As good as image stabilization has become at steadying your camera while holding it, there are always occasions, such as time-lapse or macro photography, when it makes sense to put your camera on a tripod. After spending 40 hours researching tripods and 15 hours testing four, we found the Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 263AB100 kit to be the most versatile platform for challenging shooting situations. It has the tallest maximum height and the most flexible range of positions among the tripod models we tested, and it’s very stable. It’s also easy to set up and break down, and built to withstand years of use.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic—just before the peak of rabid stockpiling, when toilet paper attained currency-level value—I placed an order from one of the few online sellers still offering hand sanitizer. It was an online retailer specializing in bulk apothecary supplies, and I had to wait over two months for the delivery of an industrial-size, 1-gallon plastic bottle containing 70% ethyl alcohol “specially denatured with a mild lavender scent.”