You may have thought a great deal about your travel camera, but it’s also important to invest time in selecting the right travel tripod. Most people probably assume the smaller and lighter the better, but that’s not always the case. To understand why, let’s talk about a few different types of tripods.
The first one many people will probably look at is something like the Slik Mini Pro V Tripod
Weight is important, but it also largely depends on where you are going, how you are getting there and what kind of person you are. I recall walking around Hong Kong during a mid summers night. I wanted to get some night shots(which you can see here) of the skyline, so my tripod and gear came with me. The humidity made carrying a heavy bag really uncomfortable and my moral eventually became somewhat crappy(lucky I found this). Something smaller would have been great despite this only being a brief trip.
This tripod will fit on the side of most camera bags and back packs. Its reasonably low weight means it is easy to carry around and the height is sufficient for most shots. Unfortunately, it’s not very strong. The plastic components can easily break and often do. At full height it is not very rigid meaning on a windy day your camera is going to wobble around causing all kinds of havoc. Its low price on the other hand means that if it does break or “go missing” you can replace it at minimal cost.
The Manfrotto 190XPROB 3 Section Aluminum Pro Tripod
Generally with tripods you are paying for strength up to a certain price point and then beyond that you are paying for weight reduction. This is where carbon fiber comes in. Good quality carbon fiber is very strong and remarkably light weight. But there are many different ways of making carbon fiber and price usually reflects the manufacturing quality. I would suggest sticking to well known brands such and Manfrotto and Gitzo if your going to spend a lot of money. These brands come with warranties meaning you can get your tripod fixed if there are problems such as the carbon fiber separating from the metal attachments.
I have never personally cared much for the Gitzo tripods. Its not that they aren’t good, its just that they as so exorbitantly priced that I could never see my self buying one. Should you happen to loose it on your adventures, you are out a lot of money. Anyone out there actually using a Gitzo tripod please feel free to jump to thier defence? Gitzo do make some fantastic heads however and they are definitely worth a look.
Speaking of Tripod heads, I haven’t really talked much about them in this article. That’s because they can be as simple or as complicated as you want. If you are really into your photography, then you probably already know what to look for. If not, then all you need is to make sure that the heads internals aren’t plastic and that its movement is smooth and viscous feeling. If it isn’t viscous feeling then that means it is not greased and will eventually wear down and possibly become loose.
A ball head is your best bet for photography as they are the smallest and lightest though some times a bit fickle. If you are a smaller person with a heavier camera you might need a 3 axis independent head so you can fine tune where you want the camera more easily.
For video, a viscous pan tilt had is the best choice and it pays to spend enough to get something decent here. It needs to be smooth and not spring back at the end of a pan, also make sure it is the right weight rating for your camera. If you want something small and cheap Velbon have a good range.
As I use my DSLR for both photography and video, I have a Manfotto ball head and pan head which have interchangeable base plates. I can leave the base plate on my camera without changing it for each head, this is very handy for the person who likes to do a bit of everything.
It’s impossible to say which tripod is the best for travelling and to be honest, you will probably go through a couple before you find out. But as long as you buy it based around what you and your camera need, you should be fine.
