. Professional tripods have solid legs, often using a tandem design and more substantial construction. The extra weight of professional tripods aids stability. Many professional Manfrotto video tripods also have spreaders to lock the legs into position, so they don't move on soft terrain or under heavy loads.

Check out B&H Photo and Video when it's time to buy the best camera tripods for all photographic occasions.