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Hi have a Nikon D90 with two kit lens one and the larger one being 70-300mm. I was looking for some guidance for a decent tripod. I hike and travel a lot and was looking for a light one. Also please guide me in terms of the heads for the tripod. Can someone tell me the difference between ball head and pan heads and what are they used for.

Hi, I don't use tripod that often because i don't like landscape.

I have one adventure tripod kit from Induro.
it is pretty sturdy, very light (i have the smallest one).
The smallest one is a bit short, so you might want the medium size.

At around $120 the kit is pretty good, you get ballhead and very good tripod case.

Panhead is helpful for taking panoramic photos or shooting video.

There are other brands like manfrotto or gitzo, but they are quite expensive. But their quality is excellent. There are also cheaps one (under 100) but usually heavy and clunky.

If you shot landscape and hiking alot, I recommend you to get good and sturdy tripod, usually priced around $100+

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Hi nn1982in,

May I offer you a warm welcome to the CameraLabs forum.

When I was looking for a tripod my guiding light was this article by Thom Hogan. So much depends on budget, of course.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.