How to Choose the Best Tripod for Outdoor Photography

Words and Images by Josh Miller  |  August 2024

Any camera or lens made in the last few years when used properly is more than up to the task of producing gorgeous high-quality prints. But to do this you need an easy-to-use, rock-solid platform that eliminates all camera vibrations.

The most important quality of a tripod is, of course, that you use it. If a tripod is too short, a pain to set up, or isn’t solid, it tends to be ignored and lives in the trunk rather than under your camera.

Typically, there are three levels of tripods that people go through on their way to finally getting the right one for the job. My hope is to help you skip levels one and two so you can choose the right tripod the first time.

In addition to being unstable and prone to vibrations, these tripods are a pain to work with because once you let go of the camera after framing the shot, the camera always moves and your composition changes. After a few times using this type of cheap tripod, most photographers either give up on using a tripod entirely, or decide they need to upgrade to level two.

Tripod Level #2: Better But Still Not Great

After being frustrated with their first budget tripod, most photographers upgrade to something in the $150-300 price range. This is a major step up in terms of stability and reliability but these types of tripods are often too short and still very difficult to use, not to mention heavy.

Most tripods in this price range come with an included ball head which while a major improvement over the cheaper video tripod, still doesn’t fully lock down when trying to frame a composition. Between a tripod head that is hard to keep still, and heavy legs that are difficult to use, photographers once again end up skipping using their tripod altogether.

This, obviously, eliminates the advantages of a tripod in terms of increased image sharpness, as well as the ability to shoot long exposures, or greater depth of fields needed for tack sharp landscape images.

Tripod Level #3: The Sweet Spot

This is the spot most serious photographers end up at after first wasting their time and money at the previous two tripod levels. Unfortunately, at level three you are talking about spending significant money, as much as $500-1000, on a quality set of tripod legs that will last a lifetime.

Notice I said legs. Typically, at the higher end you will buy legs and heads separately to choose exactly what works best for your needs.

The first step in choosing your level three or lifetime tripod friend is to determine how much weight it needs to support. Any tripod worth its salt will have a suggested weight limit listed, and you will want to make sure your planned setup is well under that weight limit.

Unless you plan to shoot with big wildlife lenses, most landscape photographers will probably max out at a 100-400mm type lens.

The Right Height

After figuring out your weight requirements, your next step is figuring your max height requirements (without a center column). Here is where us tall photographers suffer because your lifetime tripod should be at least eye level without the need for a center column. You don’t want to have to bend your back/neck all day to look through the camera when it is mounted on the tripod.

Many photographers choose tripods without center columns because they only introduce instability once extended, and not having center column also allows the tripod to get closer to the ground more easily. Some photographers even go so far as to choose tripods that are taller than eye level without a center column because it makes working on slopes easier.

The downfall of a taller tripod is that it is heavier and doesn’t pack down as small due to longer leg sections. Again, shorter photographers have the advantage here because they can work with a shorter, lighter, and smaller tripod. One of the ways to counter these size and weight penalties is to get a 4-section carbon fiber tripod rather than an often cheaper longer 3-section tripod.

Remember if you plan to travel, a tripod that packs down shorter is easier to fit in a checked bag. At this point probably all the tripods you would consider in this range will be carbon fiber, which while expensive, is lighter and dampens vibration better than traditional aluminum tripods.

Again, estimate your maximum camera and lens weight and make sure you are well within the listed weight limit of your chosen head. For most photographers not using a huge wildlife lens, it will likely be a mid-weight ball head with a quick release Arca-Swiss system.

The last step in this process is to invest in Arca-Swiss plates for each lens/camera. Often seemingly overpriced for just little piece of metal, these plates are well worth the cost as the final step of the puzzle.

Don’t skimp on your camera mount either. Get a dedicated custom L-bracket for your specific camera, which allows the camera to be mounted in vertical position on the tripod without having to use the ball head on its side. This makes shooting verticals as easy as landscape images. A true game changer!

See more of Josh Miller’s work at joshmillerphotography.com.