Need some advice.

delusions · Dec 11, 2011

Hi, My names david and im stupid,
Haha perfect intro, anyways im a beginner at this and i have no idea about tripods,
I made a post and alot of people are super helpful on here so thankyou for that
Anyways i ordered a canon t3i,
My needs in a tripod are to be stable, and in range of 80$
Im going to be using it for Long exposure shots, maybe some filming, alot of outside stuff and possibly some portraits.
And i cant really come up with a good tripod i have looked at alot but i cant really tell if im going to be happy with it,
I understand that a good tripod is 200$ but, im a beginner and its not like i will be uploading professional things, i'd like to learn but i just cant afford the 200$ tripod

So here are 2 tripods i narrowed it down to,
The Vista
And the Voyager
Also if you guys got any recommendations please please reply to the thread,
What im asking you tho for the advice part, is which i should get and what would be some pro's and cons, i need to order it today so it gets here on time with my camera, Thankyou so much!

Dillard · Dec 11, 2011

Hello david! While I'm sure other, more experienced members will chime in, I believe your headed in the right direction. Both have a hook to hang weights for added stability. And both are macro accessible (which is a big plus for me!). I think out of these two the main difference is purely the head style. One has a ball head and the other has a pan head. While it may be preference, I can't help to much here.

delusions · Dec 11, 2011

Thanks alot for the responce ;/ I gota order it within couple hours so i need people to respond haha

delusions · Dec 11, 2011

im kinda reconsidering my budget, everyone is saying what you spend is what you get but, also likea tripod is pretty much for ever, it doesn't break easy, is their any other recommendations with like a 180$ budget? or should i just get the vista and test it out to see if i like it.

WesternGuy · Dec 11, 2011

David, I had a look at what you are proposing and they don't look too bad at first glance. LIke anything else though, you get exactly what you pay for. I have an aluminum Manfrotto that I bought probably 20+ years ago and it is still viable. The only thing that is "wrong" with it is that it is way too heavy, but in a pinch, it's a good backup tripod. I bought a newer Manfrotto carbon fibre tripod with a ball head about 6 years ago and it will probably last me until I am too feable to take pictures. It has been all over North America in my travels and has taken a bit of beating, but has stood up in wind, rain and snow. I would encourage you to think of a tripod as an investment - it will, or should, last a lot longer than any of your cameras and so getting by on the cheap, so to speak, may not be the best strategy in the long run. Depending on how much you plan to use your purchase, I would guess that you will probably replace them in about 4 or 5 years, and maybe that is all that you need for now.

If you are going to use it mainly for long exposures, outdoor stuff and some portraits, then I would suggest that you consider the ball head - maybe buy the tripod and the head separately(?) - on the other hand, if you intend to do a lot of filming, then the "pan/tilt" head may be more to your needs. My 0.02¢ FWIW.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

Added Note from your comment - tripods may not break easy, but they fail at their weekest points, e.g., where the legs join, where the legs join the mount at the top, the snaps or joint clamps can fail, so it is not so much a matter of them breaking, but of them failing because of low quality construction. Believe me, a $180 tripod is not forever, unless of course you do not use it very much - only you know what type of usage to expect and then I find that I always underestimate these sort of things. Have you considered the possibility of used - I don't even know if they are available, but it would not hurt to look.

delusions · Dec 11, 2011

is there any particular products you would recommend ? .

SCraig · Dec 11, 2011

I tend to agree with WesternGuy. I've had cheap tripods and they are just that. I personally prefer Manfroto since they are a very good compromise between budget tripods and expensive tripods. I use a Manfroto aluminum tripod and while it is heavy the difference in stability between it and some of the cheaper ones I've used is very noticeable. Presumably the difference in stability between it and a top-line Gitzo or Sachtler or RRS would be similar but it does what I want.

Whatever you get make sure it will hold at least twice the weight of your camera. By the time you put a long lens on it (and sooner or later you will) you'll need that.

I prefer tripods with only two extendable leg sections. Vibration occurs at the joints and, generally speaking, the more joints the more vibration.

Try to find one close to the height you need without extending the center column. While using the center column is sometimes unavoidable you will be far better off avoiding it whenever possible.

Heads are personal preference. I have a couple of ball heads, I've got a gear head, and I've had pan heads. They all do the job but the levers on pan heads were always getting in my way so I got away from them and primarily use a ball head with fluid damping.

delusions · Dec 11, 2011

Thankyou very much, gota order soon not sure what to get still haha ):

Tony S · Dec 11, 2011

Take a look at a few of these... rebates are available now that give back $25.

Manfrotto 293 4-Section Aluminum Tripod w/ MK293A4-A0RC2 B&H

Manfrotto 190XDB Tripod Kit with 494 Mini Ball Head & RC2

There are just too many choices though and it depends on what you want for a combo tripod and head, so just use the next link and surf to your hearts content to find a good combo set up.
manfrotto head

KmH · Dec 11, 2011

Cheap tripods break pretty easy.

delusions · Dec 11, 2011

haha dang im getting so frustrated ='/

delusions · Dec 11, 2011

how about this one, what kind of head do you recommend with it

WesternGuy · Dec 12, 2011

delusions said:
is there any particular products you would recommend ? .

There are just too many choices out there to even begin to narrow it down and my only experience is with Manfrotto. My advice is that you can not go too wrong buying good quality stuff such as Gitzo (a little expensive), Giottos, Manfrotto, Slik, Velbon, Benro and others. You don't have to buy top of the line pro equipment, but to get a good one, you have to expect to pay about $200 for an aluminum tripod and up to $300 for a carbon fibre unit - you can of course pay a lot more, but I don't think it is necessary. Check out the range of choices on B&H here: Tripod Legs. I think the basic decision that you have to make is whether you want/need/can afford a carbon fibre unit and if not then look for a reasonably decent aluminum one.

As far as a head, I would get a good ball head, unless, as I said, you intend to do a lot of filming, even if you plan to do some filming, a ball head may be suitable - I don't do filming, so I can't really say that much. Again, you should expect to pay between $100 and $200 for a reasonably good ball head. You can of course by a basic ball head for less than $100, and maybe that is the thing to do and then in a few years, you can upgrade the ball head with the same tripod.

My personal equipment consists of a Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 tripod and a 468MGRC0 ball head, but these are probably a bit more than you have budget for at present. Something like this would probably do to start out with: Manfrotto 494 Mini Ball Head w/RC2 QR Plate 494RC2 B&H Photo, but it has no levelling bubble on it like some of the higher priced ones do, but you can get around that, if you need the level by purchasing one that fits in the hot shoe of your camera, or get a simple bubble level at the hardware store and use it. Just be sure that the head (and the tripod) can accommodate the weight that you intend to put on it. I would also strongly recommend that you get a head that has a Quick Release feature, otherwise you will be constantly screwing and unscrewing you camera from the tripod head. Mine does have a quick release, so that if I need to take the camera off the tripod for some reason, I can do that very quickly and then I am shooting hand-held. When finished, I can put it back on the tripod in a few seconds and I am good to go on it.

To go back to your original plan, you could buy what you were looking at - the one with the ball head - with the idea that it will become a backup one in 4 or 5 years, when maybe the cash flow is better and you will have budget for some thing of a improved quality and features. I know, I now have you completely confused - first I say don't go cheapy and then I am saying that it is probably all right...I came to that conclusion as I sat here and typed all this stuff, thinking to myself - "what is wrong with starting out with a less expensive kit, if that is all that he can budget for at this time" - and you know what - there really isn't anything wrong with thinking that way, in my rethought opinion, if you look upon this initial purchase as just that - something that will do for the first little while until the budget improves and you can go after a better quality kit - keep in mind that it may fail in the first few years for whatever reason. Post back if you have any more questions.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

ADDED after Posting: What Tony S has suggested doesn't look too bad either - nice place to start.