As complementary as peanut butter is to jelly, the camera and tripod are an age-old pairing that still manages to maintain relevance and unmatched functionality in a world dominated by image stabilization and Photoshop tricks. While the form and function of a tripod is far simpler to understand than the scrolling menus of today’s feature-packed cameras, it can still be a chore to choose the right setup for your needs from among a sea of manufacturers and seemingly comparable models.
Now, what’s the big deal with tripods? Most photographers hate them. They’re big, bulky, annoying to lug around, and they slow us down in the field. Why on earth would anyone want a tool that hinders their ability to do the activity they’re setting out to do? The answer is better images. Tripods are often essential to capturing sharp images in various shooting situations. Want to photograph flowing water at a slow shutter speed? You’ll need a tripod for that. What if you’re photographing portraits and need to keep the same framing for each and every shot? That sounds like a job for a tripod. Photographing an owl just after sunset? A tripod is a must.
Let’s take a deeper look at tripods, from what they do to how we can use them best for our needs. Is a tripod just a grab and go accessory, or should we take more into consideration before making a purchase? You might be surprised to know that tripods and their sets of features are almost as important as the camera and lens themselves. Let’s find out how.
The Tripod System
Tripods are not just three legs and a base. I mean, they are, but there’s far more to them than that. For the most part, the tripod consists of two primary components: the legs and head. This system goes hand in hand in creating a stable platform for your camera. The legs do the brunt of the work, supporting the weight of the camera and reducing vibrations.
The head on the other hand offers articulation and allows for a controlled range of motion. There are various head designs, each one providing a different range of motion, from a loose ball joint to a balanced gimbal. As you can probably guess, the bigger the camera, the stronger the head will need to be. On top of that, the legs will need to support whatever we mount atop the system.
There’s no such thing as the perfect tripod, but we can find a system that best matches our needs both for our camera and our activity level. To do so, we need to consider some key factors, from what we’re supporting, to what we’re comfortable carrying and beyond. Let’s take a look.
Key Considerations:
What should we be thinking about when looking for a tripod? Not only do we need to consider the height of our new tripod, which should be no less that 2-3” shy of eye-level. We need to consider the material that the legs are constructed with. Tripod legs, for both the beginner and professional user, are a relatively simple affair that boils down to three simple factors: weight, load capacity, and price.
Load Capacity
The single most important aspect of a tripod is its load capacity. Above all else, our tripod needs to safely and securely support whatever we mount on it, whether that be a smartphone or a mirrorless camera with a big, telephoto lens. This feature is clearly marked on the B&H Website under specifications but should also be found on the tripod box itself.
For a small, point and shoot camera, a tripod with an 8-11 lb maximum load capacity is perfectly fine, if not overkill. Overkill is fine, as it’s safer to have more weight bearing capabilities than we need. In fact, it’s good practice to find a tripod that’s rated for two to three times the weight of your heaviest camera and lens combination. This ensures that the rig will remain stable and prevent vibrations and shake in nearly all conditions.
Head Style
As addressed in our tripods explained article, there are several different heads we can equip. For general use, we recommend a sturdy ball head. It’s quick, versatile, and most importantly, easy to use. Video shooters will benefit more from the larger fluid head and it’s smooth, fluid-like pan and tilt mechanisms. Long lens users (300mm f/2.8 primes and up) will need something to balance their heavier rigs like a gimbal head, or something unique like a spring balanced ball head.
There is room for mixing and matching, as some sport and wildlife shooters prefer the resistance of a fluid head, whereas some landscape shooters prefer specialized heads like the geared tripod head to fine tune their adjustments.
Height
This may seem like an obvious consideration, but many photographers end up with tripods that are too short. With modern mirrorless cameras that feature tilting rear LCD screens, this may seem like a non-issue, but the actual eyepiece of your camera is essential in harsher lighting conditions. For that reason alone, a tripod should get your camera up to at least eye level if not more.
Remember, a tripod can be too short, but it can never really be too tall. We can always adjust a taller tripod to our height, but we can’t make a short one taller. A good rule of thumb to follow, is to buy a tripod with a maximum working height no less than 2” below your height. Any shorter, and you’ll be feeling it in your neck after each shoot.
Weight
As with any piece of camera gear, the weight of our tripod will impact how much we use it. If we have a heavy, cumbersome set of sticks, we’re far less likely to even take our tripod out in the first place. So, find a tripod that manages to do what it’s designed to do while not imposing too much on you as a photographer.
If we have a heavier camera set-up, we’re going to have to get a heavier tripod. That’s just a fact. We can save a bit of weight by choosing a lighter material though. Carbon fiber tripods are lighter than their aluminum counter parts, hence why they’re so popular. That said, these tripods also tend to cost a bit more.
Price
Price plays a big role in any camera gear purchase. We’re all confined to certain budgetary restrictions, and this can lead us to skimping. This is one of the worst things we can do, as skimping will only result in us missing features and spending even more as we upgrade again. To prevent this conundrum, purchase the best quality tripod you can afford. Buy it right the first time, and you won’t worry about it again.
Speed
Speed? In tripods? Believe it or not, some tripods are quicker to set up, whether it be via their locking style, the number of leg sections, the release knob on our tripod head, or a combination of all. Twist locks for instance, are more durable, but they take a bit longer to deploy and collapse as we need to individually lock and unlock each joint.
Even the heads themselves offer some time saving features like a quick release plate. With the flip of a lever, we can release our camera from the head versus the traditional twist knob mechanism, which takes precious time.
That said, as photographers, we often have time on our side. Of course, if you’re a street photographer or working a wedding, you’ll want to be unencumbered by any tripod as time is truly of the essence. If you’re shooting landscapes, studio portraits, or even wildlife, slowing down is just part of the process.
Which Tripod is Right for Me?
There’s no shortage of tripod options out there. Just look out the B&H site and you’ll see hundreds, if not thousands of combinations with various head types and overall styles. Using the factors above, you can better narrow your search to models that meet your specific needs. Check out the filters on the left side of the screen when shopping, as you can choose leg lock type, maximum height, and of course, weight capacity among other things.
Are you hiking a great distance or perhaps flying a lot? You may benefit most from a travel tripod that folds up small. That way you can pack it, even in your carry on, without worrying about space or weight. Just make sure it can support your gear. Remember that a full frame mirrorless camera with a lens weighs a lot more than your phone.
Now, if we’re using long lenses or setting up in one spot for quite some time, we’ll need a little more substance to our tripod. A robust, full-sized set of sticks is essential to support not only a heavier camera rig, but a longer one as well. Something as simple as leg spread is important, as a narrower base is more susceptible to falling over when weight shifts or winds pick up. What’s even more important is the head type.
Final Thoughts
Tripods are a cumbersome, yet essential tool for many creatives, especially the photographer. Using the knowledge we’ve gained today, find a tripod that best suits your needs, and buy the best one you can justify buying at the start, and you won’t be worrying about tripods again. If you’d like to learn more about tripods or just all things photography, check out our other guides, videos, and articles on the B&H Explora Page!
