Learning to use your camera is one thing. Learning to use your tripod is a whole separate experience. I was pretty slow learning all the functions of my tripod, and I’ve gone through a few styles of tripods at this point – I’ve managed to break most of them 😅 but in the process, I’ve discovered a lot about what I like and dislike in a tripod.
In my experience, figuring out what features you want in a tripod can be kind of daunting and when you first start researching your brain might do that thing where it turns into the snowy screen of a tv with that high pitched tone drowning everything else out.
That’s what happens when I have to do math too, but that’s beside the point…
To help you avoid some of the confusion of finding the right tripod for your photography adventures, I’m going to be listing out features that you should keep in mind while you’re shopping around. My hope is that by the end of this post you’ll be able to better narrow down exactly what you want in a new tripod and why, making the whole process a lot simpler.
1. Flip Locks vs Twist Locks
So this is about the legs of the tripod.
Many DSLR tripods offer the ability to expand the legs, making the tripod as a whole taller. There are a ton of reasons this is useful, not the least of which is portability.
But not all tripod legs are equal: Some have twist locks (see example here) while others have flip locks (see example here) and the difference does… make a difference.
While twist locks on the legs are perfectly manageable and do not need to be a deal breaker by any means, flip locks are generally quicker to adjust and you’re less likely to accidentally leave one loose, causing the tripod to tilt when weight is placed on a leg.
So between the two, flip locks are the better choice in my opinion.
2. Height
For tripods that are expandable, maximum and folded height are important factors to consider.
Max tripod height
Max tripod height is important to consider for a couple reasons:
- Your height – the max height of your tripod is going to matter most in relation to how tall you are. The taller you are, the taller you want your tripod to be, so you don’t have to be super hunched over while taking photos.
- Stability – Although you do not have to take your tripod to its absolute max height if you don’t want to, it’s good to keep in mind that if you’re tripod has a center column that expands upwards (as many do) taking that center pole all the way up will likely impact the stability of your setup.
What these two things basically mean is you want to check what the height of the tripod will be with ONLY the legs fully extended, vs what the total height is – meaning with the center pole extended as well.
Folded tripod height
The folded height of the tripod is what it will measure when it’s collapsed and ready to be packed up.
This feature is important for portability sake. The smaller the tripod, the easier it is to pack around.
Many tripods will breakdown to around 17 or so inches, but sometimes you can find ones that will go even smaller. In my opinion, the smaller the better.
3. Weight
Of course it makes sense that the smaller the tripod, the less it will weigh. But we don’t only want a lightweight tripod, we also want a tripod that can handle the weight we’ll be putting on it.
Tripod Weight
Most of the tripods I’ve come across weigh somewhere between 3-4lbs. That’s really not bad, even if you’re packing it around for a while, but you can find some that are even lighter.
When looking at the weight of the tripod make sure to keep in mind that it can affect the stability. Super lightweight tripods are great for traveling, but you might run into some frustrations if you’re planning to use particularly heavy equipment on them, like a telephoto lens for example.
Max Load
Max load refers to what weight the tripod can handle. Most DSLR tripods can handle all the standard cameras and lenses, but it’s still something you should understand when choosing a new tripod.
If the tripod can’t handle the weight you put on it, it could break, or simply get top heavy and fall over, with all your expensive camera equipment on it.
Generally speaking, if your tripod can handle upwards of 10lbs you don’t have much to worry about. Still, be mindful just in case.
The Canon 70D camera body weighs less than 2 lbs, for reference.
4. Hook
Since we’re on the topic of weight and stability, we should talk about the little hook that can be included on the center pole of many tripods.
This little, seemingly unimportant piece can actually be very helpful, especially if you have a lightweight tripod that needs a little extra stabilization.
It’s just a small hook that hangs out on the bottom of the center pole, which you can use to hang a bag or something else with more weight on. The extra weight helps keep your tripod steady.
When I was hiking around on cliffs and whatnot in Bryce Canyon National Park, I would use a lightweight tripod – because everything gets heavy after a while hiking – then hang my camera backpack on the stabilization hook so my setup didn’t get blown over with the wind coming up from the canyons.
5. Ball Head
You can find a few types of tripod heads on the market, but by far my favorite is the ball head.
Generally, for photography (not necessarily for cinematography though, so keep that in mind if you do both) I think ball head mounts are the more versatile and useful. They allow you to fully rotate your camera for horizontal or vertical shots, as opposed other common heads like the pan/tilt that stop you from being able to go fully vertical.
6. Monopod
I like having options when it comes to tripods.
For camera equipment in general, I think the fewer tools you need to carry with you, the better. So if you can get ahold of a tripod that converts easily to a monopod, grand!
Fortunately, this isn’t hard to find. Lots and lots of tripods include some sort of monopod feature, you just have to look for the details like:
- What part converts to a monopod
- What’s the max height of the monopod
Pretty simple, yeah?
7. Invertible
For the times you want to get super creative with your shots, a tripod that allows you to invert the center pole, so that the camera is hanging down rather than sitting on top of the tripod, can be very useful.
Having this option can allow you to get overhead shots, or even up close macro shots of whatever’s going on in the life of your local bugs.
8. Horizontal Option
Some tripods have another really cool feature: The center pole tilts fully horizontal, allowing you even more options for shooting angles.
This is particularly useful for overhead shots since being able to tilt to the tripod arm off to the side and away from the rest of the tripod legs gives you more room to work without bumping into your tripod.
You can also find attachments that can add this feature to your current tripod, just be sure to get the right attachment for the model of tripod you own or it may not work.
9. Quick Release Plate
This refers to the small, usually square, little piece that screws into the bottom of your camera, and allows it to attach to your tripod.
To me, a quick release plate is essential. It saves so much time when attaching or removing the camera.
Basically, once you’ve screwed this little plate onto the bottom of your camera, it should then easily slide into the dock of your tripod and you can lock it down however your tripod requires.
Not all quick release plates will work across all tripods, even the ones built for quick release. So when you get your tripod you might want to see about getting a couple of these pieces just in case you lose one, or to make switching cameras easier.
10. D-Ring
I also think this is essential, and I don’t know why every manufacturer doesn’t include it.
The d-ring is related to the quick release plate. On the bottom of the screw that allows you to screw the quick release plate onto the camera, there’s either a little divot, sort of like a large flat-head screw, or a d-ring.
Without the d-ring you either need to have a coin or a little tool handy to screw or unscrew the plate, and I know literally no one that remembers to bring something with on photography trips for that.
I don’t know why. It’s just a flaw in our DNA or something. No one does it. Which means inevitably scrambling to find something to use… yada yada. It’s a pain.
The d-ring eliminates that problem. It’s just always attached to the screw and lies flat inside of the plate when you’re not using it.
11. Level
This isn’t like an absolute necessity, but I think it’s really handy to have. There are many tripods that have a level built in, so you can really be extra sure that your camera is level, even if you’re on rough terrain and have to adjust your tripod legs to different heights to make up for it.
You can get levels for your camera as extra attachments, but like I said earlier, it’s nice if you can condense as much as possible. Streamline what you need into one super functional unit as much as possible.
12. Rubber Feet
Try to get a tripod with rubber coverings on the feet if you can. This isn’t a huge deal, but it serves a couple of purposes:
- Rubber will grip better than plastic or metal
- You won’t scratch up whatever surface you’re working on