Hello Everyone
“Traveling”, the name itself sounds so much fun. Traveling is in a lot of rage these days, specially among the youngsters. People just want to ditch their boring and hectic lifestyle and travel to amazing places. A lot of times, they take their families along with them.
Family or not, everyone has the right to cherish their memories afterwards. For that purpose, they get themselves a camera. But if you are really serious about photographing some fleeting moments while you travel the globe, you might wanna consider going in for a lightweight tripod. Having a good travel tripod always comes in handy. If you are looking for one, I’m going to help you pick one among the best lightweight tripods.
TRIPOD FOR TRAVEL – WHY DO YOU NEED ONE ?
Well, let’s see.. why do you need a travel tripod? There is not just one but many reasons why you should have
a tripod specifically to meet your travel needs. At this point, I believe you know why a tripod is indispensable whenever you are out with a camera but if you need some basic information about tripods and why they are so useful, please do read this.
- The most important and obvious reason is for clicking pictures of yourself and your family. You are traveling for the sake of adventure, to find an escape from your boring life so it is natural that you want to photograph some
memories of yourself and your dear ones. Instead of having strangers click your pictures who do not know how to frame and stuff, why not do it yourself. All you need to do is set it up on a tripod and put it on a 10 sec timer. That’s it!
- If you are a travel photographer who is always looking for something which no one else does, a tripod is a must. A tripod will essentially stop you and will force you to compose your shots to perfection. That makes you a better photographer because now you will always think before you shoot.
- For shooting clouds or waterfalls, shooting time lapses or light painting at some iconic place, again you will make heavy use of a travel tripod. You cannot imagine shooting long exposures without a tripod. That is one of the reasons why most of the professional landscape photographers carry a lightweight tripod with them always.
- If you want to shoot in the dark or in the marketplaces during evening or night your camera and lens will only support you to some extent when it comes to shooting pictures with less noise. In those cases a tripod is very helpful. You can do some pretty crazy stuff in marketplaces with a tripod, like this.
KEY FEATURES TO LOOK FOR
Before jumping to conclusions, you must have enough knowledge on how to choose the tripod that best meets your needs. For a good travel tripod, there are many factors to consider. These play an important role in determining the price, quality and durability of your tripod. Let’s look at them one by one.
- Size : The size of the overall tripod plays a great role while you are traveling. You might wanna look into something which extends just like a normal tripod yet when collapsed is significantly smaller than a regular tripod. Specifically, look for something that extends to about 5 feet or above and collapses to somewhere around 2 feet. These dimensions are suited for carry on luggage as well.
- Weight : Weight of a tripod has a great significance whether you are traveling or not. It should be minimal but your tripod should be strong enough to hold the gear. Lightweight tripods are great for traveling because they allow you to carry more on flights. A lightweight tripod can weigh from 3lb to a maximum of 4lb.
- Cost : The last thing you wanna consider is price. I agree that most of us are budget conscious which is good. Finding the best deal for your buck is awesome. But you have to see that, travel tripods cost between $50 to all the way upto $1000 and more. It all depends on your needs and your budget. For enthusiasts or hobbyists, $200-$300 is the sweet spot.
SOME TOP NOTCH TRIPODS
Whether a starter or pro, every travel photographer must appreciate the gravity of owning a travel tripod. If cared for these things last for a lifetime. If you are reading this, you probably have bought your first tripod sometime back and you are looking to upgrade or want to start your journey with some quality equipment. As I mentioned price plays a very important role so I won’t recommend just the pricey ones but for all budgets.
- For hobbyists/beginners : For beginners who don’t want to spend a fortune of your first travel tripod, I recommend going in for the Vanguard VEO 2 204AB. It is a perfect choice for beginners. It comes in a range of colors, you can pick a red one
if you like. Has twist locks, collapsible central column and can hold a maximum of 8.8lb (4kg). It extends upto 53 inches and folds to just about 15 inches, all in a sweet package in an affordable range.
You can also check out the Manfrotto Element Traveler Big Aluminum Tripod. - For amateurs/enthusiasts : You guys probably own a tripod and are looking for an upgrade. Check out the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Twist 4-Section Aluminum Travel Tripod with Ball Head. With an overall weight of just 3.3lb and a maximum height of 5 feet it is a great tripod. If you are looking for something in the carbon fiber range, get the MeFOTO RoadTrip Classic Carbon Fiber but remember it always costs more.
- For professionals : Generally, these are made of carbon fiber and are very light. They offer superior quality and feel extremely premium. Carbon fiber is chosen because it is non-corrosive in many scenarios and is very light as compared to aluminum but at the same time they are more durable than the aluminum ones. If you are looking for one, go for Gitzo Lightweight Series 2 Traveler Carbon Fiber Tripod with Center Ball Head. It comes with a steep price of around a thousand dollars but is worth the money. The main attraction is the sheer amount of weight that it can handle, 26lb (11kg)!
Gorillapods/mini pods :These are great travel tripods. They are small,
versatile and durable. You can always carry one of these cute little things with you. Sometimes, you might find yourself, using a. gorillapod more than a regular one. For more information about gorillapods, checkthis post.
HOW TO USE IT EFFICIENTLY
A travel tripod is just like any other tripod in terms of usability with a few more features. For example the legs of Vanguard VEO 2 204AB can be adjusted for 20 degrees separation. That is great for landscape photographers who need that low angle frames.
You can use a lightweight tripod in a lot of ways. These are specially made for traveling so they are packed with features. Some include metal spikes in their legs which gives a good ground grip when shooting in snow! Some have hooks on their central column to hang your camera bags. This improves stability.
To use it in the most efficient way, you need to be familiar with all the features of your tripod and that needs some research on your part. You must keep shooting with the tripod and try to use all its features to its max potential and since these are so light you shouldn’t mind carrying one everywhere you go, but do a bit of research about the places you want to visit. Some might not allow a tripod, like some museums or temples, etc.
It depends on how much and how innovatively you use your tripod. It is great for landscapes, wildlife or just casual street photography. For more tips on using your camera creatively, read this post.
CONCLUSION
Light weight tripods are one of the best investments when it comes to purchasing your travel gear. Before buying one, look at the key points which I mentioned earlier and make a well educated choice rather than simply getting what the salesman is telling you.
Traveling with a tripod can be troublesome at times and having a big, heavy tripod adds to the hassle, so the next time you think about upgrading to a good tripod choose from the best lightweight tripods. It will be money spent on quality and for your growth as a travel photographer.
If you have any questions or queries, please leave them below in the comments section and I’ll be more than happy to help you out.
Shashwat
Founder of TripodsforAll
19 Responses
I would definitely need something for landscape photography, as I live in an area that is a gold mine for landscaping, with the hills, valleys, rivers, and even some old, abandoned industrial structures. I would probably go with a Vanuguard since I’d still label myself as a beginner, but will definitely be willing to go up from there.
Great choice Todd. You must be living in a very scenic place. Perfect to make some awesome landscape pictures. Let me know if I can be of some help.
Shashwat,
I have several smaller tripods. One just like the Gorilla pod that you have in this article. One thing that I did find on the cheaper models is the fact that they will not support a bigger camera. I use mine for a GoPro or my phone camera.
I like to take time lapse videos with my phone, the smaller tripods work great for this.
Do you think that a smaller tripod can be used with a regular camera or are they too weak to hold them up. Most of my smaller tripods are of the cheaper variety.
John
Hello John
I understand your concern. The thing is it all depends on your tripods strength and not the price. Refer to the tripods manual and find out the maximum load capacity of your tripods. I wouldn’t recommend mounting your SLR camera if the max capacity is less than 6lb.
Hope I have answered your question
Thanks
Hey,
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
I definitely need something lightweight as a tripod when I go travelling on business.
I work in the railway and need to take pics of trains that have failed or have had a collision with an object and I need to take pics.
I am going to recommend that my company invest in this tripod as it looks really good.
Thanks for sharing,
Tom
Thanks for writing out this lovely article and I must say its a must for everyone to read and digest.travelling is fun, but travelling with a camera like tripod is good and okay. This article show what to look for in selecting tripod camera mainly is the size, weight and the cost of the camera. Travelling with this can brings some good remembrance. I will contact you in getting one for my vacation. Thanks for the insight
Glad you liked this post. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
This is really wonderful. I would definitely need landscape photography because I live on the hills an the valleys of the river. But I will probably go with the vanguard since I am just a novice which I am willing to take the profession from there. But firstly, I will like to take lapse video with my phone because I think the smaller tripod will definitely work for this
Sure, it is not a race. Just work at your pace and upgrade as per your needs.
Hi you have certainly proved your point with the value of having a good tripod if you want to take great pics on your travels. If the photo below Vanguard VEO 2 204AB is anything to go by I would think to get professional looking photographs like that you would certainly need one to capture that beautiful image in all its fullness. You suggested a lightweight tripod for travelling but is it as stable as something a little more sturdy?.
I have one in my cupboard which has not been used for a long time and you have inspired me to get it out again.
Thank you for this post.
I understand your concern. Yes, the heavier the tripod the more is the stability but then it add a lot of unwanted weight which is not so great while travelling. Also, a lightweight tripod can be made stable by hanging your bag at the central column( some tripods have hooks attached to the central column just for this purpose). Or if you are shooting in fields , you can use aluminium spikes attached to the foot of the tripod. All these add a lot of extra stability to your setup.
Now, I definitely wanna own a tripod to be able to capture special moments and of course, nature. This really got me interested. I especially like the mini/Gorrila pods but I have a feeling that as a beginner, the Vanguard Vevo 2 240B would be a good one to start with. Maybe soon, I would be able to start sharing breathtaking and professional looking videos too. We’ll see how it goes.
Excellent! You will be able to click awesome pictures but it requires practice and time. Keep me posted 🙂
Travelling is really an amazing experience, especially when you are able to capture the exciting moments in pictures.
I would like a very light tripod that can be compatible with smart devices. For this, I think the Vanguard VEO 2 204AB would be the right choice for me.
Thanks for sharing this post, found it very useful.
I agree, traveling is as much fun as it is a learning experience. You have a great choice.
Thanks for stopping by.
Like you stated in the article, there are many advantage of travelling with a light weight tripod in other to avoid big heavy bags when traveling and also in other to avoid custom issues when travelling to a long distance.i like to ask a question on the your recommended tripod. Is Vanguard VEO 2 204AB a foldable tripod and if not do you have some other recommend tripod beginners
Yes, it is foldable. The central column folds in between the legs with the head attached making it very compact.
Hope I have answered your question.
Hi Shashwat,
Thank you very much for the great informational article. Best Lightweight Tripods When traveling alone, we will help Lightweight Tripods to find a suitable photographer, or to take away pictures of our family that others feel dissatisfied. One of the most important components of the camera stand or tripod DSLR If we want to capture beautiful Tim lamps video or want to prevent images from blurring in low light, there is no comparison between tripods. The camera stand is important in the videographer because it will help to deliver steel shot which is almost impossible to get good output if it is empty hands. Gitzo Lightweight Series 2 Traveler Carbon Fiber Tripod with Center Ball Head I like the model, although the price is a bit higher. This model is stylish and easy to carry during travel. When buying a lightweight tripod, you must see its key points, which will help you choose the right model. All photographic equipment are high quality and definitely a good choice for taking real estate photos. Will Gitzo Lightweight Series 2 Traveler Carbon Fiber Tripod be better for landscaping such pictures as hills, lakes, rivers, or historical places? I’ve bookmarked this article and I’ll definitely share it with my friend.
Hello
The Gitzo is expensive yes, but there is not match for it in terms of quality. It is right said, it is the Rolls of tripods. As for your question, the Gitzo is suitable for almost any application. Thanks for stopping by.
Keep checking for more!