At first glance, all tripods look alike. In use the differences come out. This is one item to shop for in person. Personally, I want a tripod with a removable ball - not a pan - head with a quick release, clips on the legs, and the ability to fit in a suitcase when collapsed. It only needs to be high enough to put the viewfinder at eye level. I want sturdy, but don't demand it be made out of exotic materials.

You might find that my ideal tripod is so uncomfortable for you, that you accept fuzzy pictures rather than use it. You really need to take the time to do hands-on shopping, to learn what you like and to find the ideal combination. The difference is in the details. I received a gift of a very expensive tripod that was wrong in every way. Getting rid of it would have brought down the wrath of the giver - not a pleasant prospect. It took decades to wear the thing out and I hated ever minute of it.

Legs can be extended and secured by thumb-screws, twist-collars or clips. I find clips fastest. Pan heads are great for movies but I find ball heads are faster for stills. A quick release is great if you are using multiple cameras, but nice even with a single camera. One click and the camera is mounted. There are also rather pricey special heads just for shooting exposures for panoramic photos which you later stitch together in software. They have built in leveling devices and click-stops allowing precise rotation of the camera over the focal centre of the lens. There are also special heads for astronomy.

My ball head does multi-duty on my monopods and also on a big camera-mounting clamp. Again, ball heads look the same at first glance, but vary considerably. Compare in a camera store and find the one that works most comfortably for you. By buying separate legs and head, it is easy to customize the ideal tripod. They need not be from the same manufacturer. However you may find an all-in-one that meets all your needs at a slightly lower price. Bring your camera along when shopping, and actually try it on the hardware while you narrow down the choice.

Consider working a monopod and tabletop tripod into the budget in the near future too. Tabletop tripods fit easily into a camera bag and are very useful for macro photography, and photography in places where a tripod is impractical. Anywhere there is pedestrian traffic, a tripod is a hazard - often banned in places like museums, since people have a way of not seeing tripods and tripping over them - broken bones and broken cameras. You can use a tabletop like its name implies. Want a shot of you and a guest at dinner? Put the little tripod on the table and the camera on self-timer.

Look at the sidelines of a big-time sporting event, and almost every shooter is using a monopod. They let the camera swing freely in the horizontal plane, but keep it steady on the vertical. Great for shooting action. They also take the weight of the camera and lens off your arms or neck. Nice with a big telephoto during a long game. Also great to use in a crowed area, lean against a wall, put the bottom of the monopod between your feet, for sharp images at otherwise impossibly low shutter speeds. They work with VR lenses, while with tripods VR must be turned off. If you buy your tripod head separate from the legs, it can be put onto a monopod making shooting vertical images a breeze, and always placing the camera at a comfortable angle. It also makes a nice hiking stick and an emergency defensive weapon when covering a riot. :-)

All three serve different situations, are not at all redundant. Here, all see constant use.

Larry,

Thank you for your informative reply. Any suggestions on a ball head, tri pod, or monopod manufacturer? Anyone else have any suggestions manufacturer(s) wise? As stated in the earlier post I don't want to go to high end to begin with as we are just starting out and would like to save big money expenditures for lens, good camera bag/backpack etc.

Thanks in advance,

Walt

Like lenses, tripods represent a long time purchase - they might not last a lifetime in the hands of a working photographer, but few enthusiasts will wear one out. Regard it as a once in a lifetime purchase and take your time to get it right.

A set of legs without the head can run from about $80US to over $2500US. Ball heads go from $10US to nearly $900. The high end will support a very large view-camera. Monopods can be had as cheaply as $20US and as much as $300US for one made of carbon fiber. B&H in New York City have 120 monopods, 238 sets of tripod legs. 289 heads of various kinds and 160 tripods with built-in heads listed on their web site. Think of the number of possible combinations - nearly 70,000 just with legs and heads. With a bit of shopping, one can home in on the perfect combination, or make 60,000+ mistakes if one orders a tripod at random over the Internet. This is why I urge you to shop in person. I could not possibly guess which one would be the most comfortable for you and within your budget.

That said, most of my stuff is Manfrotto, which is also sold under the Bogen brand name. Honest tripods and heads over a wide price range with lots of styles to choose from. These are tripods for both enthusiasts and working photographers, but not precious artifacts made of exotic materials to flaunt for intimidation at the camera club.