The most obvious form of camera support is a solid tripod and that’s still the best option in situations where you can use one and I will go through some of the best lightweight, compact travel tripods that I have used below.

But there are also certain instances where a tripod is not ideal, like if you’re on a game drive in a safari vehicle with other people? It becomes very difficult, as well as inconvenient to your fellow passengers if you start setting up a tripod in such circumstances.

This is where image stabilization on your camera can come to the rescue, but it is still preferable to use some sort of physical stabilization to allow you to shoot at slower shutter speeds and get the best possible pictures. So are there any other options? The short answer is yes, there are actually a few and I will go through each individually to discuss their particular merits.

Window Clamp/Mount for Cameras, Binoculars & Scopes

Whilst they are called window clamps and they were initially designed to attach to vehicle windows, turing your car into a mobile hide, they are actually far more versatile and can be attached to many other objects including other tripods enabling you to use more than one piece of equipment, fences, tree branches, tubular structures and many others, enabling the steady use of cameras, camcorders, spotting scopes or even binoculars. More on Universal Window Clamps/Mounts >>

Featured Window Mounts

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Featured Compact Travel Tripods

Usually slightly larger and sometimes slightly less compact than the ULTRA compacts, these tripods are however more stable and able to take heavier loads. Meaning that they are ideal for those who used DSLR cameras with telephoto lenses:

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Featured ULTRA Compact Travel Tripods

These tripods are designed to be as lightweight and as compact as possible and are therefore ideal to take on safari or any other travel adventures. Whilst they may not be as steady or be able to hold the heaviest SLR cameras with telephoto lenses, they are ideal for those using Compacts and compact superzoom cameras.

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Tripod Heads

There are some people, especially those who are new to the world of photography and tripods, who are surprised to find out that on the best tripods, you can remove the head (you can't on some quality lightweight tripods as this is done to save weight) and change them for ones that are better suited to your needs. For many people a tripod head is just something that connects your camera to your tripod and can move your camera about, indeed I have sometimes seem them referred to as "camera supports".

A good tripod head is far more than just a "support" for your camera and the right head for your equipment as well as your particular needs is very important. Get one that is not robust enough to carry you camera's weight and it will drive you mad by continuously sagging as you are trying to take a photo. The tripod head that a photographer would use in a studio for shooting stills will probably not be the ideal head for a wildlife photographer who takes both video and stills shots with their camera.

Benro GH2 Gimbal Head Review On safari I try and keep the weight of my photographic equipment down to a minimum, but when you want or need the best quality wildlife photos, you have to start using heavier SLR cameras and large telephoto lenses. This is where a Gimbal Head can really help as they are designed for photographers, especially those taking wildlife and sport photos and who want comfort, stability and smooth control with their heavier zoom lenses, which is something that you just can't get with the standard ball head. Recently I got the chance to try out the Benro GH2 Gimbal Head.

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What to Take on Safari

This page is part of a series of posts on what to take on safari, for further reading try:

• Safari Binoculars
• Best Digital Cameras for Safari Holidays
• Best Superzoom Cameras 2012
• African Safari, Travel & Wildlife Books
• What Equipment I take on Safari
• Bird Photography: Equipment used on Safari
• Safari Clothing Advice
• Safari packing list of what to take on safari

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