Stupid question... why would I want a 8' tall tripod?

manaheim · May 23, 2008

I'm looking at "real" tripods now and I see some of them go up pretty high. Being the geek gadget monger that I am, I see bigger numbers and I think to myself "well, damn, I gotta get the BIG ONE", but then I start to think... you know, I'm only 5' 8"... eye level for me is like 5' 2"... I can't really use an 8' tall tripod unless I carry around a 3' step stool.

So... what's the point?

My fear is that if I get a smaller one that I might later stumble on the situation where I need it and go "Ohhhh THAT'S why I wanted the big one" and then kick myself for having a small (cough) tripod.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

JimmyO · May 23, 2008

Well i guess if you wanted a really high perspective but still needed a steady tripod. My dad told me that one time he was trying to take a picture of a pool but didnt have a tall tripod so he used a ladder. What happened was the camera fell and broke in half. I guess if he had an 8 foot tripod that wouldnt have happened

tempra · May 23, 2008

Taking photos of large groups where you need a tripod is one use - otherwise if you can shoot hand held, a step stool would be good enough

Mike_E · May 23, 2008

Sometimes there is a call for a model to lie on the floor and be shot from above.

Works very well in senior portraits for girls.

saltface · May 23, 2008

I've seen 10' tripods used for shooting buildings over fences. There must be nothing like sitting on top a ladder next to your massive tripod as people go by staring at you.

Alfred D. · May 23, 2008

manaheim said:
I'm looking at "real" tripods now and I see some of them go up pretty high. Being the geek gadget monger that I am, I see bigger numbers and I think to myself "well, damn, I gotta get the BIG ONE", but then I start to think... you know, I'm only 5' 8"... eye level for me is like 5' 2"... I can't really use an 8' tall tripod unless I carry around a 3' step stool.

So... what's the point?

My fear is that if I get a smaller one that I might later stumble on the situation where I need it and go "Ohhhh THAT'S why I wanted the big one" and then kick myself for having a small (cough) tripod.

"Real" tripods are used by "real" photographers. "Real" photographers carry around a(n) (often collapsible) stool for precisely that purpose!

Buszaj · May 23, 2008

I was at photography convention a few weeks ago, they had a 12 foot tripod. Looked nice too...

rubbertree · May 23, 2008

See? Lots of reasons to have an 8 foot (or higher) tripod!

Iron Flatline · May 23, 2008

Real photographers are 10 foot tall, everyone knows that...

JerryPH · May 23, 2008

Iron Flatline said:
Real photographers are 10 foot tall, everyone knows that...

Ever try using a 5' tripod on stairs? You wish you had a 8-10 foot one, it is the perfect size.

ovjamaica · May 23, 2008

This may be unrelated/non-helpful, but from my experience as a videographer, having a camera at the back of the church that is higher than all of the guests when they stand up can be very helpful.

Others have mentioned times when you might want to get above a certain obstacle, so I guess I'd classify this as one of those obstacles.

randerson07 · May 23, 2008

Dont some of these "real" tripods also allow you to lay the legs flat?

Say you had a large gap you wanted to span you would lay your 10ft legs across and get 20ft of span. I would think that would be a good reason. you could use it as a bridge lol.

Overread · May 23, 2008

maybe = but when the camera is in the middle of this 20ft span how are you going to operate it (like aiming - you can shoot with a cable release, but you can't alter the angle)
not to mention I would never want to put my camera is such a position - very risky)

saltface · May 23, 2008

Overread said:
maybe = but when the camera is in the middle of this 20ft span how are you going to operate it (like aiming - you can shoot with a cable release, but you can't alter the angle)
not to mention I would never want to put my camera is such a position - very risky)

Easy, you just hang from the tripod above the bottomless chasm. I do this on half my shots.

davebmck · May 23, 2008

If you're shooting something like birds, it helps to be able to get the camera up high enough so that you can just look up into it without bending down. Same for moon shots. I think mine goes a little over 6 ft and the ball grip will take it up a little higher. I've used it like this many times.