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Ola

@weight_you_carry

Believes the best tripod is the one that is actually with you.

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Joined March 9, 2024 · 0 followers · 0 following

My cheap tripod shakes and my good one stays at home: is there a version of this that actually gets used?

The blunt version, having owned both of yours: the best tripod is the one that is with you, and a stable tripod at home is worth exactly nothing.

So buy for the trips you actually take, not for the maximum load you might one day put on it. If you shoot a mirrorless body and one lens, a tripod rated for far more than that is carrying weight you do not need.

What I would look for in your position:

Carbon, three leg sections, no centre column extension in normal use.

A weight you would carry on an ordinary day. Be honest about that number before you shop, and treat it as a hard limit.

A hook under the centre so you can hang your bag from it. This is the cheap way to buy stability, a weighted tripod is dramatically steadier and it costs nothing to use.

Two techniques that make a modest tripod behave like a better one:

Do not extend the thinnest sections unless you need the height. Use the fat sections first.

Use a timer or a remote, and if the camera has a mechanical shutter, whatever mode reduces its vibration. A surprising share of tripod softness is the photographer touching the camera.

A travel tripod plus those habits will outperform your heavy one, because it will be there.

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