Welcome to My Post “THE 6 Best Camera Tripod Of Reviews 2022 “The equipment of a good photographer does not stop with a photo camera with accompanying lenses. A sturdy tripod also comes in handy.
At the latest after you have learned that slow shutter speeds and camera shake can cause blurry photos, look for the right support for your device in difficult circumstances.
But how do you start that quest? The choice of tripods and their capabilities is even greater than the number of cameras on the market.
And usually you know less about it, because there is relatively little communication about tripods. Nevertheless, it is important to be well informed. Our research will help you with that. You learn what all those clamps and screws are for and what you should pay attention to when purchasing.
Not every tripod is right for you. There are different types and models in all kinds of heights and materials. Do you choose a table model, a tripod, or a monopod, made of aluminum, basalt, wood, or carbon?
Which head should go with this: a ball head, three-way head, swing head, or just a video head? And what else should you keep an eye out for? We have sorted it out for you, given you more explanation, and list the best tripods per category for you.
Manfrotto 290 XTRA Kit Ball Head
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Pros
- Up to 5 kg load
- Strong aluminum
- Detachable head
- hook for weight
- Fair price
Cons
- heavy tripod
- No spirit level
When you ask a professional photographer to name one tripod brand, he will spontaneously think of Manfrotto.
The Italian brand has been marketing photo tripods for more than sixty years that are so strong that they last a lifetime. The Manfrotto 290 XTRA tripod also belongs to this category, thanks to its aluminum tripod and vertical center rod, on which a headset fits.
Our research shows that the metal Manfrotto 290 XTRA tripod is stable and sturdy. Due to its weight, the tripod is especially suitable for studio work.
But if you don’t mind carrying an extra 1.78 kg with you during your hike, you will also enjoy this heavy tripod outdoors. An SLR camera with a telephoto lens is firmly fixed on this rock-solid tripod.
In addition, it also lifts your system cameras or compact camera. The working height of the Manfrotto 290 XTRA tripod is between 40 and 170 cm. Even when you open the legs all the way, this remains a good tripod.
In its widest straddle position, you shoot low to the ground. In its highest position, you use the hook on the center column to lower the center of gravity of the tripod and increase stability even more.
Peak Design Travel Tripod Carbon
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Pros
- Lightweight tripod
- Strong and stiff carbon
- Quick insert
- Reversible column
- High carrying weight
Cons
- Duration
- no monopod
The absolute showpiece among the tripods is the Peak Design Travel Tripod Carbon. This is also apparent from our test. The lightweight tripod of 1.27 kilograms is particularly strong. Which means you can easily mount large cameras and heavy lenses on it, with a total weight of up to 9.1 kilograms.
The secret of that tour de force lies in the carbon from which this tripod is made. The same carbon fiber is used for professional racing bikes and sailboat masts.
The material is stiff, very strong and at the same time very light. In addition, it feels warmer than aluminum, which is pleasant during your winter walks and photo sessions. This sturdy tripod is also resistant to rain and snow. Because carbon, unlike metal, will not rust.
All this makes the Peak Design Travel Tripod Carbon particularly suitable for landscape photography. You can mount any type of camera on it to make 360-degree shots. The headset has a quick change plate, so you can easily place and remove your camera from your tripod.
The ability to remove and invert the center column makes shooting low to the ground possible. The lowest working height of this tripod is 14 cm.
The legs can be extended up to five times to reach 152.4 cm in height. Each segment is locked with a clamp.
Additionally, rotate the feet upwards until the spikes emerge, to work on slippery surfaces. The spikes provide more grip. This way you can level this best tripod quietly and then take your ideal shot.
Benro Monopod Adventure MAD49A
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Pros
- Viable
- Flexible working
- Great carrying capacity
- 191 cm high
- Lightweight
Cons
- Not stable
- Camera shake
Some tripods can be turned into a monopod by detaching the center bar and using it separately. But usually that is not possible. And for good support, the original remains the best choice.
Such as the Benro Monopod Adventure MAD49A, which can handle a maximum carrying weight of 18 kilograms, where the best tripod gets stuck at about half.
The Benro Monopod Adventure MAD49A has a folded length of 52.5 cm and a weight of barely 840 grams. That makes this tripod with one leg particularly suitable to take with you on a trip. The monopod is the ideal camera support where a tripod is more difficult to set up, such as on a rock wall, or when you want to work flexibly.
Many sports photographers use a monopod because it is more maneuverable than a tripod. You can also work at eye level. Because extended, the Benro Monopod Adventure MAD49A is 191 cm long.
The Benro Monopod Adventure MAD49A is not a stable tripod. Because it only has one leg, it is always necessary to keep your hands on your camera. Shooting with slow shutter speeds is not possible for that reason.
For that you still need a sturdy tripod with three legs, on which your camera is fixed immovably. But it’s perfect for action photography.
You can then attach your SLR camera with a heavy zoom or telephoto lens to the Benro Monopod Adventure MAD49A. So that you don’t have to support it with your hand during the entire sports game. Thanks to its five extendable parts, you can bring the monopod to the right height. You plant the leg with spike in the soil.
Mini Tripod: Sirui 3T-15K
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Pros
- Compact
- Low point of view
- quick release plate
- Very stable
- 384 grams light
Cons
- Small working height
- Fewer options
Even easier to store than a monopod is the mini tripod, also known as a table tripod. As the name suggests, the fields of application of this tripod are rather limited.
The best mini tripod in our test, the Sirui 3T-15K, has a maximum carrying the weight of 4.99 kg and a folded length of 22.5 cm. The working height is between 5.6 and 11.5 cm.
This makes the tripod particularly suitable for macro photography with extremely low positions, close to the ground or on a shooting table. This way you don’t have to crawl through the mud on your stomach to give your photos with insects, flowers and mushrooms some depth.
But you attach your camera to the headset of your mini tripod using the quick-release plate and photograph a line of sky in addition to the elements in the foreground.
At home, you can place the mini tripod on the cupboard or table to make a family portrait in the seat.
Or you can get creative and make a stop-motion recording sequence with your pocket camera, action camera, system camera or SLR camera. Because all these devices and more fit on the 1/4″ mounting on top of the center column of your small tripod.
The ball head of the mini tripod can be rotated 360 degrees horizontally for smooth panning. From your tripod, you can turn your camera from left to right and vice versa in no time at all.
The tilt movement in a vertical direction can be done at an angle of 90 degrees. More than enough to make fun films in your own improvised studio.
Joby GorillaPod 3K Kit
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Pros
- Flexible legs
- Tripod and selfie stick
- Detachable head
- Versatile
Cons
- Small carrying weight
- Less stable
Another handy little tripod, but with flexible legs, is the Joby GorillaPod 3K. This mini tripod has a length of 30.5 cm and a weight of 393 grams. That makes it convenient to take with you. But the tripod is less strong than a standard tripod. The Gorillapod has a maximum carrying weight of three kilograms. That’s just enough for a small camera.
Although the Joby GorillaPod 3K can also carry an SLR camera, it is better not to take that risk when you mount the Gorillapod at a great height. After all, you never know for sure whether the construction will hold up.
Much depends on the material around which you clamp the ribbed flexible legs. If that is rather a week or if it gives in, it can have serious consequences.
It’s not the tripod itself, but the way you handle it. Only attach your Gorillapod in places where it has sufficient support and you can place the legs properly. Because you can easily fold the legs in all directions, this is possible even on an uneven surface. Keep in mind the limited working height of 4 to 18 cm.
The headset with quick release plate can be unscrewed from the tripod. This allows you to use one head for different tripods. The head has a pan range of 360 degrees and a tilt height of 90 degrees.
Joby is a universal brand that fits all kinds of cameras. The Joby GorillaPod 3K comes out as the best tripod with flexible legs in our test. The tripod can also be used as a selfie stick. This is especially useful if you like to vlog or post pictures of yourself.
What to look for when buying a tripod?
Tripod type
Choose your tripod according to your interests. What you portray and how you proceed will largely determine which tripod you use. A tripod is the heaviest tripod, but also the most sturdy.
The weight of your camera and lens is distributed over three legs and extra weight can sometimes be added to a hook under the center column for even more stability.
You can use the tripod both outdoors and in the studio and even shoot without touching your camera. This way you get the sharpest photos.
Depending on the working height, the tripod is used for macro photography, landscape photography and when you set slow shutter speeds and want to work quietly. You already read what a macro lens is , with a tripod and a camera you have everything for macro photography.
A monopod only stands on one leg. It mainly serves as a support for a camera with a heavy lens, so that you don’t have to push it up all the time. Still, you have to keep at least one hand on the camera, because this tripod cannot stand on its own.
The tripod is maneuverable and suitable for action photography. It is easier to carry as it is much lighter than the tripod.
Mini-tripods have a limited working height. They are often also called table tripods. You use this for macro photography, close to the ground, or for stop-motion photo series. The Gorillapod is a special tripod because it has flexible legs.
You can clamp it around other objects to fix your camera there. But the tripod is small and light and has less carrying capacity.
Tripod head type
The legs ensure the stability and carrying capacity of the tripod, but the ease of use is largely determined by the type of tripod head. Choose those carefully too. The headset is most often used. Your camera sits on a ball that is secured with one screw.
If you give the ball back its freedom of movement, you can tilt the camera in all directions. Fix the ball again when you have the camera positioned correctly to take the shot.
The three-way head has three latches with which you determine the camera angle. Each latch is connected to a shaft that rotates in a different direction. When you unlock one of them, your device will tilt in that direction.
The swing head ensures that your camera is always nicely horizontal because it has a low center of gravity. The swing head or gimbal is therefore often used in landscape photography. The liquid head is ideal for video recording. He slows down camera movements. This way, the camera will shake less when tilting or when panning.
Design
Pay attention to the material from which the tripod is made, the carrying capacity, and the extra features. A wooden tripod is light and looks nice. But wood is fragile and is, therefore, less used outdoors.
It is better to opt for a sturdy, but heavy aluminum frame. Or for a lighter and super-strong carbon tripod, if you plan to take it with you on a trip and walk far with it. Basalt is often sold as carbon but is actually solidified lava and less strong. A plastic tripod is not a good idea when using a heavy camera.
Always check whether the tripod can support your camera. A compact camera is small and light. It can be mounted on almost any tripod.
But an SLR camera with a telephoto lens quickly weighs a few kilograms more and not every tripod has that carrying capacity. You are usually fine with a large aluminum or carbon tripod.
The folded length of the tripod determines whether you can easily store it or take it with you. But the working height can deviate enormously from this.
You can often extend the legs of a tripod after loosening the clamps. And the center column also has its own height. You can fold some tripods completely open until close to the ground. Other tripods stick a lot higher, around 60 cm.
For shooting at eye level, a tripod with a maximum length of 190 cm is better suited than one with a maximum height of 140 cm.
Check that the feet are spiked to secure your tripod firmly in the wet ground. See whether you can easily remove all screws and clamps yourself and whether you can carry your tripod. Aluminum is heavy, carbon a lot lighter.
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