Professional Tripod & Monopods | Handheld, Portable & Afforable Tripods & Monopod Kits

Best Tripod & Monopods | Handheld, Portable & Afforable Tripods & Monopod Kits

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Tripod

In today’s day and age, there is no one tripod which is universally the best DSLR camera tripod. This three-legged friend that every photographer possesses comes in different sizes, shapes, colors, and types. What is best is what suits your needs the best.

How to choose your tripod?

The tripod is structurally not as simple as it looks. The tripod is made up of multiple components like its head, the centerpiece and the legs. There are different substitutes for each of these tripod accessories depending on the usability of it. The components which have an alternative to it are:

Head

All the best tripods have interchangeable heads. It is for you to decide which tripod head suits your needs.

Ball heads are the most basic head which is easy to use. It increases stability and provides a more accurate rotation of the camera.

A gimbal head is for professional photographers who use heavy cameras and lenses.

Legs

The strength of the leg decides if it is a small camera tripod or for heavy gears. It is always advised to buy tripod legs and head for your tripod with a capacity twice or thrice of your commonly used camera and lenses.

Legs were traditionally made with aluminium but now they have shifted to much lighter and durable carbon fiber.

Usability of tripods

The most important thing to understand is that tripods are designed to cater to your needs. It completely depends on what your gears are and the environment you will be using. These are a few ways you could decide which tripod suits you the best:

Travel

Travelling all around the globe with a heavy tripod is not feasible. The best camera tripods for travelers are the ones that are light and portable.

Ideally, any tripod is a travel tripod if you are willing to carry them around. But a few of them are designed to be compact. They have three to five sections which could be adjusted as per the photographer’s needs. A mini tripod is the most suitable, convenient and light weight to carry while travelling.

Adventure

The most important asset for photographers who love adventure are lightweight tripods. Octopus tripods, also known as a flexible tripod, are small but designed for adventure. Its height is as high or low as the surface you set it on.

Depending on the mounting you use, an octopus tripod could be interchangeably used as a tripod phone and camera as well

Vlogging

With a rise in the number of content creators who use their smartphone to create content, the need for smartphone tripods and phone camera stands have skyrocketed. This is the best budget tripod for a beginner who is looking to experiment and explore their niche in phone photography as well. Video Tripods are best suited for vlogging.

Monopods & Accessories

A monopod is always stigmatized as the cheaper, less stable alternative to a tripod stand. This is one of the greatest myths in photography. When used correctly, you get the steadiest of shots.

Also known as unipods, monopod heads take the weight of the camera and lenses off the photographer. Although they are sturdier on the ground, monopods can also be used as extension shooting poles.

A monopod is an essential piece of equipment in a photographer’s arsenal.

How to choose your monopod

More often than not, tripods are used for videography rather than a monopod. However, there are a few variants that are the best monopods for video. They are relatively more expensive.

Here are a couple of factors that you should consider, apart from the monopod’s price, while purchasing one.

Height

It is crucial to consider the maximum and minimum length of your monopod. It is of great use when it comes to sports photography. The minimum length can also determine if it is useful when you are traveling. Selfie Sticks have gained a lot of popularity and are one of the most fast selling items.

Feet

Some monopods will have additional flip-out feet for more stable support. This variant can also be called a monopod tripod. When indulging in monopod photography, this gives you the much-needed support you will need while shooting videos and time-lapses.

How to use a monopod

Monopods are good for when you are in a crowded environment. Anywhere you don’t have enough space for a tripod, you can trust your monopod to give you steady shots.

The overhead

In a crowd of journalists hustling to get the best picture or an interview byte of a celebrity, a monopod can be a gamechanger for you. Monopods are much less obtrusive than tripods. You attach your camera to the top of your monopod, extend the legs and hold it high enough to get the shot you want.

The third leg

When you are outdoors working on a shoot, the best way to use a monopod is by using your legs to make an imaginary tripod. This technique works best on grippy surfaces like grass or gravel. This is very helpful when you indulge in wildlife photography and other outdoor activities.

A few of the best monopods for wildlife photography are:

Manfrotto XPRO 5-Section
Gitzo Series 2 Traveler GM2562T

Monopod vs Tripod

Tripods are bulkier and take longer to be set up but having three legs provide stability. On the other hand, monopods are light, compact, and travel friendly. The best monopods extend long enough to be used as per your needs but can be dropped down to a size that can be accommodated.

Apart from this, a lot of manufacturers make monopods that double up as hiking and walking sticks. This is an essential gear if you are fond of traveling.

Accessories

Using a tripod can completely change the kind of output you can get. From shaky, blurry images and footages to clear pictures with precision. You can mount your camera in one go and use it however you like. Although, even when it comes to a tripod, buying accessories to compliment them would just make your shooting experience that much better.

For digital photography and videography, tripod and monopod accessories, are a must for someone who is heavily into this field. The accessories that you invest in would tend to be durable so that they can be used over a long period of time. When it comes to tripod accessories, people don’t really think it is important to buy them but in reality, they make your shoot much easier.

Having a monopod dolly or tripod pouches can really change the way your output is seen. Following are a few accessories that you can buy to aid your photography process:

Tripod Heads

A tripod head is what goes on top of your tripod legs on which you can mount your camera. These heads are also detachable and can come in different styles. Pistol grip, pan and tilt, Ball, and Gimbal head are some examples of the different types of tripod heads available. Each has its own unique function which you can use according to your own needs.

Tripod Shoulder Straps

Tripod straps are for the traveler in you. If you are constantly on the go, then you want accessories that are easily portable. These shoulder straps make your work very simple by providing you with extra cushioning for comfort and mainly being light-weight. The width of these straps distributes the weight so that it is not pressing down on only one part. These are the factors that make it a worthwhile purchase.

Tripod Bags & Cases

Another accessory to make the transport of your equipment easier is a tripod case and bags. Not only does it ensure that your tool is kept safe but helps you carry it from one location to another with ease. These tripod bags and cases can accommodate the weight while making sure it can be as comfortable as possible.

You can choose to get a bag with only one shoulder strap so that you can wear it in a cross-body style. This will give your hands complete freedom to move. With a wide range of bags and cases available, you can choose one that is perfect for your needs.

L Brackets

An L bracket is used to mount your camera either horizontally or vertically. By screwing into a 1/4 inch threaded hole on the bottom of your camera, you can then mount onto your tripod, this is a solid way to ensure security for your gears. Although most L brackets are universally compliant, before you purchase, make sure it is compatible with your equipment.

Support, Stands & Mounts

Quick Release Systems

Constantly mounting and demounting the camera from the tripod can be time-consuming and additional work. This can be completely avoided when you have a good tripod quick release system that would do the job in seconds.

By securely attaching the tapering end with the camera and using the lever to lock it in place, the mechanism is easy to use and can help you mount your camera with ease. The quick-release system for SLR tripods is a great way to ensure that the plate does move so that your expensive gear is kept safe. There are different kinds of video camera tripod quick-release systems available to choose from.

Standard Quick Release

Most commonly seen on Manfrotto photography tripods, this system is a fast way to secure your camera to your tripod. The operation is very simple on this, all you have to do is push your camera down on the plate, and the locking lever will put it in place. You can lock your camera to its base plate using this camera quick release system with ease.

Arca-Swiss Quick Release

The way this system works is a little different. Here, you need to clamp your base plate in order to secure the camera on top. Arca-Swiss style base plates come with a 45º outward tapered rail along the plate’s side that clamps onto the tripod’s head. After that, you can tighten it as much as you like.

The reason people prefer using this quick-release system is because of how versatile it is. The base plates come in different sizes so you can use them with any kind of lens. For instance, for a front-heavy lens, you can use a longer base plate and vice-versa.

Compatibility

When it comes to quick-release systems, there isn’t one size that fits all. A universally compatible quick-release system is not made and hence you need to find something that works well with your tripod and camera. However, it is also very common to see certain Arca-Swiss systems that are universally compatible while using the tripod heads with the Arca-Swiss system. In any case, a standard quick release system will not offer that kind of compatibility.

There are many quick-release systems available that can be used whenever you need to shoot with the tripod. It is a great way to ensure security and time-efficiency. There are several tutorial videos available online to show you exactly how to use these systems so you cannot go wrong with them. Choosing the best camera quick-release system eases your shoot and helps you deliver quality output on time.

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