Tripods
- This topic has 25 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated Dec 13, 2011 at 4:02 am by
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It’s time for me to add a good tripod to my tool set. Can you guys give me suggestions for brands and perhaps a model. I want light, and since I’m a rank beginner it doesn’t need to be professional quality. I’ll use it for a Canon Rebel and lenses of 300 mm or less – no heavy stuff.
I have the same tripod as Olle. I initially bought the lighter weight cousin but returned it after 1 week for the 055XPROB because it is taller and very solid. It is a great tripod and it swings parallel to do macro table fly shots or on-the-ground flora shots. It’s also great for doing food shots (something I’ve been dabbling in lately). I don’t care about weight so I went for the big guns for what I do.
The other decision is head choice. I personally love my geared head setup which fits my needs well (mostly macro). I would “like” a ball head but that will sit low on the list for now.
And the lighter tripod that comes near the quality off this one is a carbon tripod wich is costing a lot more.
Just another nod in favor of the Manfrotto, its what I have. There are lighter but as Olle said, your looking at Carbon and thats jacks the price significantly. Just make sure you add a pan/tilt or ball head of equal capacity.
Until and if I ever own one of the big boys weighing 10+pds, I won’t need to get a sturdier one, neither will you.
The thing with tri-pods is weight.
I’ve owned a lot of them over the years and I found that i never dragged them out un-less I had too because of weight and sometimes got caught out without one.
(my main one must be 15+ KG’s)A big, very heavy tri-pod is a must for some serious work, but you can get great results with the light ones of you take care in shooting and making it solid.
The carbon ones are more expensive – but because they weigh so little I carry one always and tend to use it and IMO thaqt make it worth the money.
I can’t remember the model, but it’s a Gitzo and has 4 sections and gets to around 5 -5 1/2 feet…
There are some very cheap crappy plastic leg tri-pods around as well and though they might not last forever or be well made – some of them are very light as well and it would still be better then nothing.
www.dsaphoto.com
A picture is thousand words that takes less than a second while a thousand words is a picture that takes a month.
David normally I agree with everything you say but this time Im going to disagree a wee bit with regards to Carbon.
All things being equal I would take Carbon over anything else. A pound here or there may not sound like alot, but when you start carrying a bunch of stuff, any ounce you can save is a God send.
That said.
For people still trying to amass their arsenols…(body, lenses, accessories) the money saved by buying a heavier Manfrotto, vs a Carbon can go along ways towards *other* yet needed equipment.Like a good
Michael,
Lightweight means many things to many pepole….I enjoy backpacking, flyfishing and photography, all in the same trip. So weight is a huge consideration for me. I have a nice carbon fiber tripod but it is much too heavy for backpacking. A little over a year ago I tried to find a ballhead / tripod combination that was functional, somewhat sturdy, affordable and didn’t weigh a ton….it would be solely dedicated to my backpacking trips. Anyhow…after much searching, and a little alteration….I came up with a 3 pound tripod and head combination (see photo below).
It’s a carbon fiber tripod off of Ebay and is sold under the name of Amvona. I got mine for a bid of about $60 if I remember right. I believe Zach bought one for even less. I removed the bottom section of the legs to save a little weight and added a small Manfrotto ballhead. It tips the scales just below three (3) pounds. It is perfect for my application. It does have limitations but it’s weight (or lack thereof) overides a lot of the shortcomings.
In summary….don’t get this one for family portraiture and such…but if you want a really light outfit to take into the backcountry….this might be your ticket.
I agree with Steve K. – the el cheapo eBay carbon tripod (made by Adorama if I remember right) is actually a wonderful buy.
I just recently bought the Manfrotto 055XPROB. I paired it with the Manfrotto 488RC4 Midi Ball Head. I found different opinions on the different rapid connection options but settled on the RC4. You can go to Manfrotto web page and decide for yourself which is best for you.
Two-pound carbon fiber Manfrotto at B&H for 119.95.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/663224-REG/Manfrotto_732CY_732CY_M_Y_Carbon_Fiber.html
Hi Michael,
IMHO,
Carbon fiber is the way to go,
Also, a good ballhead to go with the tripodI would try some out first,
Would recommend Gitzo for the tripod
and Markins or RRS(really right stuff) for the ballhead
Sure, its “high end” gear but does the job all the time,Things to consider when choosing your tripod,
Your eye height to the view finder,
This should include your ballhead
Also, don’t just get a tripod that is just right for eye-level, you should also think about setting up on un level groundI would also recommend an L bracket
If you want any further guidance, let me know,
I prefer Gitzo but Manfrotto sell a good product as wellRegards,
GaryTry look for some older Gitzo carbon legs, they are 50% off sometimes!
a great buy and will last a livetime… and maybe more.Try look for some older Gitzo carbon legs, they are 50% off sometimes!
a great buy and will last a livetime… and maybe more.Yep. I was able to talk the guy at the store down to $475 for a set of 1541 legs. It’s light enough that I almost never leave it at home. If I have my camera, I have my Gitzo. Keep the legs and threads clean and it should last a very long time.
For my Rebel camera I bought a Manfrotto 682B Monopod this summer for our West Yellowstone trip. It was easy to carry around even up steep mountain trails and fast to extend and shoot. Plus, it has 3 small steel feet you can extend out on the bottom for more stability when needed. It was perfect for my needs and situation.
I just purchased a Benro C-069M8 travel angel tripod kit on ebay, they are already a good deal at $305 new but they are doing a temporary price drop to $289 shipped. Here is a link… http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320540903808#ht_6548wt_1398
I have been after this tripod for a long time and was hoping to find a used one but nobody who has one will part with it. It is carbon fiber, comes with a ball head and quick release plate, holds over 13 pounds of weight, and get this…..with ballhead and plate it weights 1.8 pounds and folds to 13 inches in length!!
Of course it won’t be as stable as a tripod of much larger size and I don’t plan on using it when the wind is firing, but all the owners I have contacted about it and reviews I have read say it is a fantastic tripod and very similar to a GITZO minus the price of a gitzo, which is why nobody would sell theirs! It was discontinued and replaced with the 0691 model which is cool because one leg can be removed and connected with the ball head to use as a monopod, but it is longer and heavier. The discontinued model is the shortest/lightest carbon fiber tripod of its class.
Anyways, they have 7 left at that price for a little while longer! Can’t wait to get the thing, been after one for like 4 months.
-Loren
A while back I got a cheap-ish set of Slik AMT series legs and put a nice ballhead on them.
There are a lot of different models and I don’t remember what mine are but those legs are very sturdy for as light as they are. I backpack with them and have rigged it where I can hang weight off the center column if winds are crazy. I remember looking at those ebay carbon fiber jobs but they had gone up in price by the time I got to them, who knows what they are going for now.
The Slik AMT legs are taller than the carbon fiber ebay legs where at the time. The center column breaks down and can be inverted as well. You can also pop the retainers for the legs and get the thing pretty much flat on the ground if you’d like so it’s good for macro work as well.
I’ve been beating the crap out of these thing for a while and they are holding up great but I’ve never seen or heard of anyone else using them but they work very well.
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