The search for the right tripod for nature photography is and remains a never-ending story. It has to be light, large, stable, weatherproof, salt-water resistant, versatile and, ideally, affordable. I would like to briefly introduce a few alternatives (all of which I have tested myself). I’ll leave tripod heads out of the equation for now.
First, a small table with common standard tripods. Special tripods, such as mini tripods, floor tripods and so on, are of course not included here.
| Price | Recommendation | Intended use |
| up to 100 € | Hands off! They are nothing. | |
| up to 200 € | Manfrotto 055, Manfrotto 190 | Macro, landscape, light teles |
| up to 400 € | Berlebach UNI (possibly used) or Berlebach Report | Heavy teles |
| up to 500 € | Feisol CT-3372 | All-rounder |
| up to 1100 € | RRS TVC-33, large Gitzos | All-rounder |
Generally speaking, all tripods from around €500 carry heavy equipment quite well. Every gram less of tripod weight then makes the price significantly higher.
More detailed recommendations:
1. the classic: Manfrotto 055 for nature photography
This tripod, whether in the aluminum or carbon version, has been very popular with photographers for years. It is small, portable and inexpensive. Officially it can carry 9 kg – that’s right, it doesn’t collapse at 9 kg. But when it is extended to its full height, it is no longer stable at all. It wobbles more like what the Franks call a “Sauschwanz”. However, it is very suitable for landscape and macro photography, even if the aluminum version is not necessarily one of the lightweights.
I usually have it as a second tripod in the car, either for photography or to attach reflectors or similar. The center column can be removed, so the Manfrotto 055 can also be used close to the ground.
2nd Sachter – expensive and heavy
Sachtler manufactures a whole range of absolutely solid, stable and versatile tripods. In the television sector, Sachtler tripods are THE tripods par excellence. They are brilliant for photography if you want to get up high. However, the Sachtler ENG 75/2 D HD shown here, for example, is not suitable for working close to the ground. The lowest position is only 56 cm, without the tripod head, at a weight of 3.1 kg. Sachtler tripods are the best choice for anyone who doesn’t need to go any lower or does a lot of overhead photography. However, they have professional prices, and be careful: the small versions (DA75L or ACE) are no good because the individual tubes are far too thin to dampen vibrations.
3rd Berlebach – Wooden tripods for nature photography – stable, heavy, great!
The Saxon company Berlebach specializes in wooden tripods. No, that’s not retarded, but quite clever. Ash wood is the perfect vibration damper. Even the light versions, such as the report series, are absolutely acceptable at normal height. Compared to Manfrotto and Sachtler, Berlebach tripods are great all-rounders in nature photography. I would like to emphasize the mini version from Berlebach: it is great for macro work because the tripod is only about 50cm high – perfect for working in the meadow.
A wooden tripod is very pleasant in winter because your fingers don’t freeze off. You often have to hear that you shouldn’t stand for so long because otherwise the tripod will take root – but I’ve never had these problems so far.
My tripod of choice for working from the camouflage tent is and remains the Berlebach UNI. Nothing wobbles and when it stands, it stands. It couldn’t be more stable.
4. the all-rounder – Reallyrightstuff TVC 33 – premium quality
A tripod that I don’t own myself, but have been able to test a few times with wildlife paparazzo Joachim Raff, is the carbon tripod from American accessory manufacturer Reallyrightstuff. The TVC33 is one of the more expensive tripods and costs over 1000€.
But it is a real all-rounder and the tripod of choice for air travel and longer trips where every gram becomes a pain. Stable, solid, light. But expensive. But it is also beautiful with this pattern.
If you want a detailed report on this, Wildlifepaparazzo.de is the place to go!
My latest acquisition: Feisol CT-3372 Rapid
This tripod is my latest acquisition. I thought long and hard about which tripod would fit into my current budget. The choice fell on the Feisol CT-3372 Rapid. It has a very large leg diameter, which guarantees sufficient stability. It’s light – just under 4 kg with the head. And I can finally take photos from eye level. So far, only the Berlebach UNI has achieved this stability, but it is often too heavy and bulky for me.
A bit of tinkering was necessary to get my tripod head with 75mm dome into the Feisol. The original leveling head is too flat to accommodate the Sachtler hemisphere (which is cut off at the bottom). The mount for the base plate in the tripod is 72mm in diameter. Gitzo and RRS use 70mm. The adapters from these manufacturers therefore have 1mm play on each side.
However, the half shell from RRS has a milling all around, which is hit by the grub screws and these press the shell against the tripod mount. This provides good stability and the Sachtler head can also be used. Contrary to some reports, the legs run easily in my case and can be fixed well – with the familiar system from Gitzo or RRS – but I cannot yet say whether, as with others, the bonding of the legs will come loose or other problems will arise. Extensive tests will have to be carried out to find out.
And where is GITZO?!
Yes, I can’t say anything about the Gitzo. I’ve never owned one, never played with it for any length of time and that’s why I won’t say anything about it.
