How to Choose the Right Tripod (or Mount) for Your Camera or Phone

A shaky handheld shot, a group photo where someone always has to miss out, or a vlog that wobbles every time you talk — a tripod solves all of it. But that covers a huge range of products, from tiny flexible pods that wrap around a bike rack to full-size stands built for a DSLR. This guide walks through what actually matters when choosing one, plus our full range of tripods and mounts.

These get used interchangeably, but they solve different problems. 

A tripod is a freestanding stand with its own legs — you can put it on a table, the floor, or ground outdoors, and it holds your camera or phone steady on its own. 

A mount attaches your camera or phone to something that already exists, like a bike handlebar, a car window, or a helmet, using a clamp or suction cup rather than legs. If you're filming from a fixed spot — a desk, a stage, a room — you want a tripod. If you're attaching a camera to something that's already moving or awkwardly shaped, you want a mount.

Type and size. Tabletop and mini tripods are small enough to fit in a bag and sit on a desk or shelf, ideal for video calls, streaming, or vlogging at a desk. Travel and compact tripods extend further and pack down small, good for taking out and about. Full-size tripods extend to standing height and offer the most stability, but are bulkier to carry — the right size depends on where you'll actually use it, not just what looks the sturdiest in photos.

Head type. A pan & tilt head moves on separate horizontal and vertical axes using a handle, which makes it easier to get precise, level shots — useful for video. A ball head moves freely in every direction from a single joint, which is faster for quickly angling a shot but slightly less precise for keeping things perfectly level. Neither is objectively better; it depends on whether you value speed or precision more.

Weight capacity and stability. Every tripod has a maximum load it can safely support. A phone or compact camera doesn't need much, but a heavier DSLR or a camera with a long lens does — check the maximum load capacity against your actual equipment, not just the camera body on its own, since lenses and accessories add weight quickly.

Portability and material. Lighter materials make a tripod easier to carry but can sometimes feel less stable in windy or uneven outdoor conditions. If you mostly shoot indoors or in a fixed spot, a slightly heavier, sturdier build is rarely a problem to leave in place. If you're travelling or vlogging on the move, weight and how small it folds down matter more than absolute maximum stability.

Phone and tablet compatibility. If you're mounting a phone rather than a camera, check the tripod either includes a phone clamp or has a standard screw mount you can attach a phone or tablet holder to — not all camera tripods come with one built in.

Suction cup mounts attach to smooth, flat surfaces — car windows, boats, glass, or worktops — and are a good choice for point-of-view or action shots from a vehicle.

Clamp and pole mounts attach to round or cylindrical objects like bike handlebars, scooter poles, or railings, and are the better choice for action cameras used while moving.

Gimbal and selfie-stick hybrids combine handheld stabilisation with a foldable tripod base, so the same device works as a stabilised handheld selfie stick and a stand-alone tripod — a good option if you want one product that covers both jobs instead of buying separately.

This kit bundles a tripod, a phone mount, and a monopod adapter in one, so it works equally well propped on a desk for streaming or handheld as a monopod for walking shots — a solid all-rounder if you're starting out with vlogging or content creation and don't want to buy several separate accessories.

The GorillaPod's bendable legs wrap around railings, branches, bike frames, or anything else with an irregular shape, then stand freely on flat ground just as easily. It's a compact tripod for sub-compact and point-and-shoot cameras that's genuinely useful in places a normal tripod can't be set up at all.

Small, light, and easy to pack, this is the pick if you want something to throw in a bag without thinking twice. The pan & tilt head gives you controlled, level movement for video, and its low weight makes it easy to carry all day.

Designed with travel photographers and vloggers in mind, the ball head lets you angle a shot quickly in any direction, and the fully adjustable legs mean it copes with uneven ground better than a fixed-height mini tripod.

Extending to 1.65m with a 3kg maximum load capacity, this is the choice for a proper standing-height setup with a 3-way pan & tilt head for precise framing — the best option here if you want the stability of a full-size stand rather than a compact travel tripod.

This combines a Bluetooth-controlled gimbal, a selfie stick, a foldable tripod, and a built-in light bar in one lightweight unit. It's the pick if you want stabilised handheld video and a stand-alone tripod without buying two separate products.

Built for smartphones and compact cameras, this doubles as a handheld grip for selfies and a stand-alone tripod, making it a flexible option if you switch between phone and compact camera shooting.

If you want to mount an iPad or tablet up to 10 inches (or a phone) onto a standard tripod in portrait orientation — for presentations, streaming, or reaction videos — this metal mount adapter does exactly that job without needing a tripod built specifically for tablets.

For action cameras, a tripod usually isn't the right tool at all. The suction cup mount attaches to vehicles, boards, and other smooth surfaces, while the bike and pole mount clamps onto handlebars and poles — both use a standard tripod mount fitting, so they work with most action cameras.

360° cameras need a stand that stays out of the shot, since a normal tripod's legs and centre column show up in every direction. The SLIK PC-5 is a monopod-style stand with independent legs designed for exactly this, while the Ricoh TD-1 is a dedicated desktop stand purpose-built for the Theta range, minimising how much of the stand itself appears in a 360° shot.

Browse the full range of tripods and mounts at Maplin.