Like the famous song goes ”Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony”. Well the same applies for landscape photography and tripods. They simply match. Because of this we created an awesome guide on best tripods for landscape photography so you can find your perfect match.
Why The Need For A Landscape Tripod?
So, you’re an adventurer, a travel freak or simply someone who enjoys the casual sunset. Believe it or not, a tripod is your best friend. Unless you hold a Master’s Degree in holding a camera motionless, you’ll need to lean on a tripod!
Image stabilization may be your answer to avoiding tripods, but when it comes to taking landscapes it simply doesn’t work that way. In order to take crispy-clear, sharp photos of mountains, lakes, waterfalls or that amazing long exposure. You’ll need to rely on a tripod, and a good one for that matter.
How We Found The Best Tripods For Landscape Photography
Before we jump into our list of the best tripods for landscape photography. Let me first breakdown the core features that a landscape tripod should have compared to its counterparts.
- Stability & rigidity: When shooting landscapes this is extremely important as the slightest vibration can remove that crispy detail that we crave.
- Functionality: Having a tripod that can easily adapt to its environment and different types of cameras is very important.
- Travel friendliness: With the nature of landscape photography you will be shooting in different locations. Therefore having a tripod that can move with you without being being a burden is a must.
- Intuitive: Being able to easily setup and dissemble a tripod while using its movements can sometimes mean the difference between capturing that perfect shot or falling flat.
A Review Of Best Tripods For Landscape Photography
1. Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Aluminum Tripod [Editor’s Pick]
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Aluminum Tripod Specifications
Weight: 4.41 lbs
Collapsed Height: 24.75″
Extended Height: 65″
Maximum Load: 15.4 lbs
Price: Click here to find latest price
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Aluminum Tripod Review
Vanguard has been in the business of making tripods, sporting optics and accessories for over 30 years. So, when they come up with something, they make sure it exceeds the customer’s expectations. The Alta Pro 263AB Tripod is sparkling proof of this statement.
Moving down South, the legs are made up of three sections which makes it more stable than a four-section unit. The feet are studded with spikes that can be “activated” by turning them allowing you to work on poor or rough surfaces.
“A true great all round tripod” – Ralph Fines
The sturdy design all in all allows you work with 15.4 pounds of gear. Just to give you a rough idea, an average DSLR weighs only 3 pounds! So you can work with some serious DSLR cameras on this bad boy.
Incredibly this tripod only ways 4.41 pounds. Having such a light weight makes it perfect for trekking to out of the way locations.
A retractable hook at the bottom allows stabilizing weights to be attached. Plus, the dynamically moving central column allows landscape scenes to be captured in almost any angle. This is also great for capturing pin point milky way shots with its rock solid base.
Going back to the retractable hook, this tripod comes with a carry bag which I sometimes fill with dirt and use it as an anchor. This delivered a seriously sturdy footing, even when shooting in windy conditions.
Final verdict
At the end of the day, the Vanguard Alta Pro manages to tick all the right boxes. The superb design and excellent material quality has helped this tripod secure many awards including the TIPA award for best accessory in 2013.
While several years have passed, this tripod still manages to leave photographers in awe, due to its features and its affordability.
Because of this it earned the top podium position in our best tripods for landscape photography list. A must have!
2. Dolica AX620B100 Proline Tripod and Ball Head
Dolica AX620B100 Proline Tripod Specifications
Weight: 2.5 lbs
Collapsed Height: 21.5″
Extended Height: 60″
Maximum Load: 13.2 lbs
Price: Click here to find latest price
Dolica AX620B100 Proline Tripod Review
This is a multi-purpose tripod built to fulfill all your desires, whether they involve taking landscapes or portraits. Designed for use with both DSLRs and Point & Shoot cameras, the Proline Tripod is designed with the user’s needs in mind.
A counter weight hook located at the bottom of the center column plays in quite nicely whenever the need arises to put in some extra weight. This came in handy when doing some long shutter shots of the incoming waves.
If needed, you can unscrew the counter weight hook and invert the center column, allowing the camera to hang upside-down altogether.
The tripod legs are well-built, and locked in place with quick leg flip locks. Made out of durable plastic, they make extending/retracting extremely easy, through simple twists.
Spikes have been added to the rubber foot of each tripod leg to allow it to hold on its own in any kind of terrain. Simply turning the foot clockwise activates them.
Final thoughts
A 5-year long warranty ensures faith in the tripod’s features and conditions, making sure your adventures aren’t disrupted at the wrong time!
This tripod is an excellent choice for novice or enthusiast landscape photographers who are also budget savvy.
3. Neewer Carbon Fiber Lightweight Portable Tripod
Neewer Carbon Fiber Tripod Specifications
Weight: 1 lb (28.3 g)
Collapsed Height: 11.4″ (29 cm)
Extended Height: 11.4″ (29 cm)
Maximum Load: 11 lbs (5 kg)
Price: Click here to find latest price
Neewer Carbon Fiber Lightweight Portable Tripod Review
Ensuring that the camera holds it’s own in a single spot is extremely important for landscape photography. This can be achieved with $15 plastic tripod. But the ability to adapt instantly and confidently to changing scenarios can only be attained through quality products.
Next in our lineup of best tripods for landscape photography is the Neewer Carbon Fiber Tripod.
Plastic as we all know gives in to abuse very quickly, and isn’t well-suited for long-term usage on a tripod. Neewer has found a way to get around this by reducing the use of plastics to parts that are least-prone to abuse.
Time and again, photographers have admired the level of mobility they’ve gotten from the tripod. Mounting the tripod to a backpack certainly is made possible and many photographers opt for this.
Final thoughts
This tripod also has a monopod capability that’s quite attractable at first glance. But truth be told the reality is quite different. The monopod felt clunky and needs extra care on trips.
But, if the need arises, you can always use the monopod leg for your advantage as a trekking pole, as the strength certainly allows it to be! Overall this is a highly durable tripod and wont disappoint.
4. ZoMei Z818 Magnesium Aluminium Travel Tripod
ZoMei Z818 Magnesium Aluminium Travel Tripod Specifications
Weight: 3.7 lbs
Collapsed Height: 22″
Extended Height: 65″
Maximum Load: 11 lbs
Price: Click here to find latest price
ZoMei Z818 Magnesium Aluminium Travel Tripod Review
Companies love to market their products as multi-functional, while they struggle to perform even in a singular market.
Fortunately, this isn’t the case with this tripod. The ZoMei Z818 works flawlessly as a tripod, while at the same time functioning perfectly as a monopod.
To prevent the camera from slipping off, the ball head has a safety lock. The only way to get a hold of the camera is by loosening the quick release plate. But this doesn’t affect the camera’s inner mobility in any way.
The 360-degree panoramic panning dial stays enabled at all times, and allows you to take precision times without any hiccups.
The level of flexibility offered by ZoMei is truly exciting. The tripod legs can be inverted & folded by 180 degrees to 18 inches, making it extremely portable. Rotating twist locks control offers a height range of 18 to 65 inches, allowing the legs to glide in and out easily.
Final verdict
Every product has its pros & cons and so does the ZoMei Z818.
Even though it performs exceptionally both indoors & outdoors in terms of flexibility, it has some pitfalls in more challenging terrain. It can be difficult for the tripod to get a hold on irregular surfaces, but a few adjustments can make it work.
5. InnerTeck Professional Camera Tripod
InnerTeck Professional Camera Tripod Specifications
Weight: 3.63 lbs
Collapsed Height: 23″
Extended Height: 70″
Maximum Load: 11 lbs
Price: Click here to find latest price
InnerTeck Professional Camera Tripod Review
The trend of 2-in-1 tripods is on the rise, mainly because it gives the user greater control and flexibility over his/her work.
Having a lightweight aluminum build, puts the tripod at 3.63 pounds while the maximum height attainable is a whopping 70 inches. This tripod is light enough to take on all sort of excursions, while being customizable enough to fit the tightest of backpacks.
The compact tripod has a 3-way head, ideal for precise landscape framing. The 360-degree swivel function gives full panoramic control. Changing the orientation from landscape to portrait is especially easy, thanks to the handy tilt motion.
Slip resistance is one of those things that are often overlooked by tripod manufacturers. Not in the case of InnerTeck though.
The tripod comes with quick-release rubber pad design that greatly enhances slip resistance. In addition, the Snap-On quick release plate makes it very instantly assemble/disassemble the camera from the top.
Final thoughts
A traveler’s kit is never complete without the appropriate housings. This tripod comes with a hand grip that can take out all the fatigue of holding it. So, at the end of the day, this as complete as a package gets, within a cost-savvy margin.
Top 5 best tripods for landscape photography Conclusions
Tripods first came into existence when cameras were the size of a small fridges. While the size of cameras have significantly shrunk, the need and utility for tripods has only grown.
Not only is a tripod a necessary tool for taking buttery footage, it’s also a pre-requisite for taking mind-blowing landscapes in scenic locations.
To learn more about landscape photography, check out this helpful video below.
Owning a tripod would definitely pay-off in terms of higher quality photographs, and self-starring clips! This is the end of the line for the top 5 best tripods for landscape photography list. Remember, the road to perfect landscapes may be tough, but the journey would ease-up if you have the right tools.
A tripod is one of those essential tools. By now, you must’ve understood the difference between a tripod and a stick with a platform. So, keep in mind the suggestions given above the next time you’re out looking for a tripod to fulfill the landscape hunger inside you. This article is only scratching the surface, you can check out my top 20 favourite tripods here. Thanks for reading!