Over the course of a few years and several broken tripods (don’t ask) I’ve figured out what features I consistently find the most useful. What you need in a tripod depends a lot on personal preference but generally, I think the more of these features you can pack into one tripod, the better.
1. Max & Min height
I have virtually no interest in tripods that don’t fold up for travel’s sake. The smaller, lighter you can make it, the easier it’s gonna be to pack around. That’s the minimum height I’m talking about here. The size your tripod can fold to when you’re going to pack it up.
Max height also matters though, especially if you’re on the taller side. A lot of tripods will come with an extendable center pole, so the true max height includes the center pole being fully set up. This can add a lot of height and make it a great feature for taller people. Just don’t forget that extending this center pole also makes the camera less stable, which could be a problem depending on your other equipment or the environment you’re shooting in – lots of wind, for example.
2. Ball Head
There are a few different types of tripod heads, but ball-head is forever my go-to. This is because it allows you to fully rotate the camera angle, as opposed to pan/tilt heads that, although providing a really smooth rotation, can be limiting when it comes to possible shooting angles.
3. Quick Release
If you can get ahold of a tripod that comes with a quick release plate your life will be forever easier. The small plate that screws onto the bottom of your camera fits onto the tripod and is secured or released with a… you guessed it “quick release.” It makes it so much faster to switch or adjust the camera.
It’ll save years of your life.
4. Level
You can buy levels as separate attachments, so if your current tripod doesn’t have one, no worries. But if you happen to be in the market for a new tripod, it is something to keep in mind.
If you might be shooting somewhere with uneven ground, and you need to adjust the tripod legs to different heights to try and even things out, having a level attached can really simplify the whole process.
You can level things out (probably) in post-editing, or by adjusting the angle of the tripod head as well, but an actual level moves things along faster and more accurately.
5. Clip Locks
Your tripod legs extend and are locked into place. Normally you’re looking at one of two types of locks: clip or twist.
Twist locks tighten down on the legs and work perfectly well, but they do feel a little more time-consuming to me. There’s also more of a possibility that you don’t get each one totally tightened down, causing a leg to slip and your tripod to tilt.
Clip locks simply snap open and shut, making it easier to be certain everything’s going to stay in place.
6. Invertible
If you get a tripod with the hand dandy adjustable center pole, there’s a decent possibility you can remove the center pole and flip it upside down. This can be really useful for getting different angles, particularly macro shots that your tripod might normally get in the way of.
7. Bag Hook
Also on our friend the Center Pole, you may find a useful little hook. The hook serves as a place to hang extra weight if you do happen to need more stability. It can be as simple as hanging your camera bag to resist annoying, picture-destroying camera shake.
8. Horizontal Extension
Some tripods offer a really cool horizontal option. The center pole can be adjusted to extend out to the side rather than just vertically.
A horizontal option can be helpful to get the camera away from the tripod body so you don’t have to work around it. Keep in mind you might need to put some sort of weight on the opposite end (or on the bag hook) to keep your setup from tipping.
9. D-ring
For the love of all cameras, please get a quick release plate with a d-ring.
No d-ring means that you have to have either a coin or a special tool to screw and unscrew the plate from the camera. In an increasingly plastic world, it’s amazing how often you can be up on a mountain without a coin in sight.
D-rings. Worth every penny. Every penny that you won’t have because no one uses pennies.
10. Max Load
Of course, most tripods made for DSLRs won’t fall apart when you put a camera and lens on them, but it’s worth noting the max load anyways. Your DSLR probably weighs somewhere in the realm of 2-3lbs with just the camera body, add on a battery pack or decent sized lens and you have a couple more pounds.
Most tripods will hold upwards of 10lbs, so you shouldn’t have much to worry about, but again, it’s a good thing to be aware of.
