What kind of affordable tripod will fit a Nikon D3100 for video?

What tripods are fitting?

As almost all cameras since the times of most SLRs, the Nikon D3100 has a 1/4" thread in the bottom plate that allows for fitting most tripods. Usually you get some sort of plate that can be screwed into the socket and that will fit to the tripod. Some simpler tripods directly screw into this socket.

The plate usually is either some generic system by the manufacturer, or it is arca swiss compatible. Both have their pros and cons.

Sometimes the proprietary ones are fitting tighter and can be safer to use, while arca swiss gives you the most compatibility. However, arca swiss can slide out of the mount sideways if you are not tightening the mount correctly.

Image: Arca Swiss compatible plate

What shall I buy?

This site does no direct product recommendations as they usually don't age well. There is always a better and cheaper solution tomorrow. So what are general things to look out for? Also try to decide what is most needed? Ultra stability for hour long exposures? Portability for traveling and the occasional landscape photo? Not all tripods are built the same. I own a sturdy one for studio work, where weight is no issue and a lightweight flimsy travel tripod made from carbon as a compromise for traveling.

Weight & Size

Weight is usually a big factor - a tripod that is too heavy to bring along, is of no use. Usually you therefore have to make a decision between carbon fiber and aluminium (seldom also wood). Carbon fiber tends to be stiffer and more stable for the same size, but also more costly.

Sizewise, bigger is usually more stable, but also heavier. You need to find a good in-between the portability that you need and the size and weight that you are ok with.

Head

You can get a variety of heads for a tripod - some allow for use of arca swiss compatible rails, which are commonly found on higher end gear and proprietary mounting plates. The head has to be stable enough and rated for your camera weight and your heaviest lens. I assume that you are using a kit lens, so you can get away with a relatively small head.

For photography you will want a simple ball head. Make sure it has a friction screw, so that you can set the head to be resistant to changes. Otherwise you might unlock the head and the camera just nods down without any resistance.

Image: A typical ball head

The small silver screw here is an example of adjustable ball head friction.

For filming, as dedicated filming head is a good choice. You can recognize them by the handle sticking out of them. Good film heads are a joy, but cheap one are usually the worst thing you can use.

Image: film head

Good film heads are usually somewhat expensive. And with good reason. They have some dampening which makes panning smooth and easy.

Legs

You need to know two things about the legs: Less segments is usually more stable. But more segments packs into a smaller package.

And there are two locking methods: Lever Locks and Screw Locks. Both are usually fine. Lever locks tend to be faster in operation, while screw locks usually are more robust. Cheap and lever locks is usually a bad choice. Also if the lever locks become loose, you will need tools to fix that. This cannot happen with screw locks.

What would I recommend?

Tripods are usually quite robust and have a bad resale price on the used-market. I would recommend, if weight is no issue, looking for a used sturdy film tripod. Brands that are usually ok are Manfrotto, Gitzo, Sirui, Rollei and many more. I can recommend the Manfrotto 055 series in aluminium, which is often sold for affordable prices. If you are lucky you can get it with a film head. Otherwise you can also exchange the head on brand tripods (even between brands).

If you found a possible fit in whatever medium you look for used gear, please google a test of it. You want to be sure that the head is usable and it is not too flimsy. If you can afford it and it has to be very portable, consider a carbon one.

Do not buy

Absolutely steer clear of cheap film tripods. They suck in so many aspects and break easily, while being too flimsy.