Help in choosing a tripod?

joeysmom · Dec 27, 2009

Hi again...so my hubby wanted to buy camera stuff for me for Christmas, but when he went shopping with the girls was flabbergasted. He can barely shoot a good snapshot, so he had no idea what to look for.

I decided to get a tripod and read that getting a ballhead tripod is best. There is too much out there to choose from and such a broad price range. Can you give me suggestions? I am a hobby photographer and we definitely aren't rich, but also don't want to get something that won't get the job done. Mostly I shoot portraits of my kids, friends and family activities. Thanks in advance!~ Oh, I have a Nikon D5000, and just have what came with it from Costco.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous holiday season...

deb

Wolverinepwnes · Dec 27, 2009

What is your total budget for the tripod!! if you go too cheap it won't last and you won't need anything to heavyduty!! I personally would recommend the Manfrotto 190XPROB its an amazing tripod and I love it! look into all the different ballheads that can go with it and see which one you like best personally! I personally got the trigger mechanism one due to its ease of use but thats a personal choice!!!! good luck!

jbylake · Dec 27, 2009

Wolverinepwnes said:
What is your total budget for the tripod!! if you go too cheap it won't last and you won't need anything to heavyduty!! I personally would recommend the Manfrotto 190XPROB its an amazing tripod and I love it! look into all the different ballheads that can go with it and see which one you like best personally! I personally got the trigger mechanism one due to its ease of use but thats a personal choice!!!! good luck!

I've got the same set-up. I think if the OP will use the search feature, they will find a wealth of information on this forum, for tripod's in all categories of cost/function/etc..

J.

joeysmom · Dec 27, 2009

Thanks....I will do a search on this forum....I think I need to spend under $500 total right now. I can always upgrade later if it's necessary. Is that enough to get something decent?

joeysmom · Dec 27, 2009

so...I got NOTHING when I searched tripod on the forum...

Bitter Jeweler · Dec 27, 2009

Funny, I got TONS doing a search for "best tripod" on the forum.

The Photo Forum - Photography Discussion Forum - Search Results

joeysmom · Dec 27, 2009

I just typed tripod. Thanks!

Bitter Jeweler · Dec 27, 2009

You also didn't tick the "search titles only" option, so you searched every post for the word "tripod", and got back every post that has the word tripod in it, even if it includes "did you use a tripod for that shot?"

KmH · Dec 27, 2009

When you get done with looking at tripod info: Google "How to write effective search terms" since it's a skill worth learning that will help you find good information all over the Internet .

A ballhead is not always the best solution, which is why they also make pan/tilt heads. To have all the bases covered you really need both.
That's also why most good tripods only include the legs and you purchase a head seperately.

I recommend checking out www.giottos.com and their MT line of tripods. Giottos also make good ballheads.

jbylake · Dec 27, 2009

joeysmom said:
Thanks....I will do a search on this forum....I think I need to spend under $500 total right now. I can always upgrade later if it's necessary. Is that enough to get something decent?

$500 will get you very nice tripod and head. Actually, a little over $300 will, depending on your needs. Obviously, if you're a Pro, or are shooting in very harsh conditions, well the old saying " the sky's the limit " , almost applies. You can easily spend thousands, depending on your needs. Use the search tip's that have been provided for you here, and compare people using similar equipment and have similar needs. As a hobbiest, I found that I could get by very nicely for a little under $350, for my specific needs.

J. :mrgreen:

AfroKen · Dec 27, 2009

This is probably not what you are looking for. But anyway, I'll mention it in case it helps you or anyone else:

Gorillapod SLR - Joby

I use this fairly often because it'll basically grab on to anything. And I do a lot of travel photography, going to the desert, the wilderness, the jungle, or the Himalayas. And the last thing I want to be doing is toting a big tripod with me. So I got this gorillapod instead. It's super flexible...in more ways than one...and fits in my camera bag. And it's well within your budget, being only $50. Again, probably totally not what you're lookin' for, but it bears mentioning!