tripod

[lukeS]

I'm looking to buy my first tripod. I have been into photography for about 9 months now, but I unfortunately live in Detroit so the weather sucks (I like landscape/urban photography). Id like to spend about $150 at the most, and am probably going to buy something used. Any suggestions on a good tripod preferably from Manfrotto?

 

[TATTRAT]

I had good luck with general purpose use out of my ol 728B. I am not sure what they are going for these days, but should be in your range.

 

[pjwarneka]

keep checking ebay. a lot of photographers unfortunately have to sell stuff in the coming weeks. narrow down you choices, set your auto search and be patient, you can grab some smoking deals the minute the weather starts to change.

 

[lukeS]

any models I should keep an on out for. I was recommended the 3221. how about a ball head?

 

[bunny99123]

I bought a ball head with a pistol grip and levels at Best Buy for $60-70. It has worked find for me. It is medium weight which I like, because those heavy ones gets even heavier when carrying them a while.

Some people also use sand bags to keep them sturdy in a wind. Due to budget, I use hand weights that I Velcro around the weight and center of my pod which cost me under $10.

 

[sovietdoc]

I wouldn't recommend a cheap 60$ ball-head for landscape photography.

The only reaon you would need a tripod for landscapes is to shoot sunsets or do long exposures in general. Pistol-grip ball-heads are not stable enough for those kinds of applications and will introduce microvibrations. Of course, it depends what kind of quality you want to get our of your shot, "the best" or just "pretty good".

For long exposure landscape photography I would actually recommend a very heavy tripod because it won't vibrate and move at all, and a regular head with nice 360 degree horizontal panning ability. You can still go for a ball-head, just stay away from pistol grips. They're quick and easy, but vibrate more, unless you want to buy a pretty expensive one.

People might disagree, but this is just my opinion.

 

[dbvirago]

I bought this combo about 5 years ago for $250. I would think you could find similar with a newer model head in your price range used. It has served me well.
Manfrotto 190XPROB 3-SEC. PRO TRPD w/488RC2 HEAD

 

[TCampbell]

I know you said "used", but if you're new to photography you might not know about Camera Mart. They're in Pontiac (on Telegraph Road). There's also Woodward Camera (in Birmingham -- but I think Camera mart has a better selection.) Those two stores are basically the last two "real" photography stores in the Detroit area. Camera mart will have quite a large selection of tripods set up on the floor. They do have a "used" department but I'm not sure if they deal with used tripods.

Also, a ball-head is generally the preferred type of head for still photos (e.g. landscapes). Release one knob and you can move the head any way you like. It's more versatile than a pan/tilt head.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

carbon fibre manfrotto. learn from my mistakes, by the right tripod right out of the gate.

 

[lukeS]

I know you said "used", but if you're new to photography you might not know about Camera Mart. They're in Pontiac (on Telegraph Road). There's also Woodward Camera (in Birmingham -- but I think Camera mart has a better selection.) Those two stores are basically the last two "real" photography stores in the Detroit area. Camera mart will have quite a large selection of tripods set up on the floor. They do have a "used" department but I'm not sure if they deal with used tripods.

Also, a ball-head is generally the preferred type of head for still photos (e.g. landscapes). Release one knob and you can move the head any way you like. It's more versatile than a pan/tilt head.

i am familiar with camera mart and have been to the store. How would this combo be?.... Manfrotto 055xprob with a 498rc2?