When it comes to photo gear, there are a few things worth saving for right from the beginning – a good camera bag and a good tripod. If you end up spending less to just get buy – don’t. You’ll end up replacing them anyways.

As far as tripods go, the best of the best are made by Gitzo. I have a Manfrotto, which has treated me well (Manfrotto is in the more than just getting by category), but Gitzos blow them away.

I recent purchased a small, portable Gitzo for landscape photography and I love it. Its weight, build quality and leg locking system (the patented g-locks) make it the best out there. The one downside? As usual, the price. They’ll run you between $250 and $1000. They’re worth every penny though.

Gitzo now has a tripod configurator to help you decide which is best for you. It’s a nice little flash web piece that takes into account the desired height, weight, load, price you’re willing to fork over, etc. and instantly displays matching models. It works pretty well – if you are in the U.S., though, make sure that you choose Imperial Unit from the top or you’ll end up trying to convert metric to U.S. measurements. You can access the configurator here.