Planning to buy your first DSLR? or if you have already purchased one then I’m sure most of you might have got a tripod for free along with the camera. This is common practice being followed everywhere by the sales team of the shop, where shop owners sell a cheap quality tripod just to attract customers. But is this a good tripod for landscape photography? These cheap quality tripods may be good for a point-and-shoot camera but not for a DSLR.
Do you need a tripod for landscape photography?
A tripod for landscape photography can assist keep your photos stable and make them easier to piece together once you’re back in front of the computer if you want to take some landscape panoramas. To capture the ideal panoramic photo, start from the left or right side of the image, whatever is most comfortable for you, and allow for some overlap between each frame. In addition, landscape photography typically involves lengthy exposures, which need the use of a tripod. Long exposure will also need the use of ND filters. Also, you must read when not to use a hard Graduation ND filter.
How do I choose a tripod for landscape photography?
If you prioritize versatility above size and weight, a full-sized tripod will often allow you to compose from low to well above eye level. Independent, multi-angle legs are required for a tripod for landscape photography to be put up securely on rugged and uneven terrain.
Here are a few things that you need to look for while buying a tripod for landscape photography. Check if the tripod can handle more weight, this is important when you attach the lens to your camera. This happened to me when I used a cheap quality tripod over which I had my Nikon D610 camera. To this, I attached 14-24 lenses and it couldn’t handle the weight.
What type of tripod head is best for landscape photography?
A ball head or pan-tilt head is generally better for landscape photographers. I can’t suggest a gimbal head highly enough if you’re a wildlife photographer with a long lens. They are more expensive, but purchasing a gimbal head is one of the finest investments you can make if you are serious about photography. When it comes to filmmaking and photography, I recommend employing pan-tilt. In addition, if you enjoy timelapse photography, you can attach this tilt motor to the top of your tripod and put your camera on top of it, as demonstrated in the video.
Tripod has to be sturdy – this is very important to get razor-sharp images. A Ball-head would be a good one to attach on top of your expensive tripod. But, if you have plans of making a few videos as well then you can go for a 3-way head which I use. Using a 3-way head helps you in panning but you will have to do the level adjustments individually which is not the case in ball-head.
What tripod height is the best?
A tripod should be tall enough to support your camera at eye level. Unless you’re shooting on a hill, want a higher viewpoint, or have items at eye level that are obscuring your vision, 5 to 6 feet is plenty. This is the height with all of the legs extended but not the center column extended. Avoid lifting the center column since this may cause camera wobble; alternatively, put some weight on the bottom of the center column as a counterweight.
A tripod is essential if you want to capture razor-sharp photographs or if you want to be a landscape photographer. So, get yourself a nice tripod for landscape photography. Instead of going for the complimentary tripods, ask the shop owner to lower the price of the camera and then buy a decent quality tripod. If you buy a cheap tripod, you will wind up buying a better tripod and spending more money later on.
Tripod for Landscape Photography while hiking
For individuals who enjoy walking or hiking, such as myself, I prefer carbon fiber tripod legs, which may be rather pricey. As of this writing, I have an aluminum body, which weighs one kilogram more than the carbon fiber body. It may not seem like much, but when you’re trekking and every gram counts, it’s a major deal.
Another alternative is to avoid carrying any of these bulky tripods and instead choose a tiny ultra-flexible tripod or a Gorillapod, which can be used to connect your mirrorless DSLR to an action camera. The nice part is that you can put it on almost anything.
Best tripod for landscape photography
I use MHXPRO-3W X-PRO 3-Way Head (You may this from Flipkart – Manfrotto MK055XPRO3 which has around 10 years warranty – Manfrotto landscape tripod). You can buy the tripod legs and the head separately. When you buy see that the two are compatible. If the use of a tripod is for studio or wedding/outdoor shoot then the above tripod should be fine. But if you want a tripod for travel and hiking then go for the carbon fiber version of it, which is lighter by one kg. So, what tripod do you have in mind and what is the purpose?
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