Two threads, and they do not interchange without the correct adapter.
Which is which
- 1/4”-20 — camera equipment, compact line lasers, small laser distance meters. Almost every green cross-line laser sold for interior work.
- 5/8”-11 — construction and surveying tripods, rotary lasers, professional line lasers.
The adapter direction
An adapter that takes a 1/4-inch tool onto a 5/8-inch head is not the same part as one that does the reverse. Two adapters in a pocket look identical and only one of them fits the tripod you are standing next to.
Mark the direction on the part the day it arrives.
What to check before ordering
Turn the laser over and look at the socket. Then read the tripod listing for the stud size — one construction tripod we compare states 1/4”-20 explicitly, and another does not state a thread at all.
The height range matters too
Minimum height decides whether the tripod can set a line for a skirting or a screed; maximum decides whether it reaches a ceiling. A tripod with a 122 cm (48 in) minimum cannot do floor work at all.
What gets asked here
Can I use a camera tripod for a line laser?
For a compact 1/4"-20 laser indoors, yes. A camera tripod is lighter and less stable than a construction one, and it will not take a 5/8-inch instrument.
Is a bundled tripod any good?
It holds the laser at the stated height and it is built to the price of a bundle. It is enough to start with and it is not the tripod you eventually buy.
Last reviewed 31 August 2026