Congratulations Alex Vincent, March 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Kitchen". Alex Vincent - #906 Yvonne Raaijmakers - #909 Peter Wingfield - #902 Here's what Alex has to say: Thank you for the award of Photographer of th ...
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
A tripod stabilizes a camera, letting you capture well-exposed images using different techniques. Many different types of tripods are available on the market today, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. I'm giving options for the best tripod under $100 to help you take sharp, high-quality real estate photos.
Quick Navigation
A tripod's flexibility, in addition to its stability, is an essential attribute for real estate
Since real estate photographers have varying styles and needs, I've also included more tripod options that won't break your savings.
A powerhouse in the world of tripods, Manfrotto balances portability and stability without going beyond $100. The Manfrotto Compact Advanced Tripod can hold up to 6.61 pounds of weight, which is more than enough for an entry-level DSLR with a wide-angle lens and external flash.
Its maximum height is 64.96 inches, allowing you to photograph spaces around five feet tall. With a locking feature, you can safely pan the tripod head from left to right or 360 degrees on a straight axis, preventing camera shake in one solid take.
Have you experienced a monopod or tripod retracting while filming a sunrise scene, and you're fumbling with the legs because you only have a few minutes to spare? Like Manfrotto Compact Action, this tripod uses four-section locks to latch the legs in place and prevent the tripod from collapsing when loaded.
While flip locks can loosen over time, you can easily have them re-tightened. Besides, its aluminum legs are less likely to crack under pressure, unlike the plastic and carbon fiber components of the other tripods. This makes the tripod a good choice if you pack tripods in your luggage or car trunk.
With rubber retractable metal spikes and heavy legs, the Amazon Basics Pistol Grip Tripod eliminates camera shake even if you need to use telephoto lenses for interior and exterior photos. This lets you carry up to 11 pounds of payload, including a standard 2.5-pound DSLR and a seven-pound zoom or telephoto lens.
You may feel discouraged hauling a 6.99-pound tripod around a mansion. However, you may encounter locations with shaky foundations or lighting scenarios where you need to shoot bracketed exposure. This tripod's heavier weight can further stabilize the camera than more lightweight tripods.
Unlike the others, this tripod features a slim trigger handle that lets you quickly rotate a DSLR from landscape to portrait, perfect for shooting small spaces like kitchen nooks or powder rooms. This is better if a pistol grip tends to get in the way of your shooting position.
The AmazonBasics Lightweight Tripod is a convenient alternative if you're still testing the waters and don't want to splurge on accessories right away. Its tripod structure and capacity suit real estate photographers using mirrorless cameras with wide-angle or prime lenses.
Similar to the Manfrotto Compact, the three-way head enables you to swivel to 360 degrees on a horizontal plane to create visual tours. It's stable enough to let you shoot in slow shutter speeds or low lighting. Hence, you don't have to crank up ISO levels, saving time editing background noise.
If you plan to use it at maximum height, it will not be practical in windy or uneven terrain. Still, it is easy to store and travel because it is tinier and more lightweight than the other Amazon Basics tripod, making it an excellent tripod for videographers on the road.
A GorillaPod may not sound convincing at first. However, the JOBY GorillaPod 5K Kit can offer almost the same benefits without a standard tripod's weight and bulk. This can serve as your practice setup, mainly if you usually use phones, GoPros, and mirrorless cameras.
What makes it different from traditional tripods is that it features flexible legs you can wrap in nearly anything. In other words, you can wrap it on a fence railing to shoot a townhouse's exterior or on a tree branch for a faraway landscape.
Despite its small size, the JOBY GorillaPod can carry a load of 11 pounds, similar to the Amazon Basics Pistol Grip. However, it's only ideal to spread the legs up to 45 degrees wide to ensure stability. Otherwise, the legs may start to split from the payload.
The Manfrotto Compact Action Tripod is another excellent choice for beginners and real estate photographers with entry-level DSLRs. Its user-friendly joystick-style grip can help you practice different
With a maximum height of five feet, you can achieve a higher vantage point than the SIRUI Carbon Fiber Tripod, letting you shoot a two-story house with the sky in the background in a single frame. Paired with a pan-tilt head, you can take creative shots of 90-degree lateral tilts and 360-degree panoramas.
Unfortunately, its maximum payload is 4.4 pounds, lower than most Manfrotto tripods. The good thing is that the average DSLR weighs between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds. As long as you don't attach long-range lenses or a heavy-duty external flash, the plate can securely keep your setup in place.
Do you want to avoid carrying large tripods for street and architecture
Similar to the Joby 5K Kit, this tripod consists of interconnected ball joints you can bend and twist to find the perfect shooting angle. While it doesn't have a handle for smooth glides, you can use its dial mechanism to rotate the head up to 360 degrees seamlessly.
It is also made of rubberized rings and features foot grips for added stability. Unlike the Amazon Basics, this tripod's heavy-duty joints enhance its workability on uneven grounds. This makes it a reliable accessory if you're a solo photographer who needs to shoot in mountains and forests.
Balancing maximum lightness and sturdiness, the SIRUI Carbon Fiber is another affordable tripod option for real estate photographers looking to improve image sharpness. If you have a crop-sensor camera and large lens setup, the tripod's build enhances stability to ensure focus even if you need to use fast shutter speeds.
Like the Vanguard VEO, the tripod's five-section carbon composite legs have easy-to-use twist locks. In effect, you can swiftly adjust the shooting position from 6.3 to 54.3 inches while retaining a folded height of 13 inches. This is enough height for interior shots, especially in rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens.
Even if it weighs lighter than the Manfrotto tripods because of its carbon fiber material, it can carry up to 2.2 pounds more. The carefully built ball-head can revolve 360 degrees, allowing you to snap images at any angle in a transverse direction for smooth gliding on panoramas and video recording.
This Vanguard VEO aluminum travel tripod is a backpacker's dream as it only weighs 3.96 pounds yet can safely carry up to three times its weight. It provides stability and variable leg positioning angles whether you have mirrorless or DSLR cameras like the Sony A6000 or Nikon D3500.
While each home is different, five inches is the ideal shooting height for real estate
Shooting on textured surfaces is inevitable for landscape and real estate
This is a brief overview of my best tripods under $100. Below I have included features to guide you in selecting the right tripod for your
| Tripods | Height (Inches) | Load Capacity (Pounds) | Leg Locks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manfrotto Compact Advanced | 64.96 | 6.61 | Lever |
| Amazon Basics Pistol Grip | 72.6 | 11 | Lever |
| Amazon Basics | 62.20 | 6.6 | Lever |
| JOBY GorillaPod 5K Kit | 14.57 | 11 | Joints |
| Manfrotto Compact Action | 61.02 | 11 | Lever |
| Joby GorillaPod 3K Kit | 11.81 | 6.6 | Joints |
| SIRUI Carbon Fiber | 54.3 | 8.8 | Twist |
| Vanguard VEO | 77.1 | 3.96 | Twist |
The locks of a tripod are designed to keep the tripod steady. They also ensure the legs won't collapse whether you shorten or fully extend them.
You can consider your eye level when choosing a tripod height. However, it should still depend on the subject you photograph and how you need to frame it.
For instance, if five feet is the ideal shooting height for real estate
The Amazon Basics Pistol Grip has a minimum height of 30 inches and can fully extend to 72 inches. Vanguard follows with 6.9 to 77.1 inches. Meanwhile, the Manfrotto and Amazon Basics tripods pass the standard 60 inches.
The tripod head is among the most crucial components of the tripod system, keeping the camera movement controlled yet secured.
A tripod's load capacity refers to the maximum weight it can support. Find a tripod that can support at least a few pounds more than the weight of your camera. This allows you to quickly attach various accessories to your camera and mount it to the tripod without the risk of destroying it.
The SIRUI and Vanguard tripods have the highest weight load capacity, letting you carry 8.8 pounds of camera, external lighting, and audio equipment. While the Manfrotto Compact Action has a maximum of 4.4 pounds, it can still safely support most entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
The material used in the tripod feet improves grip on surfaces and terrain. Most tripods include standard rubber feet as they are naturally grippy, especially when positioned correctly.
The rubber and plastic feet of the Manfrotto, SIRUI, JOBY, and Vanguard tripods are perfect indoors, as they can stick on most kinds of flooring and rock surfaces.
Suppose you need extra support on sand or snow where rubber feet may sink. In such cases, opt for metal spikes, like the Amazon Basics tripods, to improve stability on uneven, rocky, slippery, or soft surfaces.
A tripod's strength and weight are determined by the material. Most tripods mainly consist of aluminum or carbon fiber, which have excellent resistance to vibrations. In effect, the tripods can tame camera shakes to record sharper images.
Like the Manfrotto, Amazon Basics, JOBY, and Vanguard tripods, they use aluminum for enhanced stability due to the material's weight. On the other hand, the SIRUI uses carbon fiber to make the tripod stiffer yet lightweight.
Yes, most tripod heads are universal and compatible with tripods. Most tripods also come with an interchangeable head that you can swap with a different kind of head depending on your specific needs for a photo shoot.
Check the thread size of the mounting plate if it's compatible with your camera. Most tripods use a 1/4-inch thread where you will mount the camera body. Similarly, the majority of cameras have a 1/4-inch threaded hole to connect to a tripod's plate.
An adjustable leg tripod is better than a fixed leg tripod as it offers more flexibility, especially when using it in rough terrains such as outdoors. However, the lack of adjustable parts of the fixed-leg tripod makes it more sturdy and durable than the adjustable-leg version.
Several tripods can improve your ability to shoot at slower shutter speeds or complicated angles without spending more than $100. With these options, you can give your real estate
