amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

You probably need to budget a bit more for a good tripod that will hold up to regular use for a long time and do the job well. Too cheap and you'll end up replacing it again in a year or two, then again two years later. False economy! A quality tripod is a long term investment that usually ends up costing less over time. For example, I bought one of my tripods around 1980. It cost close to $400 then and still works well today, although it's a heavy beast (18+ lb., I used with large and medium format cameras). I don't fancy carrying that out in the field anymore so it's semi-retired to "studio use only" and I bought a lighter carbon fiber tripod to use in the field. That cost a lot more, but I've now been using it for around 20 years and it too is still going strong. In addition, a quality tripod will likely be more of a pleasure to use, which in turn encourages you to actually use it rather than leave it home in a closet or in the trunk of your car.

I would recommend you look for....

1. A tripod needs to be tall enough to use comfortably without having to raise a center column much or at all. Having to always raise a center column a lot makes for a pretty unstable tripod. In fact, two of my tripods have no center column. The "beast" does have one, but it's geared and cross-braced, plus the tripod is tall enough that I rarely need to raise it. A fourth tripod I use with a center column is also an "extra tall" that I rarely need to raise the center column. In fact, my main reason for having that is to reverse the column, to hang the camera and lens below the tripod for low angle shooting such as macro work.

Measure your eyeline, while standing on a flat surface. The tripod combined with the head needs to bring your camera's viewfinder eyeport up close to that, to be comfortable to work with. Ideally the eyeport would even end up 2 or 3 inches above your eyeline, to best accommodate times when you're shooting with the camera tilted upward. Look carefully at the specs for any tripod. Usually the "max height" is with the center column fully extended (not good) and when the tripod is part of a kit, the height that the head adds may be included in that number as well. Do as much research as you can once you start to identify some specific models that appeal to you. There may be more info on the manufacturer's website or via an email to them or from a different retailer that shares more info about the tripod. In some cases there are online reviews that might shed some light on things, too.

2. Carbon fiber has come way, way down in price and for most people is the ideal material for a tripod. It's not just about weight. CF also nicely absorbs some fine vibrations that can effect images. Metal "rings" and transmits these vibrations. CF also can be more comfortable to use in temperature extremes... It's not as prone to heat or cold. The problem is that CF is difficult to work with and, because of that, I would recommend sticking with established, known brands that have the expertise, good warranties and a positive customer service reputation.

3. Get a tripod with as few leg sections as possible. 3-sections is perhaps most ideal, but 4-section may work so long as it's not too lightweight a design. Some tripods go to extremes with lots of leg sections to allow them to fold up really compact. But that costs stability. Not only does each additional leg joint allow for more flex and increase risk of slippage and/or failure, but in order for the leg sections to nest inside each other the lower ones need to be smaller diameter. When a tripod has a lot of leg sections, the lowest ones can end up awfully spindly. The fewer leg sections, the less compact a tripod will be when folded up... But I'd rather deal with a larger tripod folded than with one that's unstable in use.

4. Personally I think twist type leg locks are best. They self adjust and aren't prone to wear or breakage, the way lever latches are. Thumbscrews are also reliable, but protrude and can catch on things like branches while carrying them in the field or on a cuff or sleeve while working around them.

5. Look for a tripod with a weight rating around 24 to 44 lb. I know your camera gear doesn't weigh anywhere close to this, but that's not the point. Weight ratings are somewhat misleading and don't really tell you how stable a tripod will be. A more useful figure would be the outside diameter of the top leg section, but few manufacturers provide that info. Plus it's entirely up to manufacturers to rate their tripods as they see fit. There's no standardized testing program for the ratings or consumer protection board checking if the provided info is accurate. But unfortunately weight ratings are one of the few ways we can compare tripods. A tripod that can support the range I suggest is at least a "series 2" in some manufacturers' terminology... and it might even be a "series 3"... but it's not a heavier duty "series 4 or 5", which certainly would do the job but would be overkill for your gear.

6. If you are going to want a quick release, be sure it's one that's Arca-Swiss compatible. This is by far the most common and many manufacturers make a wide variety of accessories to work with it. Although invented by the Arca-Swiss company, either the patent is run out or they have freely allowed it to be replicated by anyone who wishes to do so. Virtually every other quick release system is proprietary, making for much more limited sources for compatible accessories. In some cases, such as working with large telephotos and a gimbal, an Arca-Swiss style QR system is very nearly mandatory. Something that many ballhead users like, virtually all L-brackets are mostly A-S compatible, too. Focusing rails used in macro photography also are typically designed to work with an A-S QR platform.

If you go with Arca-Swiss QR, the tripod head may come with a "generic lens/camera plate". I'd recommend you put that aside and get a fitted anti-twist plate for the base of your camera (and add'l plates for the foot of any large lenses you might have that have a tripod mounting ring). This adds some cost to getting set up, of course, but are well worth the investment. The "generic" plates can all too easily loosen and let the camera/lens slip. The fitted plates are made specifically for the particular camera or lens, and have some sort of built in anti-twist feature, such as a tab or ridge that won't allow the camera to twist. Cost varies a lot. I was looking for one to fit a Canon M5 mirrorless recently recently and found few plates being made, most of which were going for around $40. That was more than I wanted to spend. Then I found one on eBay for all of $19, including shipping from China. Even better, it's not just a plate for the base of the camera. It has a removable extension on one end that let's it act as an L-bracket, too. Frankly, it was so cheap I was pretty skeptical. I was sure it would be poorly finished and thought it might not be very well designed. But I was wrong! It arrived in less than a week and is actually quite nice and a perfect fit. It doesn't interfere with any of the controls or access to battery, memory card, etc. Even came with a hex wrench that's used to carefully snug it up on the camera and to remove the L-bracket extension, when it's not needed. (By the way, I know some of Fuji's battery grips have a built-in A-S dovetail, so no add'l plate is needed with them. The same is true of some third party lenses. All the more recent Tamron with tripod mounting rings, for example, have a similar A-S compatible dovetail built right in. This gives you some idea how universal the A-S system is becoming.)

7. Look for useful accessories included like a carrying/storage bag for the tripod. A shoulder strap and padding on at least one of the tripod's legs are other nice things to have (but can be bought later, if wanted). Some have built in rubber and spike feet. Others have spike feet sold as an optional accessory (personally I've never needed them, but back when I shot in the snow a lot I had "snow shoes" for my tripod). It's rarely included, but a leveling platform that goes between the head and the leg set can also be handy for some types of work. I use them on my tripods with gimbals for large telephoto lenses. There are also heads and accessories designed specifically for multi-shot panoramas.

I also recommend being careful about some other so-called "features", such as a leg that can be removed to use as a monopod. That's a gimmick, as far as I'm concerned. Any tripod can serve as a monopod in a pinch, by only extending one of its legs. I worry that making a leg removable may make the tripod less stable or more prone to breakage. Another thing I'm not a fan of is center columns that can be rotated to the horizontal or beyond, for shooting at weird angles. Those seem to seriously weaken the construction of the tripod, plus putting a camera out to the side like that makes everything very prone to tipping over! I would only use a horizontal camera mount that's an accessory fitted atop the head and only if it had a counterweight to offset the camera.

8. To get the most for your money, look for a kit that includes a leg set and head. You can buy them separately, giving you more opportunity to select exactly what you want in each. But that usually costs more. So, if you can get all you want anyway in a kit, that's often the best way to buy. In fact, in some cases it's the only way to buy. "Travel" tripods are deigned to be extra compact... and one of the ways they've been doing that is by reverse folding the legs back over a ballhead for storage. To do that, the ballhead has to be a specific size. So travel tripods that fold that way are almost always sold in matched kits. (Be careful, though, if you consider a "travel" tripod... In the name of lightness and portability, some "travel" tripods are just too flimsy to provide good stability, may have an awful lot of leg sections to fold up more compactly, and might be very short even with all those sections and a center column fully extended. Suuuurrrreeee... It's very small, easy to pack and very light to carry. But is it also practically worthless as a tripod?)

Stores like Adorama and B&H carry hundreds of tripods. Their websites have tools that can help you search among them, for the features you want, and so you can compare prices and specifications. I did the following search at B&H for a carbon fiber tripod rated to hold between 24 and 44 lb., with twist type leg locks, and in kit with a ballhead that has an Arca-Swiss quick release platform. That narrowed it to 32 tripods, which I ranked in order from lowest to highest priced. Many have 4 section legs and only one doesn't have a center column, which is quite short and a brand and model I've never heard of ($255, "OrangeMonkie Tripod 130"?... it's currently out of stock anyway). On that list, the least expensive Oben CT-3586 ($269) and Benro "Tripster" ($295) are a couple I recognize that seems good. Further down, $400 and up, I start to see more name brands and models I'm familiar with and consider reliably good, such as Oben, Leofoto, Induro and Gitzo. Some of the others may be fine, too. But some I quickly skipped over because the photo clearly shows that they have five or more leg sections, which I'd avoid. (I'd rather have three sections, but could live with four section legs, if wanting a more compact tripod and only using it with fairly light gear.)

Here's a link to that search: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/Complete-Tripods-with-Heads/ci/2635/N/4075788742/pn/2?sort=PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH&filters=fct_head-type_4106%3Aball-head%2Cfct_leg-lock-type_4128%3Atwist-lock%2Cfct_material_774%3Acarbon-fiber%2Cfct_quick-release-system_7375%3Aarca%2Cfct_support-weight_4142%3A24-lb%7C25-lb%7C26-lb%7C27-lb%7C30-lb%7C33-lb%7C39-lb%7C40-lb%7C44-lb

Any of those tripod that catch your eye, look more closely at the specs and maybe shop around. But, again, I think you'd be wise to increase your budget. You can modify this search, or do similar searches and narrow your choices as needed at some other online retailers' websites. Amazon, unfortunately, seems not to be able to search as efficiently, always seems to bring back a lot of irrelevant stuff no matter how carefully I try to narrow it down. Same with eBay, so there I try to only look by specific model (used). Speaking of which, buying used might be another good way to stretch your dollars. Two of my Gitzo tripods were bought used off eBay, for about 1/3 the price they sell for new. There are also KEH, MPB and Roberts Camera, as well as some other used equipment sellers. The only problem buying that way, is you need to know the brands and models well, in order to search for used examples and to know a good price when you see it.

Hope this helps!

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I use a mephoto tripod. light weight , holds my 17lb camera and lens . all was well and then I oiled the head. oops .

TallTree

"Built in ball head" Tripods usually allow a multitude of heads. Depends on how what you will be shooting. I have a Monfrotto that allows the vertical pole to be positioned horizontal and the legs splayed close to the ground.

lwerthe1mer Loc: Birmingham, Alabama

After all of your helpful input, today I went into the only shop in Birmingham that sells camera/computer equipment. My purpose was a computer repair, and I had forgotten about their small computer department. They had tripods and were very knowledgeable. It made a difference when I could touch the equipment I was buying, and I bought the following:

Giotto YTL Classic Aluminium Tripod (max height 65.4", which was perfect for me.
Giotto Pro Series / MH7002 Ball Head

Once again, it makes such a difference when you can handle the merchandise. I paid $220 + tax and am a happy camper.

Thanks to all for your input.

Swifty Loc: Canfield Ohio

Doctoral Dissertations aside ........... check out my ad for a Bogen 3020 with a Bogen M168 ball head.

shutterbob Loc: Tucson

I use one of these when I go hiking. Relatively lightweight and it folds down small enough to easily fit in a daypack. Plus it's really sturdy for anything up to a cropped sensor camera with a medium sized lens or even a full frame with a small zoom.

FalconeFotographx Loc: Michigan

Thanks for the suggestion of a few pics, since an open box, here are a few.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I agree, why no photo of the tripod itself? Not something I would consider seriously unknown for that price and nor refunds or returns. A good tripod might be super expensive after adding all the money you spent trying to save with cheap tripod purchases.

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

Research Gene51 earlier tripod answers. I wish I had before I boucht mine. I then Purchased a 2 different tripods at his recomendations. They were around $500 - $700 apiece. They were worth it. It is handling vibration instead of weight.

Bob55 Loc: Valhalla NY

I have a Mefoto carbon tripod that I bought for $329 from B & H. It is like new. I want to sell it for $250. If interested I can send you a picture. I would send it to you freight collect and you could return it to me freight prepaid if not satisfied. Let me know if you are interested. Bob

lwerthe1mer Loc: Birmingham, Alabama

Thanks for the offer, but I purchased a tripod already, from a local retailer.