Buying a tripod in Canada

[Big Mike]

That was the one that I thought I wanted. But the more I look into 'serious' tripods...it's not even recommended that you use a tripod with the centre column extended straight up, because it compromises the stability of the camera. So by turning the column horizontal, it's almost like putting it on a springboard, compared to being securely on top of the tripod legs/base.

Of course, it's still going to be better than shooting handheld.

 

[fokker]

Sometimes I really wonder just how solid a tripod has to be. I mean obviously it has to be able to support the gear and it does depend on the exposure time, but I've done 3 minute exposures on my gorillapod in windy conditions with a heavy camera and lens and they are still dead sharp. It would be an interesting comparison actually to shoot the same shot with a really expensive tripod and a really cheap one and just compare the actual difference.