While it's not compulsory, in many cases the best tripods will help you take sharper, clearer photos by steadying the camera during exposure. If you need to travel light then see our top picks of the best travel tripods, too.
This is especially important if you're interested in astrophotography or landscape photography, as the stability allows you to get sharp images with minimal noise at longer shutter speeds and lower ISO sensitivities. Getting a tripod can also be useful for shooting at slow shutter speeds to create artistic, blurred shots.