You can’t be a great landscape photographer without a good tripod. Period. Ask any top outdoor photographer. Ask all the great shooters who shared their creative insight in this post.
However, a Gitzo does not a photographer make. You don’t have to drop $500, $700 or more in order to get a perfectly good and workable camera support. There are plenty of decent tripods out there that will hold your camera steady enough to let you capture compelling images of the natural world without breaking the bank.
Here’s a review of tripods in the $90-150 range that are geared towards the outdoor photographer. If you’re looking for a good budget tripod that will still get the job done, consider one of these models. Before going too budget though, remember this: nothing beats a great pair trio of legs. Also, check out 3 Great Budget Carbon Fiber Tripods.
1. Manfrotto 190X PROB 3-Section Aluminum Tripod
Manfrotto has been making great tripods for years, formerly offering them under the Bogen name. The venerable 3001 model, has been redesigned as the Manfrotto 190XPRO and given some great new features that the 3001 lacked.
It’s got three leg flip lock leg sections and a center column that extends to nearly 60″ high, it closes down to 22″, and weighs 4 lbs without head. The leg sections open all the way out for low angle shooting. You can also reverse the center column, which allows you to get your camera nearly all the way to the ground for extreme closeups and macro.
The 190XPRO also features a unique center column that extends and swings in to a horizontal position. This greatly increases options for placing your camera in different positions, and it makes for a great light stand for placing remote flashes, especially for shooting outside portraits.
The Manfrotto 190XPRO ($135) is without a doubt, an awesome utilitarian tripod that will serve you for years, (I still make use of my old Bogen 3001s). It’s not the lightest nor the most compact tripod on the market, but for the money, it’s probably one of the best rock solid camera supports that an outdoor photographer could want.
Note: Manfrotto also has the 190DXB 3-Section Aluminum Tripod, which is essentially a budget version of the 190XPRO. It has screw lock legs instead of flip lock and no padded legs. It’s a half pound lighter and costs around $115.
2. Oben AC-1410 4-Section Aluminum Tripod with Ball Head.
The Oben AC-1410 ($119) even comes with a ball head, which makes this even more budget. It’s ready for action as soon as you take it out of the box.
Weighing in at 3.25 lbs, the AC-1410 folds down to 21″, extends to 60.4″ and comes equipped with bubble level, padded carrying bag and leg warmers on two sections to protect your hands form from the cold.
Another nice feature is the hook on the bottom of the center column, which lets you hang a heavy counterweight, like a pack full of rocks of lenses. This greatly increases stability of tripod.
Unlike some tripods, the AC-1410 does not have retractable spikes in the feet. Certainly not a deal breaker, unless you’re shooting on ice and frozen ground all the time. Not having spikes also means that you’ll never accidentally scratch your nice wood floors.
There’s also the Oben AC-1310, ($99) which has all the same features, but only 3 leg sections, so its collapsed size is slightly longer. (24.7″)
3. Slik Sprint Pro II Tripod with QR Ball Head & Case
My very first tripod was a Slik (I think it was the 444 Sport), and it looked a lot like this, minus the padded legs. It served me for many years, in fact it’s the tripod that held my N90 when I made my famous Sunrise on K2 image.
With 4 leg sections, the Slik Sprint Pro II folds down to 19″, which is pretty compact for a tripod of it’s price range. It extends to almost 64″ and weighs just under 2 lbs.
The legs also splay out for low angle shooting, and the center column, (which unscrews into two pieces) can be shortened and/or reversed, which lets you get your camera down to 6.4″ off the ground for macro photography.
A very solid tripod for the money, the Slik Sprint Pro II ($89) is small enough to fit in a backpack and big enough to support most DSLRs. For under $100, it’s hard to go wrong with this one.
4. Manfrotto 294 Aluminum 3-Section Tripod
Want Manfrotto quality in a simple, budget design? The 294 Aluminum Tripod ($119) just might be your bet. Just three flip lock legs and standard center standard column.
The Manfrotto 290 family of tripods was built with functionality in mind. Larger diameter tubing makes the 294 slightly heavier, (3.9 lbs) but it’s a solid camera support that extends to 66.5″ and closes down to 23.6″. Not much else to say, it’s a basic tripod that’s….um… well, black.
Or, for a slightly smaller and more compact version, check out the The Manfrotto 293 ($99) which only weighs 3 lbs and closes down to 21.9″ 3 good legs for under a hundred bucks.
5. Giottos MT-9251B Aluminum 3-Section Tripod
I’ve got a Giottos QR Ball head on my tripod and I love the high quality Italian workmanship of the thing. I imagine that the same quality goes into their legs as well.
The Giottos MT-9251B tripod weighs 3.2 lbs, folds down to 24.8″ and extends to 64.” It has padded, flip lock legs, and will support 11 lbs worth of gear, which is more than enough for most camera/lens combinations that you’re likely to use in the outdoors.
For $119, the Giottos MT-9251B will get the job done without breaking the bank.
With these 5 options, you should definitely be able to find a set of legs that work for you in your photography. If you want something lighter, check out my review of 3 Ultra Lightweight Tripods. If you’re looking to go carbon fiber, check out 3 Great Budget Carbon Fiber Tripods.
And as with any tripod, it’s not so much the support that makes for better pictures, it’s that using a tripod tends to slow you down. It gives you time to set up, think and reflect on your shot before taking it, as opposed to just skipping by and snapping away frivolously.
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Great roundup of tripods Dan! I love my Manfrotto 055XPROB legs which are similar to the 190XPROB and has that center column that swivels out horizontally. That is really useful for doing macro shots of flowers/plants as you can get as low to the ground as you want. Of course it’s not that light and you certainly feel it after a few miles of trail but for the price I like what I have.
Thanks for the list! I’ve got both the Silk Sprint Pro and the Manfrotto 190XB, and love them. The Silk is a great tripod to bring on trips where space or weight is a critical issue; it’s small enough that I can pack it into a carryon suitcase when needed, and it’s great for backpacking. The Manfrotto is my general purpose tripod, and I love it. Mine doesn’t have the horizontal-capable center column; that sounds like it’d be awesome for macro work (as working with my camera upside down all the time gets tiresome).
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