I'll describe some of the nice attributes of tripods and why I generally wont buy a tripod in the sub-$200 category (anymore). Then I'll share a story of friend who didn't subscribe to that same idea.
I want a tripod to hold the camera steady ... for those times that I cannot hold it steady enough. If it can't do this, then to me, it isn't worth having it. This means I generally buy beefy tripods. But there is ONE exception. I do own a very lightweight "travel" tripod... but I also accept that this tripod isn't as steady as my other tripods. I do a few things when I use that tripod to try to protect it from vibrations.
Second... I want versatility. My first tripod didn't have an interchangeable head. The better tripods have interchangeable heads. The leg assembly has what I call a "shoulder" with a 3/8" 16tpi mounting stud and you can attach any head that uses that stud (which is pretty much any standard head in the industry). I own three tripods and they each have a head... one is small, one medium, and one large. I can move these heads to my mono-pods. I also have a small and large video head. I have a gimbal head. But I can put any head on any tripod because that 3/8" 16tpi stud is a standard and they all have the same bolt hole.
Third... my first tripod didn't have a quick-release plate. My second tripod did have a quick-release plate... but it was proprietary. Today my heads all use arca-swiss style quick-release "rails". You can get the rails in different lenths and this means you can actually balance the the load on the tripod (if the camera is nose-heavy due to a long heavy lens, you can support the camera or tripod from a balance point). I also use a Black Rapid camera strap, but I bought the ArcaTech "SwiftClamp" for BlackRapid. This gives me an arca-swiss clamp ... I leave the mounting rail on the camera body at all times and I can go from strap to tripod without ever having to swap one quick-release plate for another.
Fourth... my first tripod didn't have a removeable or interchangeable center column. Better tripods either have a swappable center-column ... or its' removeable. Also... the legs have a kind of ratchet that lets you position the legs with a normal spread, moderately wide spread... or extremely wide and low spread. THIS MEANS... when I want to take a photo and I want the camera extremely low (inches) off the ground, I can swap the standard center column for a short center-column (on my higher end Manfrotto tripod the center column is removeable completely but the mounting plate that is normally on the top of the center column can bolt directly to the tripod (with no column) and this lets me take the tripod completely down to the ground.
Fifth... (and this is getting a bit pickier)... two common variations are adjustable heigh legs with a collet that you snug... OR... a lever-lock type leg that snugs to lock the leg height. The lever-locks are much faster to set up and take down then the collet style. So I tend to prefer those (although I do have both).
And naturally they are commonly either aluminum or carbon fiber. Carbon fiber tends to be more expensive (sometimes significantly so). So you need to evaluate how you will use it. If you aren't taking it on long hikes (you wont be carrying it very long) then you may not care that it be light. Go ahead and save a few bucks by purchasing an aluminum (but sturdy aluminum) model. I have ONE tripod that I bought for long hikes (that one is extremely light... but it isn't nearly as solid as the others. It's not fragile... it's very sturdy... but it's carbon fiber legs are more flexible than my other tripods so it would shake in a good breeze and I either need to add weights to the center hook or block it from the wind.)
These aren't "cheap" tripods... I think my first good tripod was around $400 (and then I bought several accessoires such as an extra center column (although those are relatively cheap... probably $25) and different heads (those can be a bit more expensive depending on the type and quality of head), and different length arca-swiss rails (those are usually cheap).
About that friend... he doesn't have a lot of money and he bought a $79 tripod ... one day while taking a video of his young nephew playing... the nephew kicked (not deliberately) one of the tripod legs and it broke (this is a small child... perhaps 3... maybe 4) and that was enough force to break the tripod leg. Camera fell over (fortunately camera wasn't damaged). Tripod couldn't be repaired.
Then he bought tripod #2... another $79 wonder. One day after shooting, he was packing up, remove the camera from the tripod, folded the tripod, and tossed it over a few feet ... it also broke.
Now he's on tripod #3... ANOTHER $79 wonder.
I've pointed out to him that he's now basically spent $240 on triipods
Had he just bought ONE $240 tripod to begin with... that tripod would last him a lifetime. The tripod should not need to be handled with "white gloves". A tripod should be able to take a bit of a beating.
There are loads of good tripods out there. Manfrotto is a good brand... of their tripods, the "190" series and the "055" series are (by far) the most popular. The "055" is a bit larger and beefier than the "190". (I own an "057" series which is much beefier still). I've also had good luck with Benro and Induro.
Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da
