Tripods
Choosing a tripod to buy can be a daunting task. With so many on the market and at so many price points, it’s difficult to settle on a purchase. Pye and I have gone through many tripods for both stills and video, and we have finally found tripods that are not only durable and reliable, but also affordable. Check out our favorite tripods in the video below.
Our Favorite Tripods Video
Our Favorite Tripods For Stills
For the still side of SLRLounge (and our wedding studio Lin and Jirsa), we’re using the MeFOTO RoadTrip and Globetrotter tripods. With these tripods you have dozens of colors to choose from, and you can also choose between an aluminum and carbon fiber variant. All MeFOTO products are backed by a 5 year warranty so you can have confidence that you’re buying a tripod that will last.
MeFOTO RoadTrip
The MeFOTO RoadTrip is the smaller of the two MeFOTO tripods, and for smaller DSLR and mirrorless systems, it’s absolutely perfect (although it does support up to 17.6 lbs). There is a bit of a price difference between the aluminum and carbon fiber variant ($189 vs $329) and you’re only saving about half a pound in weight. You also don’t have nearly as many color choices with the carbon fiber models, so if you wanted to choose a great value tripod that comes in your favorite color, you would be best choosing the aluminum MeFOTO RoadTrip.
Aluminum – $189
- When folded it is 15.4″
- Extends up to 61.6″
- Supports up to 17.6 lbs.
- Weighs 3.6 lbs.
- Comes in 12 different colors
Carbon Fiber – $329
- When folded it is 15.4″
- Extends up to 61.6″
- Supports up to 17.6 lbs.
- Weighs 3.1 lbs.
- Comes in 2 different colors
MeFOTO GlobeTrotter
The MeFOTO GlobeTrotter is Pye’s favorite tripod, and it’s ideal for larger DSLR setups and lenses. The Globetrotter is appropriately named because you can literally take it anywhere with you. Pye has taken his Globetrotter to the beach, mountains, fields, Bahamas, and it will continue to travel with Pye wherever he goes.
Aluminum – $209
- When folded it is 16.1″
- Extends up to 64.2″
- Supports up to 26.4 lbs.
- Weighs 4.6 lbs.
- Comes in 2 different colors
Carbon Fiber – $369
- When folded it is 16.1″
- Extends up to 64.2″
- Supports up to 26.4 lbs.
- Weighs 3.7 lbs.
- Comes in 2 different colors
Perfect Travel Size
I’m not a huge fan of checking in my gear when flying, especially when I have to start shooting when I land. The Roadtrip and Globetrotter fit perfectly into a carry-on luggage sized case, with room to spare for your other camera equipment.
Our Favorite Tripods For Video
For all of our video production here at SLRLounge, we’re using Benro Tripods. They’re sturdy, reliable, and they come in the variation we need for the different sized cameras we use. In order of smallest to largest head sizes, we’re using the S2, S4, S6, and S8. All of the S models are fluid heads, and the S6 and S8 have fluid drag controls, making them all great tripods for video.
One thing to note is that the S2 tripod head uses a different plate size than the S4, S6 and S8 (which drives me crazy). Although the S2 is a fantastic tripod, it can be cumbersome in a multiple camera workflow (unless all your tripods are S2’s), so be sure to keep that in mind if you’re considering purchasing an S2.
At SLRLounge, we designated the S2 to our favorite portable continuous lighting solution, the Lowel GL-1. We use the S4 and S6 tripods the most on our production shoots, holding anything from our mirrorless cameras to heavy DSLR setups. The S8 we use for our heaviest and most expensive cameras, like our Sony FS700.
So that’s it! Those are our favorite tripods for both Stills and Video. If you enjoyed this episode of Gear Talk then subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the updates. If you want us to cover any gear in a Gear Talk episode, be sure to let us know in the comments!
Get Connected!