Since we’ve covered the topic of what to look for when choosing tripod legs (along with some recommendations), we should logically cover the other half of that equation: a good tripod head. Choosing a head is quite a bit less complicated – you’ll know what kind you’re looking for and either they do the job or they don’t – but also somewhat frustrating because it’s practically impossible to gauge the actual quality until you use it yourself. It also depends on how strict your tolerances are; reading user reviews is probably the best way to narrow down potential purchases because sheer specs won’t tell you much.
Read MoreTripods: Part One - Legs
You've probably heard it before (for good reason): a good tripod is one of the most valuable investments you can make as a photographer (and videographer, though for often very different reasons). Conversely, one of the worst investments you can make is in a mediocre or straight-up bad tripod. If you skimp on the support, you might as well tack on the cost of those useless legs to the price you tried to avoid paying for one that does its job. Not to mention the headaches you’ll encounter wondering why your photographs haven’t improved.
I’ve used a lot of tripods over the years. Like most photographers, I started out with a cheap $50 (including the head) piece of garbage under the false assumption that all tripods are basically the same (I mean, they just hold your camera and not move, right?). Here I’ll go over a few of the things to look for….
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