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Best Tripod for Real Estate Photography [2024 Review]

In: 
Published: 04/04/2023

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

If you're looking to take your exterior and interior photography to the next level, you need a tripod to stabilize and level your shots. With various types and features, I've prepared this guide to help you find the best tripod for real estate photography to take professional interior and exterior photos.

My Top Real Estate Photography Tripod Recommendations

After researching, considering multiple factors, and consulting other experts’ opinions, I rate the Manfrotto 290 Xtra Tripod as the best tripod for real estate photography because of its load capacity, height adjustability, tripod head, and material quality.

Manfrotto 290 Xtra Tripod

The Manfrotto 290 Xtra Tripod, its ball head, height, and quality construction let you conveniently shoot interior, exterior, and architectural photography.

This 3-section tripod has easy-to-adjust leg-locking levers, which are great for adjustment as you shift from one room to the next. Despite weighing only 4.9 pounds, this photography tripod safely carries a camera and lens setup weighing 11 lbs. 

A rapid center column and quick flip leg also add to its flexibility when taking a photo from waist height for rooms and eye height for exterior photos

Like the Geekoto 75 inch tripod, this professional tripod has easy-to-adjust legs that offer a stable platform. The rubber feet below ensure the tripod firmly sets on the ground. Hence, this is a great model for taking twilight exterior photos, where you'll likely position yourself on uneven ground to take photos. 

This is among the professional tripods that can extend up to 66 inches, suitable for multiple types of shots for real estate photography. This tripod head is smooth and crisp so that you can change your camera’s angle effortlessly. 

Considering how durable it is, you can expect this quality model to serve you through multiple sessions. All it needs is regular maintenance and a proper carrying bag.

Manfrotto Befree Advanced Tripod

Whether you're a hobbyist or professional photographer, the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Tripod is another premium piece of equipment for keeping your photos steady and sharp. Even if you use Arca-Swiss or Manfrotto tripod head attachments, you can easily configure the setup using the versatile plate.

It uses a spider and QPL Travel locking system, which guarantees that your tripod for real estate photography stays in the position you set for precise shooting, especially for dusk and dawn real estate photography.

Although it has a shorter max height than the Victiv Joilcan, this tripod for real estate photography uses leg-angle selectors to modify Befree's position without losing the camera's manual and autofocus. You also get to maximize spaces by doing tabletop and low-angle shooting, thanks to its removable center column.

Like the geared tripod head, there are individual controls for the head's clamp, letting you make pan-tilt motions for taking photos and videos seamlessly.

Although Befree is an aluminum tripod, it contains carbon fiber in the legs to make it more lightweight than the aluminum legs of the Manfrotto 290 Xtra.

Victiv 80-Inch Tripod

If you want to shop around and try various tripods for real estate photography, it's best to try a more affordable model like Joilcan 80-inch tripod. With incredibly user-friendly twist locks, this is one of the best tripods for real estate photographers who are new in the industry and who don't want to configure lots of pan and tilt locks to stabilize a camera and lens setup.

Despite its highly affordable price, it has a nice quick-release plate, so you can assemble and disassemble it on your travels if necessary or use it as a monopod. Even if the Jolican weighs the same as the Befree, it has a bigger load capacity of 19 lbs.

The lock's height adjustment system lets real estate photographers adjust the legs from 18.5 to 80 inches within seconds. In effect, you can quickly lower your camera in living rooms to avoid capturing too much of the ceiling. Likewise, make it higher to omit the undersides of kitchen cabinets.

Much like the Manfrotto Befree Advanced Tripod, this Joilcan tripod for real estate photography uses aluminum for the tripod head, hinges, screws, post, and rubber to guarantee durability.

The removable rubber feet and counterweight ensure minimal movement even when taking photos in outside and windy environments. You might want to remove the rubber feet to insert the tripod in ice, snowy, rocky, and other uncertain terrains.

Geekoto 75 Inch Tripod

The Geekoto 75-inch tripod is a flexible tripod that allows you to adjust the working height from 24 to 75 inches, enhancing portability when moving from one property to another. This tripod also allows you to adjust the angle of every leg individually, making it an ideal choice when shooting in properties with uneven grounds. 

Using a camera that keeps toppling over due to tripod instability may inconvenience you, especially when capturing from uneven ground. Fortunately, this tripod features an anti-slip leg design and also comes equipped with hooks that you can hang heavier objects such as sandbags, allowing you to increase your tripod stability. 

The tripod features a twist lock mechanism, enhancing the ease of tightening and loosening the legs. With a ¼ inch screw hole below the bubble level, this tripod allows you to add other photographic equipment, such as LED lights and monitors, to your camera, enhancing color neutrality in your photos. 

The tripod features a rotatable horizontal and vertical column, making it suitable for low-angle and macro photography. However, the tripod uses carbon fiber in its construction, making it less durable compared to Victiv Joilcan.

Benefits of Using The Best Tripod When Taking Real Estate Photos 

Considering that you might be capturing interior photos in low-light conditions with a slow shutter speed and higher ISO camera settings, you will need a steady camera to avoid image blur. Here are some benefits you will enjoy when using the tripod to steady your camera in real estate photography

Eliminates Camera Shake

Even if you are taking exterior shots in broad daylight using higher shutter speeds and low ISO settings, there are high chances of a camera shake effect especially when using DSLR cameras. This effect makes the resulting images blurry.

A tripod eliminates camera shake. The best tripods can help steady the camera and shoot sharp and crisp images even if your camera or lens doesn't have an image stabilization system. Having a camera stable setup is especially important when shooting in low-light conditions where you need to use higher ISO settings and slower shutter speeds.

Maintains a Consistent Camera Alignment

Unlike holding the camera with your hand, the best tripods help to consistently align the camera to the lines of the doorways, floor, ceilings or countertops. Typically, this makes your real estate photography look more professional with the angles and lines of different subjects looking consistently aligned.

Gives You Flexibility on the Camera Gear to Use

Most real estate photographers who shoot handheld will prefer carrying lightweight starter cameras, lenses and flashlights to avoid exhaustion. In most cases, the lightweight camera gear lacks critical features that can limit its effectiveness and efficiency in real estate photography.

Considering that the tripod will be holding the camera gear for you, you will have the flexibility to carry the best real estate photography equipment, whether lightweight or heavy. Unlike when shooting handheld, the best tripods can also allow you to set up multiple softbox lighting and different camera positions, and then control the setup remotely.

Features to Consider for the Best Tripod for Real Estate Photography

Tripods have varying traits, which means you need to check the differences in weight, load capacity, head type, height, and material. To enhance your real estate photography skills, make sure you look out for these basic requirements to choose the right tripod.

Comparing the Features of Tripods for Real Estate Photography

Tripod Head Max Load Weight Height Range
Manfrotto 290 Xtra Ball 11 pounds 15.75-66.9 inches
Manfrotto Befree Advanced Ball 17.6 pounds 15.75-59.45 inches
Victiv Joilcan Pan-tilt 19 pounds 15.75-80 inches
GEEKOTO Ball 26.5 pounds 24-75 inches
Camera on a tripod taking photographs of house interiors

Item Weight

It's generally best to go for a portable tripod, especially for a real estate photographer who moves from one room to the next in quick succession. 

The heavier the tripod, the more challenging it is to pack, set up, adjust, and move. Keep in mind that lighter tripods may not have high maximum load capacity like their heavy counterparts. That means you should consider the weight of the camera gear before deciding on which of the best tripods to go for. 

The Manfrotto Befree Advanced Tripod, with only 3.51 pounds in weight, is a better option for real estate photography if you want the most lightweight tripod. Meanwhile,  Geekoto 75 inch tripod, and Victiv Joilcan are more suitable if you prefer to add extra weight to improve stability, especially when using big lenses and external flashes for real estate photography.

Weight Ratio

Even if you have a lightweight and mini tripod, it's essential that it can support the load weight of your other equipment and camera accessories, especially the camera body, lens, and external flash. Otherwise, it would be easy for the legs to break or the setup to collapse completely under too much weight.

Tripod Head 

Tripods for real estate photography can come in one of the three types of tripod heads.

  • Pan-tilt head: This fluid head supports only horizontal movement if it comes with single handles or both horizontal and vertical movement, or pan and tilt, if it comes with double handles. Mostly found in tripods with cheap price tags, like the Viltrox VX 18m.
  • Ball Head: This type of head is good for flexible and smoother use compared to the pan-tilt head. It features a control mechanism for tightening or loosening the grip. This is why all of my recommended tripods use ball heads.
  • Gimbal Head: A gimbal head is more suited to long tripods with heavy cameras. This type of tripod can move in any direction, and you won't have to tighten or loosen the grip to move the lens frequently.

Height Adjustability

You'll often need varying elevations for real estate photography to get the best photo for different scenes. Ideally, you'd want best tripods that are easy to adjust. A tripod that lets you change the height effortlessly gives you quick turnaround times.

For example, you might move to a living room and need to take photos from your waist height. With adjustable leg angle positions, you can elevate the camera to avoid taking the underside of bland-looking kitchen cabinets.

All of the tripods I reviewed have adjustable leg angle positions and height. Letting you reach up to 80 inches, the Victiv Joilcan is a great tripod for professional photographers who typically shoot tall vertical spaces.

Durability

If you need the best tripods that will last long enough, go for a compact design with strong and sturdy legs. Since you would frequently transport tripods from site to site, you should get a carbon fiber tripod that is easy to store. Carbon fiber tripods are easy to transport without suffering from scratches or bumps.

Whether the tripod is made of carbon fiber or aluminum, your equipment should be able to withstand the weight of the camera and any other thing attached to it. Generally, a tripod and monopod made of aluminum alloy are durable enough to withstand regular use in real estate photography.

A carbon fiber tripod is usually cheaper. However, a carbon fiber tripod tends to be lighter, and stiffer. A carbon fiber tripod is also more prone to corrosion and scratches.

How to Use a Tripod When Capturing Real Estate Images

Even with the best quality tripod, you might not capture high-quality photos if you don't know how to use a tripod in real estate photography. The following focuses on using the different camera and tripod features for the best real estate photography shooting experience.

Disable the Camera Image Stabilization System

The camera image stabilization system is designed to detect any camera vibration and automatically compensate for it. Since it is not a human, it can't detect that you're using a tripod and there is no vibration.

As a result, the system starts to hunt for the vibration, introducing some tiny camera movements. That means you will not capture the image quality you expect if you use a tripod with the image stabilization turned on.

Use the Camera Timer 

Even with the tripod, there are chances you will introduce some same camera movements when pressing the shutter button with your hand. Typically, pressing the shutter button is the main reason there is motion blur even when using a tripod with APS-C or full-frame cameras.

The best way to avoid this problem is to set up the camera timer and then get your hands off the tripod and the camera. The resulting image will be sharp and crisp especially if you are using a mirrorless camera.

Spread the Tripod Legs

Spreading the tripod legs is more of a safety tip that helps to improve the stability of the tripod. Spreading the tripod legs is especially important when you're using heavy camera gear. It is also advisable to avoid extending the center column whenever possible.

If you're a shooting in windy conditions, you can consider hooking up the tripod leg to a stationary subject. This is especially important if you have extended the center column to get the maximum height.

Keep in mind that the tripod can also break, so avoid mounting camera gear heavier than the maximum weight the tripod can support.

Use the Right Tripod Height 

If your real estate interior images look like ones shot from above, or like the camera was on the ground, you can improve their looks even with a photo editing software, such as Lightroom and Snapseed. You also don't want to bend and struggle when composing your photos.

Ensure you set up the right height depending on your height and the subject you're a shooting. Typically, the right height will allow you to compose your photos faster and get a perfect shot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Tripod Height for Real Estate Photography?

You should set your camera at the height of around four to five feet as this height allows you to capture with a more natural perspective, making a 4 feet tripod a good choice. This height allows you to balance the ceiling and the floor.

What Are the Benefits of a Tripod in Real Estate Photography?

The best tripods for real estate photographers would minimize blur caused by camera motion and shaky hands. Using a quality architectural photography tripod keeps your lines remain straight so that you can capture the actual perspective of an interior or exterior. A tripod also ensures you're at the correct camera height.

What's the Use of a Tripod in Architectural Photography?

Similar to real estate photography, a tripod is crucial in architectural photography because it lets you capture a structure's accurate design and aesthetics. Particularly when working with lenses for low light or handling a tilt-shift lens, a tripod promotes stability even when you want to change angles or compositions.

Conclusion

It's vital to invest in a professional tripod to ensure you're shooting architectural photography at the proper height range and angle. Make sure to consider a tripod's head type, material, and quality to make your real estate photography marketable and more appealing to realtors, sellers, and buyers.

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