Good tripod for Macro work?

[cannpope]

I would like some recommendations on purchasing a good tripod for macro work. Macro photography is going to be new to me, so I need honest opinions...

THANKS

 

[Buckster]

What you want is a good tripod/head for pretty much any kind of work, then a set of macro rails to put on it for the macro work specifically. I find that a geared head works better for my macro work than a ball head too, because I need the more precise control for dialing in a macro shot, which happens in fractions of a millimeter. I use a Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head for that.

I've got 4 tripods I use for various purposes. My favorite for macro work is a Manfrotto 3205GN3 "Tracker" tripod. My next favorite is a Calumet 7500 series. When I use my geared head and macro rails, I put them on either of those. The reason I use them for the macro work is that they're heavier, sturdier, steadier tripods that flat out don't move or vibrate without some serious force being applied to them. That makes them perfect for the tight DOFs in macro work that require very precise focus and distance to subject steadiness.

Your choice of tripod/head/rails will depend on your budget and what you intend to shoot. Bugs (live ones) tend to move, so tripods don't usually really work well for them (I've had exceptions to that though). You'll want a hand-held solution with accompanying light setup for most bug-hunting, if you do that. But for static things that aren't going anywhere, a solid, steady, tripod solution with geared head and macro rails can't be beat in macro work.

 

[Overread19 7]

Are you starting macro with insects or in-animate objects? Like Buck I tend to find working with a tripod and live insects to be a harder challenge in many ways simply because the subject is much more mobile. There are ways to counter this, but they require a bit more experience and personally I find it easier to start insect macro work with a flash, flash bracket and hunting the devils out.


On the tripod side, I agree with Buck that you want a geared tripod head. The manfrotto Junior Geared head is the best to start with and, for most people, is more than you'll ever need for macro work. Better geared heads are out there ,but they are much larger, heavier and many times over in cost - and for most macro DSLR work they are overkill (many are aimed at heavier medium format cameras).

An idea of your budget for this would help a lot, as well as what lens and kind of subjects that your aiming to go after.

 

[cannpope]

Are you starting macro with insects or in-animate objects? Like Buck I tend to find working with a tripod and live insects to be a harder challenge in many ways simply because the subject is much more mobile. There are ways to counter this, but they require a bit more experience and personally I find it easier to start insect macro work with a flash, flash bracket and hunting the devils out.


On the tripod side, I agree with Buck that you want a geared tripod head. The manfrotto Junior Geared head is the best to start with and, for most people, is more than you'll ever need for macro work. Better geared heads are out there ,but they are much larger, heavier and many times over in cost - and for most macro DSLR work they are overkill (many are aimed at heavier medium format cameras).

An idea of your budget for this would help a lot, as well as what lens and kind of subjects that your aiming to go after.[/QUO

Some insect, but mostly in-animate objects. Budget around $200 if that's even possible???