Nikon P1000. Suitable tripod and head

[Geranium]

My son has just bought a Nikon p1000. I wish to buy him a tripod and head for his birthday. does anyone who uses this camera provide some advice. It is a very front heavy camera having a long lense for a relatively light body.

[royent]

Can I suggest that you let him pick it himself and then you pay for it. And I would let him try the camera on it first

[Stagecoach]

My son has just bought a Nikon p1000. I wish to buy him a tripod and head for his birthday. does anyone who uses this camera provide some advice. It is a very front heavy camera having a long lense for a relatively light body.

Whilst it's not a very heavy camera at 1.4kg in making a choice some of the considerations should be;

a) his height
b) the tripod weight with respect to how and where he will take it
c) the type of head depending upon whether its for just stills or movies as well
d) and of course budget

[Manfred M]

I have to agree with Graham; it's not a very heavy camera and the amount of lens sticking forward is not particularly large.

Perhaps I can use a bit of an analogy to help answer your question, which is a bit like walking into a shoe store and telling the sales clerk "I want to buy a pair of shoes". The first question you are likely to get will be "what will you be using the shoes for?". Running or playing sports will have one answer, something to wear casually another, something for the beach another, something to go to work in another, etc. etc. Tripods are a bit like that as your purpose will dictate your selection and the type of head.

I own 5 tripods and 6 different heads and use each one. I have a couple that I use when I travel, another when I do tabletop photography, another when I shoot video and another I use for studio work and long exposure work. While I mostly use ball heads, I also have a geared head (for precision work) and a fluid head for video work. I will often work in wet and dirty conditions, so I have looked for tripods with legs that can be taken apart and cleaned. I shoot a lot in Canada in the winter, so a tripod that works in the extreme cold is something else I look for, which in my case meant not buying aluminum legs but more expensive carbon fibre ones. Three of my five tripods do not have a centre column, because that reduces the tripod's rigidity when shooting long exposures, so I need legs that are long enough to do what I want without having to extend the column.

Much like the shoe example, a person will not use a pair of shoes that don't fit well. A similar situation is true for a tripod; one that does not suit the person or the purpose will not get used. Having owned an inexpensive tripod that sat in the closet for years before I threw it out pays testament to that. The tripod was a gift from my wife and I did not dare throw it away...

Finally, when it comes to prices, the advice I have heard given is that a tripod should cost at least one third to half of what the camera costs. Another thing to watch for is the carrying capacity of the tripod; most people suggest you buy one with at least 2 times the weight of the camera gear you are planning to mount on it. If your son's camera weighs 1.5kg, don't get a tripod unless it can support at least 3 kg.

One final piece of advice is to get a tripod that uses something called a quick release plate. That allows the user to quickly put the camera on the tripod and quickly remove it. While there are no standard plates, the most common (and therefore most flexible one) is the Arca-Swiss type. Many head manufacturers use that design.

[rpcrowe]

I'd like to piggy back on Manfred's post. I also have several tripods from a lightweight travel tripod to a fairly heavy tripod that is exceptionally stable.

I totally agree that a quick release head makes using a tripod easier and more fun. I like Arca Compatible clamps on my quick release heads. Having an A/C clamp allows a choice of many many different camera and lens plates.

Especially handy is the "L" Bracket or "L" Plate. Which, among other features, allows the user to switch from horizontal to vertical camera position while keeping the camera directly over the apex of the tripod which is far more stable than hanging the camera on its side when trying to shoot in a vertical position.

A second feature which is handy but, certainly not required is an articulating capability for the tripod to enable the photographer to place the camera in just about any position...

Some standard brands that are usually quite satisfactory are Gitzo, Benro, and Manfrotto. Benro and Manfrotto have models at all price levels while the Gitzo tripods, while excellent, are extremely expensive.

One thing that I would advise against is a tripod which have support braces from the center column to each leg.



These are often found on cheaper tripods as well as high level video tripods. The braces often make it difficult to adjust the positioning of the individual legs, especially on rough and uneven ground.

Another factor which should be considered is weight and height. The weight will often (but not always) determine the stability of the tripod but, may often cause the photographer to be reluctant to cary it along if it is considered too heavy! The best tripod in the world is worthless if it is left in a closet at home.

Height can determine how comfortable it is to shoot with. Bending down to view your camera is often tiresome but, you can sometimes get a lighter weight but still sturdy tripod if you are willing to accept a shorter model. I certainly don’t like extending the center column a long way to increase the height of any tripod. That is a recipe for lack of stability in some (especially cheaper) tripods..

However, there have recently been some interesting and relatively low priced Chinese made tripods which, like this one, look fairly interesting. I am not necessarily recommending this tripod, simply saying that if I were in need of a tripod for a camera like your son’s Nikon, I would investigate this one or one like it.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07GZJ2X...ustomerReviews
The fact that this tripod articulates and that it can be converted into a monopod is interesting. It is certainly not the only tripod with these capabilities...

[William W]

My son has just bought a Nikon p1000. I wish to buy him a tripod and head for his birthday. does anyone who uses this camera provide some advice. It is a very front heavy camera having a long lense for a relatively light body.

As already mentioned more information is required apropos the uses and expectations that your son will have for this new gear, specific answers to Grahame's four question would benefit.

Additionally, I'd add another question - you mention that you'd like to buy a Tripod and Head, my question is: are these the tools that your son wants to add to his kit?

Although the camera is relatively light compared to other (DSLR) cameras, the lens does extend a good distance when fully zoomed - I think this might be more what you are concerned about - although there is not any reasonable moment of downward turn at full extension, when extended the Angle of View is very very narrow and any movement is noticeable even with the VR. (mentioned next papa.) Perhaps you've read this or a camera salesperson mentioned it; certainly it was something I noticed when I had a play with the camera at an Harvey Norman store.

The VR on the camera is pretty smart and quite good, but when zoomed at 3000mm ('equivalent' 135 format FL), one does need to be pulling fast Shutter Speeds and also have a steady brace position: when the Digital Zoom Magnification (DZM) is engaged then things do get quite wobbly.

What all this means is, it is really important to know what will be the uses and the expectations - yes I have seen the Advertising Video, it is quite amazing: I plonked the camera I was testing on a $300 Tripod and Ball Head, quite a useful and steady rig for shots made at any 'reasonable' / 'typical' Focal Length - but at full FL extension the scene was a tad wobbly, more-so when the DZM was engaged.

Relevant to this conversation is the Advertising Video, that I mentioned: HERE LINK

Pay particular attention to the Tripod and Head being used to make those videos and stills at those long Focal Lengths: there's probably close to a grand in that rig, about the same cost as the camera. If these are the expectations, then you're likely looking at about that cost to attain same.

WW

[Manfred M]

Bill - I can't identify the make, but they are using a fairly heavy duty video head for the advertising video. I don't recognize the brand, but if one looks at the size of the handle and the diameter of the tilt head, it's one built for larger video cameras. Those legs look like large diameter carbon fiber tubes. My guess is that those components are going to end up costing considerably more than the camera.

That being said, the image being steady has little to do with the camera and a lot to do with the rig that is supporting it.

[William W]

It's definitely a (Heavy Duty) Video Head, something akin to a Manfrotto 504HD. The Tripod I agree is probably Carbon Fibre.

WW

[Tyler Casey]

Thanks for sharing such a valuable information
I find this content on facebook I hope this is helpful for p1000 lovers https://tripodslab.com/best-tripod-for-nikon-p1000/

[rpcrowe]

I would like to add a couple of notes:

1. Sigma and Tamron have been supplying long lenses (150-600mm and 150-500mm) which have tripod collars that incorporate a foot grooved for an Arca Compatible clamp. This is quite handy in that the photographer is not required to add an A/C plate to the lens... I switched the tripod collar from my Sony 70-200mm f/4L IS lens to a third party collar with an integrated A/C capability when mounting to an A/C clamp.



I also bought a third party collar for my Sony 70-350mm G lens that also enables attaching directly to the A/C clamp. While neither of these lenses are heavy enough to absolutely require the use of a tripod collar, it is very handy to use a collar for tweaking the horizon to be level, rather than trying to adjust the head to level the horizon.

2. As far as video goes, I have an older Manfrotto 3001 tripod with a small Manfrotto fluid head that does a great job following moving subjects and is plenty heavy enough to stabilize mirrorless gear - even with long lenses. It is also quite decent for shooting stills in the landscape configuration but, is lacking when needing to place the camera in the portrait configuration (except when using a lens equipped with a tripod collar) However, you can get a setup like this, used on eBay USA, for well under $100 USD and it will come close to equaling the capabilities of an expensive gimbal head...

3. I cut my cinematography teeth using heavy duty (Mitchell) tripods and fluid heads (the massive O'Connor 50 and 100). I shot one project following the submarine launch of a sequence of 4-Polaris Missiles. We had five photographers shooting from the deck of a U.S. Navy Destroyer Escort (USS Charles Berry). Each camera setup had a triangular plate with a pair of 16mm Mitchell cameras with 400 foot magazines as well as a 70mm Hultcher still camera. The total weight of each setup was well over 150 pounds. these days we could have used digital gear and achieved the same results with a rig which weighs less than 20 pounds. We spot welded stops for the tripod legs to the deck of the ship and spot welded an "O" ring to the deck. We used aircraft tie-down chains to secure each tripod to the ship's deck. The setups worked wonderfully and the footage was mind boggling - even from the pitching deck of the ship... A triangular mounting plate made it easier to follow the missiles into the air and I expect that a smaller version of this type of thus wedge shaped mount would be great for birds in flight...

[odds]

...The Tripod I agree is probably Carbon Fibre.

Looks like the 1000USD Manfrotto 536. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...bon_Fiber.html
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OddS.

[William W]

Looks like the 1000USD Manfrotto 536. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...bon_Fiber.html
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OddS.

Agree.

***

I wonder what Denise decided, it was a while ago she posed the question and it appears she hasn't posted since then.

WW

[inkista]

I have to agree with Graham; it's not a very heavy camera and the amount of lens sticking forward is not particularly large.

It's bulkier than your average bridge camera. The P1000 is a super-superzoom bridge, with 24-3000 mm equivalency [4.3-539mm lens]. (Ah, the joys of 6x crop factor on a 1/2.3" format sensor). Which they then exacerbate with digital zoom/cropping.



Just saying. Bigger/more solid tripod than initially assumed for a bridge camera may actually be needed here.

[Manfred M]

It's bulkier than your average bridge camera. The P1000 is a super-superzoom bridge, with 24-3000 mm equivalency [4.3-539mm lens]. (Ah, the joys of 6x crop factor on a 1/2.3" format sensor). Which they then exacerbate with digital zoom/cropping.



Just saying. Bigger/more solid tripod than initially assumed for a bridge camera may actually be needed here.

I looked up the specs; at over 1.5kg, this is a much heavier beast than any of the superzooms I dealt with in the past. Agreed, this needs a decent, heavy duty tripod.