Tripod Recommendations

[Rebel]

Can anyone recommend an affordable tripod?

I made the mistake of buying a cheap one and its basically fell apart yesterday

Cheers

[dubaiphil]

Buy cheap and buy twice.

Buy 'affordable' and buy how many times?!?

I'd look at Manfrotto and Vanguard, but no doubt others will chime in. It all depends on your needs and depths of pockets really. Travelling much? Going to put in hold luggage? Hiking/walking? How tall are you? Do you shoot very low to the ground? Answering those questions will help narrow things down somewhat.

[Venser]

Can anyone recommend an affordable tripod?

Define affordable.
I picked up some Gitzo 1541 legs with an Acratech GP-S ballhead. I have zero complaints using this setup. It's sturdy and light. I think it's affordable, but you may not.

[Polar01]

Matt: I am adding a link to a site with good info on what to look for in a tripod. I do not use their tripod, however I do use some of their other products. As I said some good info on what to look for when searching for a tripod.

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl...category.24/.f

Most people will purchase up to 5 different tripods until they find the one they like, so you only have 4 or so more to go, suggest you save up and purchase a good one that will fill most of your requirements. By the time you add up all the costs of the tripods what you purchase until you find the "one", you may have spend twice the amount of the cost of the "one". Think of a excellent tripod like an excellent lens, buy once. Cheap tripods are like modern cameras you are always upgrading.

Cheers: Alllan

[Tringa]

Difficult to answer Matt, without knowing your budget but have a look at Redsnapper -

http://www.redsnapperuk.com/index.html

They are based in Banbury and deal directly with the public. I bought mine (the RS324 Alloy) due to recommendations on another forum and have not been disappointed.

Dave

[Donald]

As others have said, Matt, what is affordable to you might not be to me, or vice-versa.

I'm a fan of Manfrotto.

[rpcrowe]

As with Allen, I don't use Really Right Stuff tripods but use some of their accessories.

I suggest whatever tripod/head you choose, you equip that combination with an Arca compatible quick release clamp. I have both of my cameras equipped with RRS L Plates which fit on Arca compatible clamps.

IMO, the L Plates are a great way to mount your camera to the tripod head. This system keeps the weight (center of gravity) of the camera directly above the tripod head. Other tripod mount systems (Manfrotto RC2 and others) require you to hang the camera cantilevered over to the side when shooting in the vertical position. This is a very inefficient method of mounting the camera and requires a heavier and more robust head to support the camera solidly. The standard mounting system also places the lens in a grossly different position when switching from landscape to portrait positions. NOTE: I am referring to mounting a camera/lens that is not equipped with a tripod ring...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4iOxH5vyCo

I use two tripods because I have not found a single tripod that has all the attributes that I want such as weight and height. My standard full-size tripod is a Giottos 8480 with a Giottos 1300 bakll head which comes equipped with an Arca compatible clamp. My lightweight travel tripod is a Slik modified by adding a shorter center column and a Flashpoint ball head which also comes equipped with an Arca compatible clamp. This tripod and head weighs only about two pounds (approximately one kilo) yet it can support my 1.6x cameras with lenses up to the 70-200mm f/4L IS.

The full size tripod is tall and very sturdy. It also articulates to place my camera in just about and position that I want it. The smaller tripod setup works for travel. It is shorter than I really like but, I can live with using a right angle finder or bending over a bit to have a decently solid tripos that weighs only ablut two pounds.

BTW: I use a Kirk MPA2 monopod tilt head on my Calumet carbon fiber monopod. This is expensive but is a solid tilt head which makes good use of the RRS L Plate on my cameras.

http://www.kirkphoto.com/Kirk_MPA-2_Monopod_Head.html

Since I often carry the camera with heavy lenses on the monopod over my shoulder; I think that it behooves me to use a mounting system that is solid enough that I don't have to worry about an accident...

[Shadowman]

Here's an amusing review. I like the "why should you believe me" paragraph.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-tripod/

[JR1]

What is affordable, impossible to say without a price.

I use a Benro carbon fibre gimbal on a Manfrotto 055 CF tripod,

http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-m...g8zxocesnw_wcb

http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-b...-head/p1545527

To me this is just about the best combo


However I also have and like my Lensmaster gimbal

http://www.lensmaster.co.uk/buy-rh2.htm

and Giottos legs MTL 9271b about £140

I have five tripods up to studio use, the smallest is the Manfrotto 055xprob what you shoot affects what you buy.

[JR1]

I have yet to find a better site than this for what to buy

http://www.canadiannaturephotographer.com/tripod.html

[Donald]

I have yet to find a better site than this for what to buy

http://www.canadiannaturephotographer.com/tripod.html

That is a very, very good article.

[rpcrowe]

I will agree that this is a very-very good article with one omission. When you are following fast moving birds or other fast moving subjects, there are really two good options:

First is using a gimbal mount... I personally enjoy using a Manfrotto gimbal mount.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Manfrotto-39...item20e921a393

That gimbal is a LOT more expensive now than it was when I originally purchased the mount. I paid less than one hundred U.S. Dollars for mine quite a few tears ago. However, it is a great gimbal which will easily support a long lens and is also quite nice for using a long lens on a monopod...

OTOH: a fluid dampened pan head (on a tripod) is really quite good for following any type of fast moving subject: birds, boats, cars, etc... It is not particularly good for non-moving subjects. I use a ball head for that.

The fluid heads that are very adequate for even the larger lenses on a DSLR (which weigh a lot less that professional video or motion picture film cameras) are not particularly expensive, you can usually get a decent Manfrotto head (used on eBay USA) for between fifty and one-hundred U.S. Dollars.

BTW: A fluid dampened pan head is absolutely great for video. The advantage of the fluid dampening is that your pans and tilts (or combination pan and tilt movements) are exceptionally smooth...

Additionally, using a sports-finder on the tripod mounted camera/lens allows you to follow action very easily. I use this old Topcon sportsfinder which mounts on the camera hotshoe...



Unfortunately, sports finders can only be found on the used market and are usually considered collectible items and thus are extremely expensive...

[JR1]

That is a very, very good article.

100% came across it by accident, then lost it, searched for it today

[JR1]

I will agree that this is a very-very good article with one omission. When you are following fast moving birds or other fast moving subjects, ..

Which is why I said I use gimbals,

[DanK]

I think the question is only partly answerable without more information about your uses.

When I went through this some years ago, i found that there are quite a number of good carbon fiber legs that cost far less money than the top brands. A few are mentioned in the posts above and in the article. For my purposes, they are fine. I think I found that many were somewhat below $300 at the time at BH.

However, there is a bewildering array of features, and what would serve you best depends on your needs. For example, I do a lot of macro and also hike with my tripod. So, I have two heads: a huge, heavy, geared head for macro, and small, light ballhead for hiking. The latter is not as smooth as the larger ballheads people usually recommend, but the weight matters more to me. Another example is that people often recommend a tripod without a center post because of the risk of more vibration when the post is extended. For my uses, that is lousy advice. I use the center post often in my macro work because it allows me to make small changes in height without otherwise moving the camera, which is nigh unto impossible to do by adjusting the legs.

So, I suggest you list some of your most important uses. I looked a bunch, then made a spreadsheet of the various features on the ones I was considering. That let me narrow down the list.

[Geoff F]

I switched to a lighter carbon fibre tripod a little while ago. Definitely worth the extra money if you are walking around with a full pack of other gear as well. But no advantage for studio work etc.

It is the Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 which is strong and stable but folded length is 30 ins so it can be a bit cumbersome at times and has to be strapped outside my backpack.

For occasional lighter use I also have a Velbon Luxi L which folds up to 14 ins and fits inside the backpack.

[ajohnw]

For a metal tripod the Manfroto'd are hard hard to beat price wise - I'm thinking of the 190 range 2nd hand. There are always some on ebay.

Heads are difficult. It's possible to pay rather a lot for something that really isn't suitable even from Manfroto especially their plastic ones. I would suggest looking at Olivon for that area but rigidity means rather a lot of weight and they tend to be a bit OTT.

Even cheaper - Benbo or Uniloc and a ball head. The Trekker is too light to be really rigid and some of the Uniloc's are very substantial and rather expensive. 2nd hand is an option on both. Only problem - you might not like them. They have an arm that extends sideways so it's possible to unbalance the lot due to the weight of the camera and lens so the lot falls over. The Trekker might be ok with a wieght of some sort hanging from it as the photo's of it show. Some if this type have 1/4 turn leg locks - trying to tighten them further doesn't achieve anything and might actually wreck them.

If you buy carbon some don't really save much weight wise against rigidity. I'd suggest Ginzo. The only problem then is that scratches can introduce weaknesses so it's best to fit the padded leg covers that are available and take some care when the legs are extended.

Really something like a headless used earlier Manfroto 190 is likely to be the best option. Like everyone else Manfrotto save money from time to time. Decent heads unfortunately are not that cheap.

John
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[Dr Bob]

Lots of good information here on tripods. My only comment is tripods are like camera bags/backpack, there is not perfect one for all uses. I own 2 tripods and 2 monopods and still find myself in the market for another one once in a while. It depends on what you want to use it for and where.

Dr Bob

[rpcrowe]

Dan Koretz mentioned, "Another example is that people often recommend a tripod without a center post because of the risk of more vibration when the post is extended. For my uses, that is lousy advice. I use the center post often in my macro work because it allows me to make small changes in height without otherwise moving the camera, which is nigh unto impossible to do by adjusting the legs. "

I generally agree, in fact many tripods, including my Giottos use the center column as an integral part of their ability to articulate and to place the camera exactly where I want it which is great especially for macro work...



What I think is generally meant by the general aversion to center columns is raising the column to a high level in order to increase the height of the camera. I do not do this as a practice. However, my Giottos tripod is so solidly built that I would not have any qualms about raising the center column a bit in order to place my camera exactly where I want it. This is especially true if I have my Image Stabilization on.

I switched the long, heavy, Slik tripod OEM center column to an accessory shorter center column in order to save weight. When I use my lightweight Slik modification, I will leave the Image Stabilization on if I am shooting with a newer lens that detects the camera being tripod mounted.

[george013]

I have yet to find a better site than this for what to buy

http://www.canadiannaturephotographer.com/tripod.html

It's an interesting article. But I don't understand the graph on the vibration. The amplitude gets a maximal after about 5 s? In the same paragraph he is referencing to http://markins.com/charlie/report4e6.pdf
The graph shown there is much more as how I expected it.

For those who didn't read it, it's worth to read.

George