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Back in the days of my first introduction to photography hobby, I did not realize that a tripod become so important for even amateur photographer like me, who merely do photography activities only as a hobbies, spending the time in the wild and outdoor to capture the golden moments without any intention to capitalize the result.

However, when I first bought a tripod, I just thought that it’s only a secondary equipment that will be a burden when I travel around and take some photos. Therefore, I just bought a low quality and light weight tripod in order that I can carry it along with my photography equipments.

As time goes by, the more extreme the location I visitited to take photos, I started to realize that sturdy, rugged, and high-quality tripod is very essential for me when trying to capture the slow speed moments (golden and blue hours), capturing water movement, star trails, etc.

As other camera equipments, tripod is a must have investment that should be considered one purchase that will be used forever. So try consider to buy better quality tripod such as manfrotto, gitzo, or other famous brand and spend rather significant amount of money in order that you don’t have to waste your investment by upgrading to many tripod because they’re no longer suit your needs.

Here are things that should be considered when purchasing a tripod:

Construction Material:

There are carbon-fiber and aluminum type of tripod. If budget doesn’t matter to youl, prefer to choose carbon fiber to obtain greatest weight to stability ratio compared to the more common aluminum tripod. Although it is lightweight, it’s strong enough to to be used in almost every situation and terrain. Choose wisely in order that you don’t have to end up replacing a tripod that didn’t fit your needs, where the extra cost of eventually purchasing another tripod might cost you the same price.

Tripod Height:

There are 3 heights that you should be concerned with:

1. The maximum height
2. The minimum height
3. The folded height.

Just choose tripod that suit your needs and also body height. In average, maximum height of 160cm will be fine because eye-level height is usually preferred. The tripod that is right for you is the one that does not stay at home due to the tripod’s weight or the size.

Centerpost:

There are 2 options available for the centerpost:

1. smoothed
2. geared.

The smooth centerpost is extended by holding the centerpost and raising it. The geared version has a small crank on the side, and when turned, raises or lowers the centerpost. The geared version allows you to raise or lower the tripod with one hand which is for some, and advantage. There is also an option with the smooth centerpost. Some manufacturers allow the centerpost to be removed and turned upside down so that the camera can be closer to the ground, upside down. This feature comes in handy some times. If you feel that this might be of value, then consider the smooth centerpost.

Legs:

There are two choices of type of tripod legs:

1. tubular
2. channels.

Tubular models are almost always heavier, resulting in a longer life span and a more stable support. The legs usually have 2, 3, 4 or 5 sections. The tripod becomes less stable with more sections added while the tripod’s folded height becomes much shorter. The sections of the legs are adjusted by means of a leg brace, the more common types being either a flip-lock or clamp lever or the threaded twist lock. Threaded twist locks offer good strength and rigidity, but take longer set-up and breakdown time. They are also subject to over tightening and can pick up sand and grit. Flip-lock or clamp levers are generally the most satisfactory overall because of quick set-up, trouble-free operation (easy to use with gloves), and long term durability. The type of locking device is usually a personal decision since there are many pros and cons for each type of locking device.

Feet:

The tripod might have a combination of two types of feet:

1. outdoor use
2. indoor use.

Some tripods allow you to unscrew the bottom of the legs to produce a pointed end for outdoor use. When the feet are set to normal, the legs have a rubber bottom for indoor use.

Head:

Check the specifications on the maximum weight that the head can handle to make sure that it will work. Check your camera equipments and find out the total weight of camera with the heaviest lens mounted on it to make sure you buy suitable tripod for your equipments. Pan-tilt heads are excellent for landscape and macro work. For my personal preference, ball-head type is very suitable because it can provide free movement while keeping the panning or vertical movement locked.

Stability Test:

If possible, mount your camera on the tripod that you are considering. Stomp on the ground next to your tripod and watch the camera lens move. Then, jiggle the leg of the tripod and watch the camera lens. You are looking for the least amount of lens movement and the quickest recovery (how long does it take the lens to stop jiggling). The smaller or lighter the tripod, the harder it will stand up to this stability test.