School me on tripods!

sugo · Feb 9, 2011

I'd like to experiment with some longer exposures and am going to be looking at buying a tripod. Does any tripod work with any DSLR? I am pretty budget conscious, I'd like to spend no more than 300-350 on both tripod and ball head. Can someone recommend something in that range? I will be using it outdoors on farm-type terrain as well as in an urban setting. TIA

photocist · Feb 9, 2011

ive heard great things about manfrotto

dxqcanada · Feb 9, 2011

Most tripods have specs ... light the weight they can hold.
Tripod head also have specs on their load capacity.

Also look at working height and minimum height if you shoot macro.

Remember ... tripods and heads have one job, to be as steady as possible.

example: Benbo Trekker MK3 Tripod Kit with Ballhead and BEN107C B&H Photo

RJT · Feb 9, 2011

This company is awesome ! I have a tripod and monopod of theirs...very strong ,very light and their customer service is great too.

FEISOL USA / North America - Tripods Monopods Ball Heads

RJ.

table1349 · Feb 9, 2011

Everything you will ever need to know about purchasing a good tripod is right here: Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan

flea77 · Feb 9, 2011

The first thing you need to do is figure the answer to a few questions:

1) What is the maximum weight you will be putting on the tripod? This includes body, maybe a grip, battery, lens, hood, flash, etc etc etc.
2) Are there any special requirements such as a specific minimum distance from the ground? Ability to hang out an arm? Need to add weight bags in high wind?
3) How far will the tripod be carried and what will it be carried with?

Here is an example of how I came to my legs and head combo for my DSLR:

1) 5lbs 12oz (Nikon D7000, grip, battery, Nikon 80-200 2.8D, hood, cap, quick release plate)
2) Will be used for macro so close to the ground and "special" situations are a a must.
3) Will be carried on hikes with lots of other equipment to the lighter the better.

This led me to Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 legs as they will support up to 11 lbs (twice my max camera weight, or my max camera weight and a 5lb weight to help stop the wind from knocking it over), these legs also have a center column that will come out and lock at 90 degrees to allow for all kinds of weird angles and positions and only weighed 2.8lbs, I coupled this with a Manfrotto 460MG magnesium RC2 head that supports over six and a half pounds while weighing only 15.5 ounces. The RC2 compatible head also allows me to use the Black Rapid RC2 setup so I can use my camera on my strap or on my tripod without having to worry about taking things loose.

Here is an example of how I came to my legs and head combo for my large format camera:

1) 10lbs (4x5 monorail fully ready to shoot)
2) Extreme stability required.
3) Will never be carried by itself, always transported on a dolly with the camera.

Here I chose a Slik Pro 700DX Tripod with 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head as it supports up to 15lbs and my 4x5 monorail weighs just under 10lbs. It will never be carried far so weight was not a concern. The head works fine because you can release the pan and tilt controls just a tiny little bit which works great on large cameras where the sudden release of tension might completely drop the camera. One of my main reasons was I actually got to test this unit in the store before I bought it and in it's size range it was by far the most stable unit with a load on it in the store, and then when you factor in the price, it was a steal.

Your setup will surely be different but that should give you an idea of how to approach it.

Allan

Josh66 · Feb 9, 2011

Light weight, stable, low cost - pick two.

molested_cow · Feb 9, 2011

Weight is subjective. If the tripod is too light, it may not do well in the wind especially when you have your gears mounted onto it, it will be top heavy. Of course, heavy tripods don't make traveling enjoyable.

The one feature that I like about mine is the lever style quick release for the legs. I've tried the twist ones but don't like them. The lever quick releases are easy to set up and doesn't hurt your hand when it gets too tight.

I've also compared ball head to 3 direction pans. I like the tilt/pans ones better because it allows me to adjust just one direction at a time. The ball head is versatile, but it's a little harder to get all 3 directions at once.

Bitter Jeweler · Feb 9, 2011

If you are going to hike for nature shots, twist leg locks are best. Quick release levers tend to get caught in bushes and stuff.

Destin · Feb 9, 2011

Bitter Jeweler said:
If you are going to hike for nature shots, twist leg locks are best. Quick release levers tend to get caught in bushes and stuff.

Also if you shoot wildlife, twist locks are quieter. The Flip locks on my manfrotto tripod make a fairly loud click when i lock them down all the way, which could potentially scare off wildlife. Not a huge deal, but worth noting.