9 Best Tripods For Real Estate Photography In 2023 (Any Budget)

How do real estate agents get the best photos? It’s both about the camera and the equipment. You might already have a camera that’s ideal for photography, but if you don’t have the best tripod for real estate photography, it may not matter.

Without a tripod, it’s hard to successfully stage a photo. Tripods make it possible to actually frame the photo correctly. In real estate photography and architectural photography, framing is important.

Let’s take a look at how to find the best tripod for real estate photography.

Smartphone Tripods vs. Camera Tripods

Before you take your photos, you need to know what type of tripod you need. The best tripod for real estate photography can be either a smartphone tripod or a camera tripod.

A smartphone tripod uses your own phone as the camera. You slot your phone in, and it takes care of the rest. A camera tripod is more traditional. This type of tripod locks into a professional camera.

Most real estate photography today is done on a smartphone or a tablet. If you hire a professional real estate photographer, they’ll use a camera; but they’ll also have their own tripod.

In looking for the best tripod for real estate photography, we’ve made a list of the best smartphone and camera tripods. What primarily differs will be the tripod head; a camera will screw in, whereas smartphone tripods are handheld. 

The Best Smartphone Tripod

1. Gorilla Pod Mobile Rig

Best for: Real estate agents who carry extra real estate photography gear, such as lights and mics.

This is an all-in-one kit that does a lot of lifting. The Gorilla Pod Mobile Rig doesn’t just have a holder for your smartphone; it also has multiple lights. This is great for taking well-lit photos, even in smaller or dimly lit spaces like bathrooms.

In addition to being able to stand on a flat surface, this tripod can also clamp onto poles and railings. The tripod head can be turned in any direction (though be careful as it might slip) for more flexible real estate photography.

It can also be adjusted to hold a microphone in the event that you want to spruce up your interior photography with a video.

2. Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod Kit

Best for: Real estate agents who want a small, compact tripod kit that they can take anywhere.

The Manfrotto tripod kit doesn’t have a lot of big features. But it’s a great tripod for casual use. If you just need to snap a quick real estate photo, you can use this small, compact fold-up tripod. It doesn’t have a pan-tilt head, but it can be turned.

An additional advantage of this tripod kit is that the smartphone holder can be unscrewed and transformed into a regular camera tripod for a professional DSLR. The only downside is that this tripod kit is fairly delicate and lightweight, so a heavy camera is going to tax the tripod head.

3. GripTight PRO TelePod

Best for: Real estate agents who want a tripod and selfie-stick in one.

With the GripTight PRO TelePod, you can shoot when you want. You can control the shutter speed on your phone and when you shoot with the selfie-stick — so you have complete control over your shots.

This tripod has an extending column and a tripod head that can be twisted and tilted, though it isn’t a ball head. The downside is that it’s a little delicate when it’s raised all the way up; leave the tripod leg at least partly down if you don’t want a disaster.

4. GorillaPod Mobile Mini

Best for: Real estate agents who want to do property photography while on the go.

So small it’ll fit in your pocket, the GorillaPod Mobile Mini is likely to be one of the smallest tripods you can find. It’s so cheap and easy to use that you can keep one in your car or at the office, just in case you need a backup.

This tripod doesn’t have a lot of reach and isn’t going to support the weight of a DSLR camera (it might not even support bigger smartphones), but its portability and maneuverability are really what make the difference. Its bendable tripod legs make it possible to maneuver it into any position. Don’t get it if the camera height matters, though.

5. Manfrotto Compact Light Smart

Best for: Real estate agents who want to take pictures of more than just interior space.

If you’re trying to get a wide-angle photograph or an exterior shot, some of the smaller smartphone tripods might not work. The Manfrotto Compact is still relatively small but can stand up much higher. It is high enough to complete exterior shots or shots with a tilt-shift lens or wide-angle lens.

This sturdy tripod is well-priced and can stand tall, perfect for more professional photography even with a camera. However, its phone holder is a little weak and will be larger than the other tripods.

The Best Camera Tripod

6. Vanguard Alta Pro

Best for: A real estate professional who wants a great all-around tripod for their DSLR.

The Vanguard Alta Pro is a pan head tripod with all the bells and whistles that even a professional photographer might want. If you want to set up a photography business as a side job, this carbon fiber tripod is the best choice.

While it’s a bit large, it’s also heavy duty. You can set your camera on this device and click away without worry. It’s even flexible enough that you can point your camera directly down, though it’s not likely you would need to do that for architectural photography.

7. Rangers Ultra Compact Tripod

Best for: An agent on the go who nevertheless wants to use a professional camera.

The Rangers Ultra Compact Tripod is a small tripod with a ball head design. It can’t pan or tilt, but it can fit in your bag. If you want a “go bag” with everything you need for a great shoot, this is a good tripod for you.

The downside is that this tripod isn’t very sturdy. It will feel flimsy if you try to take it to a large estate photo shoot. But for shooting inside, it should be more than enough.

8. GorillaPod SLR Zoom

Best for: Real estate agents who want to use their DSLR for fast, simple photography.

The GorillaPod is a flexible system, where each of the three legs of the tripod can be moved and curved as desired. Not only does this mean that you can easily get the shot you want, but you can also set your stage on uneven terrain or even hook it onto something such as a railing.

GorillaPod is often used for smartphones. Problems can arise when using them for heavier or larger professional digital cameras. But the flexibility, size, and weight of these tripods make them very appealing to many.

A GorillaPod isn’t going to be usable for an exterior photo shoot. But it will be usable if you want to adjust your camera height from table height.

9. Concept DSLR Tripod

Best for: Real estate agents who need to be able to take large landscape photos.

Sometimes a house isn’t special for the house itself, but rather its surroundings. The Concept DSLR Tripod is a heavy, robust system that’s designed for taking large, macro shots.

This is a great option for those who want to be able to take pictures of large estates, neighborhoods, gardens, and scenery. It’s also a good choice for real estate professionals who work with large commercial buildings or outdoor green spaces.

But because of its size and weight, it’s overkill for most interior photography. An architectural photographer would only need this large tripod if they were going to be photographing very large, expansive buildings.

Choosing the Right Tripod

If you’re trying to choose the right tripod for you, there are a few things you should consider:

• Do you need interior or exterior shots? In general, a lightweight tripod is more than enough if you’re mostly completing interior shots. But when you complete exterior shots, there’s more that you need to be concerned about. You need to worry about things like wind or uneven terrain.
• Are you going to be shooting from waist height or floor height? There are generally two classes of tripods. Some are meant to sit on a desk, table, or counter. They’re fairly short. Others are full-sized tripods and are meant to stand on the ground. Figure out which you need before you start buying.
• How heavy or large is your device? You can get a pretty affordable, lightweight tripod if you have a small, light phone. But if you have a heavy DSLR, you’re going to need to look into much heavier-duty tripods, too. The tripod doesn’t just need to support the weight of the camera, it has to firmly hold it in place.
• How much do you want to spend? Tripods can vary significantly in cost from just $10 to thousands of dollars, depending on what you want to do with them. In general, for real estate professionals, you shouldn’t need to spend more than $50 to $100 for a tripod. But, as with many things, the more you spend, the easier the process will be.
• How frequently will you be moving the tripod? If you’re moving the tripod a lot, you might want a light, compact one that you can just throw in your bag. If you’re going to be using your tripod infrequently, it’s easier to use one that’s heavy.

These aspects will tell you what type of tripod you should be looking for and which tripods would be unfeasible.

FAQs on Best Tripod For Real Estate Photography

What is a monopod?

As you look for tripods, you might also see monopods. A tripod has three legs. A monopod has a single leg, but it has three stabilizing pieces at the very bottom.

Generally, tripods feel more stable. But the advantage of a monopod is that it’s lightweight. If you’re really concerned about the amount that you’re carrying, a monopod might be a better choice.

What’s the best tripod for drone photography?

Drones have special devices for the control and stabilization of the cameras that are hooked to them. If you’re going to be conducting an exterior photo shoot or a photo shoot with drones, you’re going to need a different type of device.

How does a tripod affect your real estate photograph?

A tripod can actually affect your photography in a lot of ways. For instance, if your camera is pointed in the wrong area, it can throw off your white balance and under or over-saturate all the colors.

Using a tripod is an important real estate photography tip; the tripod helps you control exactly where you’re pointing.

How do you use a tripod?

A tripod is used to position your camera. Once you’ve configured your camera setting, set up any required artificial lighting, and staged your scene, you’ll put your camera on the tripod. After that, you’ll aim it and then move.

Check out my post on the best camera for real estate agents to find great DSLR cameras to fit any budget.

The tripod ensures that you’re in complete control of the set. For a camera tripod, your camera will usually screw into the tripod. For a smartphone tripod, your smartphone will fit in a slot.

What are the different types of tripod heads?

A geared tripod head is a fast, precise design that allows the user to position their camera however they like. A ball tripod head simply allows the user to pivot the camera on a ball joint. A pan-and-tilt tripod head lets you both tilt the camera and move it from side to side. A ball head offers the least freedom; a geared head offers the most.