I’ve mentioned before that I took a number of photography classes in the past year. My instructor made a very important comment about tripods that I’m going to share with you. People buy really expensive digital cameras and then they buy the cheapest tripod they can find. If you use a cheap tripod and it falls over with your camera attached, how much will it cost to replace or fix the camera? So I’m going to focus on quality over price when I discuss tripods.

If you want one of the best tripods available, the Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 is a very good product. One of the cool things about the Manfrotto tripods is that you can attached different heads. I really like the Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head (many people refer to it as the pistol grip). It is so easy to maneuver your camera into any position you desire with the pistol grip head. The “C” in the product name indicates the tripod is made with carbon fiber making it very light and very strong. If you want something similar that costs less, look at the Manfrotto 190XDB. It costs a lot less and weighs a bit more since it uses aluminum instead of carbon fiber.

I also find it handy to have a small tripod for tabletop use. The Manfrotto 709B is a great choice for table top use. Another really cool tabletop tripod is the Joby GP3 Gorillapod. The Gorillapod line features very flexible legs that allow you to use it in many places where a regular tripod wouldn’t work. See if one of more of these tripods are something you need to properly support your camera and to help in taking great photos.