good budget tripod?

[bla]

hey everyone, my recent strong-as-toothpicks tripod broke on me, surprise surprise... so anyway, i'm on the look out for a good tripod

i know a good tripod is important, the problem is though, i don't know what is a good tripod

basicly something sturdy, stable, and convenient enough so that i can snap on my camera clean and fast?

what do you guys recommend?

thanks a lot in a advance

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

What was your old one like? Do you think you need a better & more durable one...or just a new one? What's you budget like? Do you carry it for long distances?

There are many many cheap tripods. Plastic or aluminum legs with a built-in head. I've got a Velbon...it's OK for what it is...a cheap tripod. It's light and sort of durable but not really that steady....especially if I have to extend the centre post.

If you want something that is strong and sturdy...check out Bogen / Manfrotto. They make all sorts of tripods but they can get very expensive. A good/bad part is that they come without built-in heads. You can get all sorts of different tripod heads. My favorite are pistol grip ball heads but those are expensive...also a big sturdy tripod will be heavy...not good for hiking.

Now there are also carbon fiber tripods...they are both sturdy and light...of course they are very, very expensive.

 

[bla]

thanks mike, my old tripod was one of those things you buy in general electronics stores, that cost me maybe 30 bucks, i don't even know who makes it, needless to say, i wasn't thinking too much about tripods back then

i do need something more durable, though sturdiness is less of a concern, i could always try to work with it, and weight is even less of a concern

my budget is pretty low though, i'm hoping to find something in the 60 to 70 dollar price range, which i think puts me too low for a bogen, which i hear makes great tripods

 

[thebeginning]

i have a velbon too actually. it's ok, like you said, but not very sturdy. it's almost best to not go 'cheap' with a tripod and to go ahead and save up for one that will do the job well. what kind of camera are you using? if you have a large digital or film SLR and use long lenses, a nice sturdy tripod is a must. if you use a point and shoot digital, you can use something much, much smaller and cheaper. if you do have arger equipment, though, a bogen or manfrotto is probably a good idea.

 

[bla]

i have a sigma sa9, it's not very heavy, so i might or might not get a bogen, but thanks for the responses