tripod and head

[PaulWog]

I'm in the market for a tripod. I was in the market for one last year, but I never bought anything.

I have a Whitehall 35-8A tripod (from the early 60's / late 50's) currently. I'm wondering whether it would be better to invest in a tripod head to put on it, or to just get a new tripod altogether?

Budget: $100-150, less is better. If I can get away with putting a nice head on top of it, I would be happy for now. It swivels back and forth and tilts side to side, but I can't angle the DSLR up and down. I don't have any level readings. It weighs a good 4lbs approximately.

Buying in BC, Canada. Preferably I'll buy locally.

 

[wickie44]

My advice would be to go to a camera shop (if you can and try a few) take you tripod and mix it up a little

 

[JoeW]

I'm in the market for a tripod. I was in the market for one last year, but I never bought anything.

I have a Whitehall 35-8A tripod (from the early 60's / late 50's) currently. I'm wondering whether it would be better to invest in a tripod head to put on it, or to just get a new tripod altogether?

Budget: $100-150, less is better. If I can get away with putting a nice head on top of it, I would be happy for now. It swivels back and forth and tilts side to side, but I can't angle the DSLR up and down. I don't have any level readings. It weighs a good 4lbs approximately.

Buying in BC, Canada. Preferably I'll buy locally.

Be clear about what it is that you intend to use the tripod for. Will you be taking long hikes (so weight is a factor)? Putting it on airplanes (so ideally it would fit on carry-on luggage)? Something that needs to hold a 400mm bazooka that you use for shooting sports or birds? Something you use mostly for shooting architecture and interiors? Or use in windy and unstable conditions (so spikes are a plus)? Using it mostly for food and macro photography (so a center column that goes horizontal or a setup that can put it 2 inches off the ground are possible)? Or are you using it in-studio and need a really good quick-release head so it goes off and on easily and quickly?

I know that your initial preference is to use what you've got and then just tweak it by replacing the head. But start by figuring out what you want the tripod to do (besides the single most critical element of being a rock-solid stabilizer for your camera). Once you've done that, then you're in the position of deciding if your current tripod is workable and what to replace/tweak it with.

I'll say upfront that I have never used a Whitehall 35-8A. But from what I recall of it, it's not especially stable. I believe you could buy a brand new equivalent (in terms of function) for about $40-$60 USD. Now again, my memory may be wrong on this--I may be recalling the wrong gear or tripod. But if I'm right, you're bettering off ditching the Whitehall (or just using it as a light stand) than spending money on it. The only thing worse than having no tripod is to have a tripod that doesn't provide rock solid stability--with the latter you have the illusion of stability while with the former you know you need to compensate or adapt. Again, I could be wrong--we're talking memories of a couple of decades ago. But I really think you should ditch the Whitehall. If you can't afford a good solid base and head then I think you're better off going without until you can afford one.

You can get a good Manfrotto tripod and a head by Benro for under $200 that will be lighter, more stable, more versatile and will be taller (i.e.: not 40-50 inches extended--which is what I recall the Whitehall extending out too). I know that this is more than you were intending to spend. The previous post (about going to a story and trying) is spot on. You may discover that you hate the Manfrotto legs or you want a center column that changes angles or you don't like the quick release panel. You can try locally to test ergonomics. And if you can't buy locally, you can then buy through Amazon (what I've done with 2 of my 3 tripods).