Spec me a tripod please!

Yarde

Yarde

Yarde

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Newcastle
Righteo, it's my birthday in a couple of weeks, so fundage should allow for some photo gear upgrades, most importantly, my tripod! My current one is some el cheapo thing that my parents got me a couple of years back, and its a bit, how should i put this...crap! :p

It's served me well in the time i've used it, but i really need a decent one! Something nice and sturdy, not too bothered about weight or "folded down size" (don't know if there's a technical term for this? :p) just something that is nice and sturdy, well made and has scope for upgrades in the future (like a new head or whatever).

Regards the head, i'm shooting more and more landscapes atm, but i would like to be able to shoot portrait orientations as well, as with my current tripod, i'm limited to landscape orientation only.

Preferably, I'd like a Manfrotto, just because i know its a reputable brand, but being a complete and utter tripod noob, i don't know what else exists out there, but if possible, can we stick to Manfrotto? I've always wanted to say i own a Manfrotto, so nows my chance! Hey, its a simple thing to 17 (soon to become 18) year old! :p

Currently stuff that my tripod is supporting:

Nikon D40
18-55mm or 55-200 VR

That's probably the biggest the lens is going to be for a good long time, as i'd like my next lens to be a wide angle.

As I mentioned earlier, i'll be shooting mostly landscapes, but the ability to get low down to the ground would be quite nice as well, although not a must :)

I reckon i'll have about ~£100 - £120 to spend on BOTH legs and head.

I've tried to include as much detail as possible, if you need to know anything else, let me know!

Thanks Guys, I really appreciate it,

Michael


EDIT: I forgot to mention, I've been looking around, and seen the "Manfrotto 804RC2 Tripod Head". From what i've read, it seems alright ~ ~£50. But does it do what I want it to do regards going onto Portrait and landscape orientation? It says "3 way head". But i'm not entirely sure what that means!
 
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You have a fairly lightweight setup there, I'd consider a 190ProB, it's a reasonable price and will hold your kit easily (and anything except a fast telephoto in the future). The 055ProB would be a longer term choice but it heavier and more expensive in return for being up to fast telephoto use.

Head wise it depends what you want, ball heads are popular for good reason and the 484RC2 is a reasonable option for that tripod, again it's reasonable priced, fairly light but still solid enough for your gear...
 
Have a look at the RedSnapper tripods, I'm very happy with mine :) I've got the 283 tripod and the 3 way pan head (£70). I also picked up the RS-12 ball head which I use on a monopod. Good bits of kit. If you're a member over on TP you can get a 10% discount as well :)
 
bigredshark said:
You have a fairly lightweight setup there, I'd consider a 190ProB, it's a reasonable price and will hold your kit easily (and anything except a fast telephoto in the future). The 055ProB would be a longer term choice but it heavier and more expensive in return for being up to fast telephoto use.

Head wise it depends what you want, ball heads are popular for good reason and the 484RC2 is a reasonable option for that tripod, again it's reasonable priced, fairly light but still solid enough for your gear...
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Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod Legs Only - Black - Price: £88.37
Manfrotto 804RC2 Basic Pan & Tilt Head - Price: £45.53
total: £133.90

Sound good?

Rojin said:
Have a look at the RedSnapper tripods, I'm very happy with mine :) I've got the 283 tripod and the 3 way pan head (£70). I also picked up the RS-12 ball head which I use on a monopod. Good bits of kit. If you're a member over on TP you can get a 10% discount as well :)
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Whats the difference between a ball head and a 3 way pan? Just the amount of movement?
 
Yarde said:
Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod Legs Only - Black - Price: £88.37
Manfrotto 804RC2 Basic Pan & Tilt Head - Price: £45.53
total: £133.90

Sound good?
Click to expand...

I have an 804RC2 floating around actually, good points are it's lovely and solid and it's very precise, downsides are that being a 3 way head it's slow to adjust and it's pretty big and heavy for what it is. If you can live with the downsides it's a nice combination I think (though the 804RC2 seems more logically paired with the 055XPROB I'd say, size wise)

Difference between a ball and pan/tilt is the locking usually, a ball head has one locking control, release and it moves in any direction, a pan and tilt usually locks of each axis separately, more precise but slower to make adjusts to multiple ones...

I'd see if you can find a decent camera shop with has a range, my local Nikon dealer is very good for Manfrotto kit and I spent a lot of time playing with stuff before I bought my tripod.
 
bigredshark said:
I have an 804RC2 floating around actually, good points are it's lovely and solid and it's very precise, downsides are that being a 3 way head it's slow to adjust and it's pretty big and heavy for what it is. If you can live with the downsides it's a nice combination I think (though the 804RC2 seems more logically paired with the 055XPROB I'd say, size wise)

Difference between a ball and pan/tilt is the locking usually, a ball head has one locking control, release and it moves in any direction, a pan and tilt usually locks of each axis separately, more precise but slower to make adjusts to multiple ones...

I'd see if you can find a decent camera shop with has a range, my local Nikon dealer is very good for Manfrotto kit and I spent a lot of time playing with stuff before I bought my tripod.
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I can deffinately live with the "down points" you mentioned! What is the difference between the 190XPROB and the 055XPROB that you mentioned?

I think i'll stick with a 3 way pan head over a ball head in that case.

I never thought of going to have a play, i shall venture into town at some point and mingle with the gear! :p
 
Yarde said:
I can deffinately live with the "down points" you mentioned! What is the difference between the 190XPROB and the 055XPROB that you mentioned?

I think i'll stick with a 3 way pan head over a ball head in that case.

I never thought of going to have a play, i shall venture into town at some point and mingle with the gear! :p
Click to expand...

The 055 is a tougher version basically, it'll support a bit more weight - as such it's a little heavier and chunkier (which also makes it slightly more stable). Difficult to say if it's worth it, the 055 will support a pro body and fast telephoto (say D3s + 200-400 f/4) happily, the 190 is rather marginal for it. But for your kit you likely don't care about that.
 
bigredshark said:
The 055 is a tougher version basically, it'll support a bit more weight - as such it's a little heavier and chunkier (which also makes it slightly more stable). Difficult to say if it's worth it, the 055 will support a pro body and fast telephoto (say D3s + 200-400 f/4) happily, the 190 is rather marginal for it. But for your kit you likely don't care about that.
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the price difference is too large to justify, at the minute. I know i said I wanted the tripod to be "future resistant" (as apposed to proof! :p) but a pro body and fast telephoto is a LONG way off for me. By then, so super dooper new tripod will be out, so unless anyone else suggests anything else, it seems like that the 190XPROB that bigredshark suggested, plus the 804RC2 head seems the way i'll be going?
 
I'd keep an eye on ebay as some bargains sometimes come up, I got this for under £40 delivered which I'm very happy with.

I'm just using the Joby Ballhead X which came with my gorillapod to use on the tripod too.
 
Shimmy said:
I'd keep an eye on ebay as some bargains sometimes come up, I got this for under £40 delivered which I'm very happy with.

I'm just using the Joby Ballhead X which came with my gorillapod to use on the tripod too.
Click to expand...

I bet you are! Will keep an eye out, cheers :)
 
From a Manfrotto 055XPROB owner, if I were buying again I'd get the RedSnapper 283 or the carbon fibre 283C. Far better value at this end of the market than the 'big names'. I'd argue the 283 is a touch sturdier too and it comes with a bag, whereas my Manfrotto didn't.

Nothing wrong with the 055XPROB at all, but the RedSnappers are in a different league value-wise. You can nearly get the carbon fibre RedSnapper for the price of the 055XPROB, whereas the alloy 283 is more than half the price.

As for heads, that depends on the type you'd prefer first. I'd be willing to bet you'd end up with a ball-head eventually though. ;)
 
So is the Redsnapper 283 on par with the 190XPROB / 055XPROB quality wise, and just cheaper because its not branded with "manfrotto"?

What about the head? Will the Manfrotto head i've been looking at still fit on them legs? or will i have to get a redsnapper head?
 
Yarde said:
So is the Redsnapper 283 on par with the 190XPROB / 055XPROB quality wise, and just cheaper because its not branded with "manfrotto"?

What about the head? Will the Manfrotto head i've been looking at still fit on them legs? or will i have to get a redsnapper head?
Click to expand...

It'll fit.
 
^
I wouldn't bother.

A 283 and RH12 is the BEST combo under £100 (and £200 for that matter).

It's weighty but not overly heavy. Unless you go for the £350+ tripods there's no real upgrade over the redsnapper stuff.
 
p0ss3s3d said:
^
I wouldn't bother.

A 283 and RH12 is the BEST combo under £100 (and £200 for that matter).

It's weighty but not overly heavy. Unless you go for the £350+ tripods there's no real upgrade over the redsnapper stuff.
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Ok, so the 283 it is! I've decided i don't want a Ball head, so i tihnk i might go with the Manfrotto 804RC2 head.

DailyGeek said:
I got the red snapper 283 and pan and tilt head for 50 quid on offer, bargain!
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Is that still going?
 
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