7 mandatory things to consider when buying a camera tripod. (Photography hints to save time and money)

I photograph seascapes and plenty of them. So when it comes to buying a new tripod, I need to be confident it's going to cut the muster.

For the last three months I have been a tripod hunting machine. Seriously don't get between me and a tripod spec sheet. Can't say you weren't warned.

So I thought I'd pen a little post about looking for a camera tripod and what you need to consider in your next quest.

1. Budget.

I know, I know, I'm a wowser. But like any photography equipment there's really cheap and really expensive and everything in between. So you need to be strong folks. Unless of course you have endless money. In which case I know of a great photography course online site you can sponsor :)

So set yourself a price range and try to stick to it within a hundred bucks or so.

2. What do you need a camera tripod for?

Yes to hold up your camera, but what sort of photographs will you be taking? Are you a studio set and forget type of person? Or do you like to hike mountain trails to catch first light over the mountains? It matters. Answer this little questionnaire. It will help you cull the multitude of offerings to the most appropriate.

What sort of shooting will you generally be doing?

Will you be travelling with your tripod?

How much does your camera weigh? (Don't forget flashes, lenses etc).

Will you be walking far with it? (I won't be walking long distances - maybe 2k's tops).

How high or low do you want it to be able to go?

Do you have a tripod head for it?

Do you need it to be self levelling or have a spirit level?

And of course - budget.

3. Tripod Weight.

Weight is a big consideration. Basically like with bicycles, the best tripods are light and still strong.

Tripods can be made of a number of materials, amongst them; carbon fibre and aluminium. 

Generally the most expensive are the carbon fibre tripods, but they're generally also the lightest and strongest. At the lower end of the price range you have aluminium tripods. they are generally heavier and not as strong. Now you'll notice I say generally a lot. That's because there's always exceptions to the rule. We are talking general guidelines here, so you know, please don't hit me.

Now I have confessed I don't want to be walking miles with my tripod but I do venture in to landscapes and seascapes a lot, and I travel for my work, so I also don't want to be carting around something too heavy. I have a studio tripod for the video equipment used to shoot lessons here at the campus, it's extremely robust but weighs a tonne, so I needed a lighter alternative. 

4. Tripod Strength.

Note I haven't just said load capacity. I needed my tripod to be standing still on shifting sands (literally) and windy fields. It also needed to be strong enough to hold my gear which is always at least a Nikon D3 with a lens and sometimes a Nikon D3 with a 70-200mm lens a speedlight and a small soft box. So i weighed my gear and wrote down (yes I forget these things easily) the maximum weight I needed my new beast to comfortably carry. Beyond anything else, make sure you get this bit right. A sagging, drooping, sliding, falling head over heels tripod is a sad and sorry sight indeed.

5. Maximum and minimum tripod height?

How low can you go and how high do you want to? I'm around 5 foot 7 (don't ask me in centimetres) so I didn't need anything freakishly tall but some people I know (and by that I mean my 'land of giant's nephews) are very tall and would be driven nuts if they couldn't see eye to eye with their tripod. It matters. Make sure you check out the max height. Likewise, make sure you check out the min height. My last tripod didn't go very low and I was surprised how many times I needed it to. I wanted to make sure this next one could get right down to the water's edge - or close enough. 

6. Folded height.

Do you travel much? Or will you be journeying any time in the future? Some tripods will fit in your hand luggage (folded) which is great if your airline will let you take it with you (repeat after me "I will only use my tripod for good not evil").

Shop on.

Now you're armed with all this info, it's time to go in store and wow the sales staff with your exceptionally well thought out research. All tripods should have a little swing tag that houses their specifications. With your list of requirements written in your phone, imbedded in your brain or tattooed on your arm, all you have to do is check them off. That way you don't get thrown when you see 30 different types when all you need is one. The right one.

So what did I get?

I got a Gitzo GT2540LLVL Leveling 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod.

Gitzo because it's a highly reputable brand.

Carbon Fiber because it's super light and very strong.

Levelling because the centre column operates independently and can be configured to be dead level even if the legs aren't strictly level. That way if I am on uneven sand and/or ground I can just level the centre column without fiddling around with all three legs independently. This makes a huge difference and was worth the price alone.

Twist legs because I get sand and salt water on my tripod (yes I know I shouldn't) and my last tripod died of getting sand and salt water in its lock levers. Twist legs are great if you're around sand and dirt. They're faster and easier to keep clean (in my opinion).

My tripod can go as low as 16cm (yippee) and as high as I need it to.

It's ultra light so it's great for travel. It doesn't fit in hand luggage but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

It fits my Manfrotto head.

It came with a free bag (hey why not?)

My tripod also has a hook below the centre column which I can attach a bag of sand to to weigh it down if it's really windy. You can buy sandbags but I just use a plastic bag.

7. Accessories.

It wouldn't be photography if there weren't accessories you absolutely had to…er…I mean would like to have. I got the bag as I said. There are also padded bags if you'd like to pack the tripod in more snuggly and with say a light stand or two. I did buy a strap so I could carry it over my shoulder. You can also get padded leg protectors which can also be very handy if you need to touch your tripod in below freezing (trust me I've done it). Then there's a nice photography campus sticker you can always put on it (let us know we'll send you one free :)

So there you have it. I'm a happy camper (although I wouldn't dream of actually camping). Yes I went about 100 bucks more than my budget but I plan to have this puppy for a long time to come :)