MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

Sometimes the most OBVIOUS is the most overlooked... How many folks ALIGN their 3 tripod legs correctly in relation to subject matter and with regard to lens weight and length ? Asking for a friend !

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Lot's of good recommendations have already been offered....

I just wanted to note a couple things...

Unless you really prefer one, a ballhead is not necessary for landscape photography. It may not even be the most ideal choice. I am not sure what you mean by "nature" photography... that could be wildlife or macro/close-up or something else. A ballhead may not be ideal for those, either. While they are compact, able to support heavy gear and there is a wide variety to choose among, ballheads can slip, may effected by dirt and be can difficult to use with very much precision, such as might be wanted for landscape and close-up/macro.

Photographing active wildlife is some of the most challenging and often means having to track subjects as they move. A gimbal head is ideal for that purpose. But a "full size" gimbal replaces any other head on the tripod, making it less useful for other things like landscapes and close-up/macro. There are "gimbal adapters" that work in conjunction with a ballhead.

For landscape a pan/tilt head can work very well. The only "down side" is that many heads of this type have protruding control handles that limit how compact the tripod is for storage and can catch on branches, etc., while carrying it in the field.

There are specialized types of pan/tilt heads.... more compact units with lower profile controls. Another type is a "geared head" that not only has lower profile controls, but the controls also give more precise control. For landscape and, to some extent, close-up/macro, this type of head may solve some common ballhead problems. The down side to geared heads is that they are rather heavy, don't have a very high support rating and tend to be somewhat pricey. They're also virtually unusable for active wildlife photography... simply too slow to move around.

So what is desirable for one type of photography may actually be a detriment for another type. I suggest you carefully take these into consideration, depending upon your planned uses of the tripod.

Finally, if not already doing so, you may want to take this opportunity to start using the Arca-Swiss quick release system. It is by far the most common, with many manufacturers making components and accessories compatible with it. Depending upon the type of head you choose, this may be more than just a convenience. For example, Arca compatible plates are required for nearly all gimbal heads and mandatory to use a gimbal adapter. They also are needed to use most macro/close-up focusing rails and some other accessories.

SewClever

Wow!! That is wonderful info. All will be taken into consideration before I purchase. I'm 71 yrs old, spry and agile, but still, 71 yrs old. I'm small/average size and don't want to get bogged down by gear. I love landscape, animals, birds, and macro. Thank you again for your thoughtful input. Rita

SewClever

Absolutely!! So many things to check. Practice, practice, I guess. 🙄

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I’m a fan of the Peak Design tripod. I shoot micro 4/3 and I hate tripods, but, this is the best one for me in terms of ease of use, portability, versatility, and fairly quick set-up time.

SewClever

Thank you! I hate fiddling with them, too. I'm hoping the results make it worthwhile 😉

BebuLamar

This is off topic but do you make quilt?

SewClever

Yes. I owned a quilt shop for 28 years. Retired now 😊

ecurb Loc: Metro Chicago Area

Look at the Gitzo Studex tripods. Also try a pan/tilt head, I've never liked ball heads on tripods, ball heads flop too much for my use. I prefer pan/tilt heads or geared motion picture tripod heads.

SewClever

Thank you!