tripod VS tripod

teneighty23 · Jan 6, 2009

Hi everyone, obviously im brand new to this forum, or any photo forum i suppose, and im basically starting out by asking for everyones imput into these two tripods, i have seemed to narrow it down, by these choices its obvious what im looking for, a full hight cheap tripod thats compact and lightweight with fully adjustable legs, but no one in my town has them in stock so im going to have to outright buy it online and want to be happy with my final decision. so here are my choices:

Slik Pro 340DX Tripod Legs (Titanium) - Supports 11 lb (5 kg)

Giottos MT-9241 Classic Aluminum Tripod Legs

Iron Flatline · Jan 6, 2009

I don't know those particular tripods, though a quick search shows that they're not very expensive. Look, in photography you usually get what you pay for. I use Manfrotto tripods. Here's some things that matter to me:

Good feet that screw in tightly and don't get lost the first time I throw the thing into the back of the car

A little hook at the bottom of the center pole, so I can attach a weight (like my camera bag). The weight MATTERS. If you're shooting landscapes at f/11 and 1/4th of a second, even mirror lock-up and a release cable are not enough to ensure against camera shake. This MATTERS. Camera shakes MATTERS. It's why you have a tripod. You want to do cool HDRs and print them large? Well, they need to be EXACT.

A bubble level - so it's even. This matters too - why spend all the money on good lenses and a fancy sensor if you need to crop/rotate the image later in order to level the shot?

A reversible center-pole, so you can hang the camera upside down for better macro angles.

Wide stance - some tripods only open a little bit, you want this thing to be able to sit flat like a waiting spider.

Get the biggest, most monstrous tripod you can reasonably carry. Time and again the stupidest gear decisions people make when it comes to photography is tripods. Everyone (*ahem*... including yours truly) buy three before they finally figure out what the right one was.

teneighty23 · Jan 6, 2009

Thanks for the reply dude, if you seen the tripod i am using right now you would probably shutter, its among the smallest lightest, almost full hight tripods out there. but i KNOW its an unstable piece of junk, but my favorite summer activity is going out on my dirtbike and exploring new areas to photograph, not to mention my summer vacation is spent the exact same way, my vehicle is my backpack, so it must be light enough to carry around on my back, and the one i have does that ok but only can be used calm conditions. so i just wanted something more sturdy but still small and light.

unless i buy two... one for winter in the car and short walks, the other for biking and hiking. myself as a photographer for recreation and art cant justify spending more than $150 on a tripod.

Kwak12r · Jan 6, 2009

I spent a lot of time trying to justify spending big bucks on a tripod set up. I listened to a lot of the forum members and spent some time doing research.
In the end, I spent a lot.....and I do mean a lot... of $$$$
I ended up with a Gitzo GT2530 and a Really Right Stuff BH-55!!!

The ball head is absolutely beautiful and does everything, and more, than what I saw on the write ups!!

I am getting into shooting landscapes and HDRs (found about that on the forum). The tripod issue made sense and I had the means to go all out. I know that I should not have to replace any part of the tripod so I spent the money.

Now I just need to get away from so much work and go enjoy the photography.

Take care!

table1349 · Jan 6, 2009

A good read before buying a tripod. Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan

table1349 · Jan 6, 2009

Kwak12r said:
I spent a lot of time trying to justify spending big bucks on a tripod set up. I listened to a lot of the forum members and spent some time doing research.
In the end, I spent a lot.....and I do mean a lot... of $$$$
I ended up with a Gitzo GT2530 and a Really Right Stuff BH-55!!!

The ball head is absolutely beautiful and does everything, and more, than what I saw on the write ups!!

I am getting into shooting landscapes and HDRs (found about that on the forum). The tripod issue made sense and I had the means to go all out. I know that I should not have to replace any part of the tripod so I spent the money.

Now I just need to get away from so much work and go enjoy the photography.

Take care!

Do us a favor, Keep the receipt for what you paid and when this thing no longer is usable to you, and divide the cost you paid with the number of years you owned and used it and then tell us how much it really cost you. You may be surprised at how cheap it really was.

Kwak12r · Jan 6, 2009

I agree with you 100%!
In fact, you sent that link to me when I first asked about tripods. The article made a lot of sense and was the driving force to spend now.

Iron Flatline · Jan 7, 2009

Great article, forgot about that.

Of course, I use geared heads which I find a more elegant (and stable!) solution than ball heads.

table1349 · Jan 7, 2009

Kwak12r said:
I agree with you 100%!
In fact, you sent that link to me when I first asked about tripods. The article made a lot of sense and was the driving force to spend now.

Thanks, cause I keep referring to the article today.

Kwak12r · Jan 8, 2009

Like you stated though, the costs average out over a lifetime of uses!!
Can't wait to see some of the pictures you take!

table1349 · Jan 8, 2009

Kwak12r said:
Like you stated though, the costs average out over a lifetime of uses!!
Can't wait to see some of the pictures you take!

Quite true. But now I am averaging the costs for three sets of legs and even more heads. I have a nice and nicely heavy studio setup, my general setup and now this setup just for big glass. I think I am about done in this field. I hope.

Rem · Jan 12, 2009

Depends on what you shoot and where. I have a very light Slik I got long ago. Works fine but even so, I am apt to skip it,put a sweater on a rock or a fencepost. I got a monopod recently...like it..also for the mobility. Sometimes the pictures are far from the car.

teneighty23 · Jan 14, 2009

yea that is a pretty good sight, boy the stability test with my tripod, haha, does it move after i compose a shot? oh yea, haha, i have to set up my shot above and then let it settle once its composed, but its just soooooo light. haham o well, i think i may be going for the slik 340DX, comes without a head so i need a head seperately. thanks for the imput folks, is there a spot for everyones portfolios or galleries or anything? i would be interested to take a look.