Best tripods and stabilizers for video
The tripods, light stands, grips and gimbals I film with. What holds a phone, what holds a full frame body, and when a gimbal is worth the weight.
Browse top Tripods & stabilizers
ULANZI Light Stand Carbon Fiber MT-49
My go-to carbon fiber light stand. Lightweight and portable for any lighting setup.
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Ulanzi MT-79 Extendable Tripod
My compact travel tripod for iPhone and action cams. Extends tall, packs small.
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Zoom TPS-4 Tripod Microphone Stand
I use this for my Shure MV7+. Super lightweight mic stand, perfect for travel.
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Insta360 3m 9.8ft Extended Selfie Stick
Great for unique angles and even faking drone shots. I use it with my Insta360 and action cams.
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Peak Design Mobile Creator Kit
Pairs with the Peak Design tripod to mount my iPhone. Essential for mobile content creation.
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Peak Design Mobile Tripod
My iPhone tripod. Compact, sturdy, and always in my bag for on-the-go shooting.
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Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
The best tripod I've ever used. Lightweight, portable, and incredibly versatile.
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Sony GP-VPT2BT Wireless Shooting Grip
My vlogging grip for the Sony a6700. Bluetooth control and doubles as a mini tripod.
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Ulanzi MA26 Foldable Phone Tripod
Compact foldable phone tripod. Great for stable iPhone shots while traveling.
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DJI RS 3 Mini Gimbal Stabilizer
Considering this for gimbal-stabilized shots with my a6700. Lightweight and compact.
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RODE Tripod 2 Camera and Accessory Mount
Compact mini tripod I use for my Rode VideoMic NTG. Sturdy and quick to set up.
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FAQs about Tripods & stabilizers
What people ask before buying Tripods & stabilizers.
It collapses to roughly the size of a water bottle, holds a full frame body without complaint, and sets up faster than anything else I own. If that is too much money, start with a cheap tripod and upgrade when it annoys you.
Carbon fiber buys you weight saved and less vibration, and both of those only matter when the tripod is on your back or on a windy street. My Peak Design travel tripod earns its cost on trips. If yours lives permanently behind your desk, put the money into a light instead.
For something cheaper, the Ulanzi MT-79 at $28.45 on sale extends much taller and packs down just as small, and I use it for iPhone and action cameras. The Ulanzi MA26 at $35.99 folds flat if pocket space matters more than height.
The Peak Design Mobile Creator Kit at $49.95 pairs with the Peak Design tripod and locks the phone in magnetically, so there is no clamp squeezing your buttons or blocking your charging port. Cheap spring clamps work until the day one slips, and they always slip on the take you cannot repeat.
The DJI RS 3 Mini at $199 on sale is the lightweight option I have been considering for my mirrorless body. But before buying one, look at the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, which has stabilization built in and weighs nothing. If most of your handheld footage is you walking and talking, the Pocket 3 replaces the gimbal entirely.
It gives you a handle with record and zoom on it over Bluetooth, and the legs fold out so it doubles as a mini tripod when you want to put the camera down. It is the cheapest piece here that meaningfully changes how comfortable solo filming is.
The Insta360 3m selfie stick at $89.99 on sale extends nearly ten feet, and paired with a 360 camera the stick disappears from the footage entirely. The result looks like a drone flying overhead. I use it with the Insta360 X5 and my action cameras, and it goes places a drone legally cannot.
The ULANZI MT-49 carbon fiber light stand at $99.95 is what I use. Light stands go higher, which matters because a key light wants to be above eye level, and they are built to be top heavy without falling over. A camera tripod holding a softbox is one bumped leg away from an expensive noise.
The RODE Tripod 2 at $44 is the sturdier tabletop option, and it is what I put my Rode VideoMic NTG on. Neither is a boom arm. If you need the mic to swing out of frame between takes, that is a different purchase.
The Peak Design travel tripod handles my Alpha 7 V with the 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II on it, which is a genuinely heavy combination. The small phone tripods here are rated for phones and action cameras, and putting a mirrorless body on one is how you learn what a $2,798 camera sounds like hitting a floor.
Almost everything I film is static, so a ball head is fine and the Peak Design tripod's built in head is quick to level. A fluid head only earns its extra bulk if your pans and tilts appear in the final cut. For talking head video, they never do.
If you shoot on a phone, that is the Peak Design Mobile Tripod at $79.95 or the Ulanzi MT-79 at $28.45. If you shoot mirrorless, it is a full size tripod that will not wobble. The mistake is buying an expensive tripod for a camera you are planning to buy rather than the one you own today.