Tripod how much to spend

andicole0

andicole0

andicole0

Soldato
Joined
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Grundisburgh
I started looking for a tripod, do I spend twice as much as the camera on a Vinten Pro or the cheapest I can find which would be under £10. I don't want a mini tripod.

It won't get much use but is a really cheap tripod any use at all?

Cheers.

Andi.
 
An Exception said:
red snapper, wouldn't get a cheaper one than that tbh.
Click to expand...

I've got one with the 4 way head, the legs are good but I wish I'd spend the extra on the ball head.

But Red Snapper are the cheapest proper tripod (one where you have a separate legs and head) and even though the finish isn't superb they're basically solid.

EDIT: What sort of camera will it be supporting, it will also be well worth getting a remote/cable release as well. You can get brand X one off Ebay for next to nothing.
 
There was an £80 or so one linked to on here, from a competitors site. I can't remember the exact link, but I got one of those. Absolute massive thing, but an absolute tank, solid ball head etc. I don't mind lugging a couple extra kilos around london on the odd occasion that I do need to (it mostly gets used for studio work which is why the tankiness is particularly appreciated), but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than what you'd get from the bigger brands with a decent ball head so I'm very happy with mine. Will need to get a lighter one, maybe CF, when I go traveling this summer, but until then this one's serve me very well for almost a year now.
 
At the ow end I would save your money and buy a bean bag which you can rest your camera on walls, steps, backpacks etc. Will be more effective and easier to use.

I would also look at a monpod. I picked up a very cheap monopod form walmart, solid steel and very sturdy. Mechanically these are much simpler and due to the usage are less prone to issues of cheap tripods.

Ignore the Max weight specification the manufacturers tend to give, this is typically just the breaking point not the weight that can be stably supported. Also it is more important to consider focal length than eight of your gear. putting a 300mm or 400mm lens on a crop body gives a tiny field of view so the slightest vibration is highly magnified. And long physical lenses will add greater torque and moments to the tripod leading to reduced stability. Light consumer lenses are actually to your disadvantage here because they offer less dampening to the support system.

Other tips: 3 section tripods are better than 4 section, shorter tripod are better than longer tripods, be aware that a tripod s only as good as its weakest link, which is often the final leg section which is too fin, avoid center columns because they decrease stability- you want the camera weight to be at the apex of the legs. Ball heads are more photographer friendly than pan-tilt which are more aimed towards the video market. With a ball-head you can compose and frame with a single fluid movement and one control know.

The top end Red Snapper tripods are about the bottom end of what I would consider worthwhile and should be good enough for most tasks with care, especially if you don't shoot anything longer than 200mm on crop.
 
I tried the carbon redsnapper tripod and their ballhead and ended up sending them back. The tripod legs where very bendy, it couldn't properly support a d80 with 300/4 and 1.4tc at the time. The ballhead also had some stiction making small movements tricky and to top it off the camera would slightly move when tightening the ball down.

I'd go for a heavier 3 section leg alu if you're looking for a cheaper one. I'd stay away from 4 section legs as the lower section are usually very thin and flexy.
 
Make sure you get a sturdy/fairly weighty tripod (unless you need lightweight, carbon, for travel) if it's too light it might not be as sturdy even in a light breeze.

Also check the heigh is enough for you, without having to fully extend the centre column, which also makes them less stable.
If you're interested in the night sky, you'll need it tall enough to enable you to stand under it without stooping too far.

Also, will you need it for macro? (now or in the future) as some have a removable, or tilting centre column.

Buy the best you can afford tbh.......& you'll only need to buy once.

Check out the Giotto range too.
 
Well, I been agonising over this as well recently... Trying to find a one size fits all (for general and travel use) proved fruitless.

So I picked up the following:

Manfrotto 391RC2 Photo/Video Pan & Tilt Head, which may be too heavy for travels, so may end up picking up something lighter as well.

Manfrotto MM294A4 Monopod, which I will likely take on travels, despite being relatively heavy for monopod

Manfrotto 190 XPROB Tripod, which will not be used for travel

-------------

Decided to stick to Manfrotto because they seemed to be pretty well regarded, and have readily available accessories, but they were a bit pricey all things considered.

Not sure if was a good choice, but hope so.

I am still likely to pick up a Joby Gorillapod for travel, and need a larger backpack that will take some of these while still being suitable for carry on.
 
When I was looking I ended up going for a Gitzo GT2531EX and I've just bought a Photoclam Pro Gold II ballhead (I'll get to play with it if customs ever release it!). Was originally looking at Manfrotto, but decided to spend a bit more and hopefully have a kit that I won't need to look at replacing for some time :)

If you're looking for cheap the Redsnappers are pretty decent. I've just bought a load of the new RST-283's and RSH-12 ballheads and they work really well for the price. There are obvious differences between them and my Gitzo (other than just the price!) but I'd certainly recommend them to anyone looking to buy their first tripod.
 
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