The Best Tripod Dollies

For professional and non-professional photographers and videographers, getting that perfect, still shot is always hard. When you have your tripod set up for quick shooting, it's difficult to move the camera while on the tripod. Luckily, you can use a tripod dolly to help you get the perfect shot you need without worrying about the movement messing up the shot. If you are ready to purchase a tripod dolly, there are a few things you need to consider. This buying guide is here to help you choose the best tripod dolly to meet your needs. In this buying guide, you will find the different advantages of having a tripod dolly, the design options for you to choose from, the features that can be found on different dollies, and the additions that can be purchased separately to make your tripod dolly one-of-a-kind.

Advantages

Before you get ready to purchase your tripod dolly, you should first consider the advantages of having a tripod dolly. These advantages can greatly help your photography or videography skills as well, making sure that you get the best shots possible. Luckily, tripod dollies are made to help you get those shots, and the advantages of having one greatly outweigh the disadvantages. Since there are many advantages, only a few will be covered in this buying guide.

Among the many advantages of having a tripod dolly, keeping your camera steady is one of the greater advantages. For many, shooting videos for long periods of time can make your arms hurt and become shaky. When you are shooting things like sporting events, dance recitals, or other events when the camera needs to be constantly moved, having a tripod and a tripod dolly are great advantages to keeping your camera steady to get the best shots possible.

Tripod dollies work to move the camera from place to place so if you are shooting in one room, and you need to shoot in another room, the dolly allows you to easily move the camera without any problems. This is also a part of keeping the camera steady as well, and you can get the best shot without having to worry about too much movement blurring the photograph or video. With certain wheels on the bottom of the dolly, you can easily glide your camera across any hard floor or surface to provide only the best in stabilized shooting.

Design

Once you have considered the different advantages to having a tripod dolly, you can begin your search for the best dolly to meet your needs. There are several design options when it comes to tripod dollies, each making the dollies unique in their way. You can choose the design options that fit your job, business, and lifestyle. Since there are more than a few design options to choose from, only two will be discussed in this buying guide to help save time.

Adjustable leg locks are an interesting design feature that makes it easy to keep your tripod dolly from buckled under the weight of your tripod or camera. These locks are easy to use, and you can even set the locks with your feet, so you can remain hands free during set up. Not every tripod dolly is equipped with this certain design feature, so if the handsfree option is something you desire, you should check for the adjustable leg locks before making any final purchase.

Table top sliders are unique in their way as well. They give you the same abilities as a normal tripod dolly, but they are positioned on a table top for smoother transitions. These work great for shorter distances, making it easy on you to get a great shot without having a huge tripod dolly. These tripod dollies are small and compact, so you can easily carry it from place to place without carrying a large, bulky dolly.

Features

In addition to tripod dollies coming in many different design options, you can also find several different features that make each dolly unique and perfect for different things. If you are looking for a great way to shoot either horizontally or vertically, there is a tripod for that. If you are looking for something easy to maneuver with your feet or hands, there is a dolly for that as well. Luckily, these aren't the only two features of tripod dollies, but they are the only two that will be discussed in this buying guide.

Foot operation is something that serious videographers and photographers want with a tripod dolly. Who wouldn't want something that leaves your hands free to work? Luckily, foot operation is a feature that many different dollies have. You don't have to search very hard to find one that fits your needs in this case. You can also easily move the dolly from one place to the other, set up the dolly, and even lock it into place with your feet, meaning your hands can be free to work the camera.

If you want something unique and yet handy in a tripod dolly, you want something like a horizontal or vertical shooting feature. This particular feature is not quite as easy to find as the feature mentioned above, yet it is still a great benefit to your tripod dolly. This feature allows you to set your camera up vertically for normal shooting or horizontally for floor shooting abilities. You might even see something like this on movie and TV sets.

Additions

With your tripod dolly, you might find several other additions that make having a tripod dolly something fun, productive, and exciting. These additions will vary based on brand and dolly type, so if you are looking for something specific, you might want to verify that the dolly you are choosing has these additions with them. Since there are so many different additions that you can combine with your tripod dolly, only two will be mentioned for the sake of time.

Carry bags are a great addition to your tripod dollies because, with the bag, you can easily carry your tripod dolly from place to place without feeling as though you are lugging around a ton of equipment. Most carry bags are large enough that you can even put your tripod inside the bag with the dolly to keep everything together in one place. These carry bags usually come with the purchase of a tripod dolly, so you know that you are getting a great deal and a bag that will fit your dolly inside.

Straps for hooks and loops are something that many people think of when they are buying a tripod dolly, but if you consider the times that you have wished you could simply attach everything together to prevent falling, then you might be wishing you had the added straps. Not every tripod dolly comes with these straps either, so if you want them for a specific purpose, you can either buy the additional straps separately or purchase a tripod dolly that comes with the straps you are looking for.

Conclusion

Now that you have considered all the ins and outs of having a tripod dolly, you can begin your search for the best product on the market to meet your needs. You can always begin by doing an internet search to find the best tripod dolly retailers. These companies can direct you to the best products based on the criteria you set from the above buying guide. You can start your search by looking for the design you want, the features you need, and the addition that you crave. In just a little time, you could be purchasing a great tripod dolly to help you out with all of your camera needs.

Top Rated Tripod Dollies

If you're looking into finding the best rated tripod dolly, you should probable check out the NEEWER Photography Dolly. We looked at various sources of reviews and found this one to have the best mix between review count and average rating stars.

NEEWER Photography Dolly

The Lowest Price We Could Find

Often, going for the best price is a simple but good option. With a price of $36.99 (last checked this morning), we do not list any other tripod dolly cheaper than the Xit XTDLT Elite Series Professional Universal Dolly. Just remember that it's not always the best option to go for the cheapest one.

Xit XTDLT Elite Series Professional Universal Dolly

The Tripod Dolly With the Most Reviews

With at least 924 reviews and counting, the Ravelli ATD Dolly might be another option to consider. This large amount of reviews signalizes that many people are using it, with most of them beeing satisfied.

Ravelli ATD Dolly