Tripod Buying Guide

Why Do I Need a Tripod?

A tripod is not just a support for when the light goes low, requiring you to use a lower shutter speed. It may also be your friend when, for creative reasons, you want to open your aperture, add a strong neutral density filter or get a shallow depth of field. It definitively is essential when you want to use a slower shutter speed, to capture a slice of time in a single frame.

Likewise, in the studio, you may want create multiple frames that all register the subject at exactly the same place. Another common example is if you want to let your camera register multiple images, as many people do when they create time lapses.

Benefits of Using a Tripod

A tripod should not be classified as a support for when the light levels go low, or even as a studio or location photography tool. A tripod is a creativity tool because it expands what you can do with your camera… even if sometimes you do not even use the tripod to support your camera. Tripods are not just used – or should not just be used – to support cameras. For example, some photographers will use a tripod to support a reflector or diffuser when shooting flowers or macro photography scenes. They can also be used to flashguns and situation accessories like acrylic sheets or LED panels. This then gives the photographer the option to move around much more in search of that perfect angle.

As you can see, tripods are creativity tools that allow you easier control over light, not just support for dim light environments. Without a tripod, many of the photographs from the past would simply not exist. Many of the photographs we praise from masters, such as Ansel Adams, would not have been possible without a tripod.

Compact Tripods

The Manfrotto Compact is a good choice if you’re just starting out. There are three models to choose from - Light, Action, Advanced - each offering different features around a base tripod, designed so you have no excuses to leave your three-legged friend behind. At just 800gr and 39cm when folded, the Compact Light is Manfrotto’s most portable solution ever, a tripod which will be a good companion for a smaller compact camera, a mirrorless device or an entry level DSLR with a medium lens.

While the Light model only extends to 131cm, the Advanced version takes your camera up to 167cm and offers an Advanced Ball Head, which is the perfect match for your DSLR camera with standard zoom lens and high-level CSCs. In between the two models is the Action, extending to 155cm, offering a special head that is good for both photography and video.

Manfrotto’s Compact series is a good starting point to discover tripods. Choosing which model to buy might not be easy, so let me give you a suggestion: if you’re starting with a compact camera but think you’ll move over to bigger cameras, buy the Action or Advanced mode, if you’re willing to carry the extra weight. If you know that a Smartphone or a compact will be your camera all the time, then the Compact Light is a good choice.

Professional Tripods

Many advanced and professional photographers choose a similar set up: the Manfrotto 055 with a X-PRO 3-Way Head. The 055 is available in carbon fiber versions providing extra camera stability and maximum transportability, thanks to increased rigidity and reduced weight, or in aluminium, which may be a more logical choice if you do not carry your tripod around many times. For reference, the carbon version of the 3 section tripod weighs 70.54 oz (2000 g) while the aluminium version goes up to 88.18 oz (2500 g). This is for the tripod alone, without the head.

The 055 series has some features that make it a versatile companion for your adventures, either in the studio or on location. The center column extends vertically but can also be used horizontally, opening a wide range of framing and shooting possibilities, and of which can be done with the camera attached. The Quick Power Lock levers responsible for blocking and unblocking each leg section are easy to open and close, even with gloves on. With just one hand, they allow for the fast and precise setting of the individual height of each leg.

The 055 is available with 3 and 4 sections, a difference that is worth mentioning. While many may prefer the 3 section, as it is usually said to be more stable and less prone to mechanical problems, there is one advantage to the 4 section: with the legs folded the tripod has 21.26 in (54 cm) against 24.8 in (63 cm). Obviously, the lower section has a smaller diameter, which may – according to some - introduce less stability, but the tripod’s length may still be an important factor when packing your gear. This is also a travel tripod, if you’re willing to carry it, and is a great support for landscape photography with either a DSLR or a CSC camera, as well as when you’re using long lenses.

It does not matter how many tripods you have, there will always be a time when a single leg will be all you need. A monopod is a great solution and the XPRO Monopod+, in aluminium and with 4 section legs, is your best choice. A professional monopod, designed so it supports long lenses, this product is ideal for sports and nature photographers. The XPRO Monopod inherited features of the 190 and 055 collections of tripods and offers the same Quick Power Lock (QPL) system that strongly locks the lever on the flat face of the tube, reducing unwanted jerky movements. Paired with a photo monopod head 234RC on top, it reaches a maximum height of 180cm, making it one of the best platforms for when you need a fast and versatile support to carry along.

Studio Tripods

If your studio is as far as you go when it comes to photography, then the Manfrotto 475B is the tripod for you. Built in aluminium, the 475B is heavy, at 5300g, but that means it offers the ideal stability for the conditions it will be used in. Yet being heavy does not mean it is less agile than the other tripods when it comes to adjusting the legs or the center column. The geared center column allows safe, precise height adjustment, even under heavy loads up to a maximum of 12 kg, while the legs can be set to a different angle of spread for more flexible, versatile positioning, as well as keeping camera equipment well-balanced over the tripod's center of gravity.

Contributing to the 475B’s stability is the center brace system, which can be operated in a symmetric or asymmetric way. This allows for a fast positioning of all the legs with the same spread or, if needed, individual setting of the angle for each leg, something that may be desirable when you need to reduce the tripod’s footprint. The telescopic center braces offer two “click stop” positions that allow you to find the position for the legs.