The 10 Best Tripods For Camcorders
Special Honors
Oberwerk 5000 Series This model comes from a company that builds hardware for astronomical purposes, and while it may be intended for use with astronomy binoculars, it can just as easily be used with a camcorder. Its head moves smoothly, and it boasts a pair of panning handles, making it suitable for use by both lefties and righties. oberwerk.com
Editor's Notes
September 01, 2020:
With so many viable options on the market, we saw fit to add a pair to this ranking in the Cayer CF2451 and the Sony VCT-VPR1 Compact. Neither was liable to crack a top spot with the likes of Manfrotto and Benro around, but the Sony model is great for people who either mess up shots when they work with a zoom, or who need to be a distance from the camera when running it — perhaps to be in the shot themselves.
Of course, it is important to note that it's only designed to work with Sony cameras and camcorders, even though it's based on a USB connection. That Cayer model was worth mention because you can invert the central column to allow your rig to sit upside down near the ground, eliminating the need to spread its legs out to wide angles that would take up a lot of space. This can be a boon to experimental indie filmmakers or nature photographers looking to get macro shots close to the ground.
We also upgraded the old Neewer model to the Neewer Professional, which addresses the primary problem with its predecessor in swapping out many of its plastic components for aluminum. The downside is that it significantly increases the item's weight, making it a poor choice for shooters carrying their sticks any kind of distance.
June 14, 2019:
While it's true that there are plenty of cheap video tripods out there to match the wide assortment of off-brand camcorders, I wanted to ensure a higher level of quality when creating our ranking. As a result, we've only included models from brands respected in the photography industry, with the Neewer and E-Image models at numbers seven and four respectively riding that line. Vanguard seems to have slipped a little bit in the past few years, as its lineup was originally a draw away from more common companies of the early 21st century like Manfrotto and Slik. They still make a few nice tripods, but the likes of Benro and Manfrotto still hold the top spots for video, mainly due to their high-quality head construction, and particularly when looking at their counterbalance design.