Tripods - What are you using?

[JoeW]

So in another thread I stated about my sad, very sad experience with Amazon with the d7100, well in the chat with them about the "scam," they offered me a full refund and aloud me to order anything I wanted within a certain price range and get 1 day shipping, free! Also added an extra month on my prime account. Score.


ANYWHO, I decided to get this tripod. Just received it today. I have been using a very old video camera (that takes tapes!) tripod that my parents owned before I was even born. Decided it was time for a new one. This one has many features, I didn't even know existed...

DET_0214 4 by heather.koch43, on Flickr

DET_0218 4 by heather.koch43, on Flickr

DET_0219 4 by heather.koch43, on Flickr

DET_0220 4 by heather.koch43, on Flickr

DET_0223 4 by heather.koch43, on Flickr

DET_0222 4 by heather.koch43, on Flickr


What does everyone else use?

Do NOT get this tripod. Or since you got it, please return it. I"m sure it's fine for a video camera b/c you can pan in a smooth line with it. But stability for a tack-sharp photo with a long exposure--that dog won't hunt.

First basic rule for a tripod: they can do many things, emphasize many traits (like fold up small for carryon or be light weight for hiking or have spikes for uneven ground and wind or a tilting middle column for macro and food work or a level for architectural work or allow you to go to ground level) but the first most basic rule of a tripod is that it needs to keep your camera steady. If you're shooting with a DSLR and do an exposure of 1-2 seconds (to...blur water...or shoot at dusk), this tripod will NOT keep your camera steady. And if you attach a 200mm f2.8 or 400mm zoom....you'll be shaking in the wind. If a tripod won't keep your camera steady/rock solid still, it's a complete waste (unless you want to use it to beat off the photographer groupies who follow you around...oh, sorry, just a dream on my part). Seriously, it's just dead weight if you carry it and it does other things but won't keep the camera steady and this one won't.

To answer your question: I have multiple tripods and "stabilizing devices." I have two manfrottos (one that will fit in my carry-on luggage). I have a gorillapod. I have a cheap REI device that puts a camera 3-5 inches off the surface but travels easily and works well for uneven ground. I have a clamp (that will attach to a chair or a car window or 2x4 or light stand. I have a beanbag. I have a monopod. I sometimes use bungee cords when I'm out in the field. Different tool for different situation.

My suggestion is to go to a reputable camera story and try out their tripods. And think about how you're going to use the tripod...mostly hiking? Or in a studio? Or taking it on airplanes? Shooting wildlife? Sunsets/blue hour shots? The type of shooting you'll be doing (and the circumstances) will dictate what type of tripod you get.

 

[D-B-J]

Currently? A vanguard Alta pro 263 with SBH100 head. It works... But I'm in the process of trying to upgrade the head to a ReallyRightStuff BH40 ball head and some proper CF legs.

 

[Derrel]

SNIP> The type of shooting you'll be doing (and the circumstances) will dictate what type of tripod you get.

See, THAT is the crux of the whole tripod issue, right there! There is no one, best tripod material, no one best size, no one best design. There is a place for the $49, lightweight, permanently mounted pan-and-tilt head, square-channel aluminum tripod, like the kind made for years by Slik, and sold at low-end places for the last three decades; for the occasional Christmas or family group shot, done with self-timer, that is all the tripod one needs. Same for just a few shots done on a walkabout, where the speeds might be 1/15 second with a zoom lens with an extension tube or close-up filter added...the tripod is more for stability, to keep the framing, and to steady the camera somewhat. NOT every tripod needs to be capable of bucking a sea breeze for the duration of a 3-minute twilight shot done with a 10-stop Neutral Density filter screwed in place! For hiking, a 4-section design makes the 'pod much shorter overall than a 3-section 'pod, but slows down setup and adjustment; for portraiture, a 2-section 'pod speeds up set-up and adjustment because there are only three individual leg locks that need to be monkeyed with, and not six, or nine leg locks.

 

[JerryVenz]

YES, Derrel! I agree the old Bogen 3051 is still my favorite of my 4-tripods. The AUTO-LEG adjusting feature is the best, old idea unique to Bogen, ever invented for the tripod. I have the Bogen Ball Grip Head on this one most of the time. (Another GREAT Bogen invention)

I have a Bogen 3036 super tall tripod for high work. I'm 6'2" and I have to be on a ladder to use this one.

Also have a Manfrotto 055MF3, Mag-Fiber ( Magnesium-Carbon Fiber) tripod. With its ball head this one was over $600.00. My wife MADE me buy this one for weddings--since she usually carries the wedding tripod around!

Then for our trip to Italy I bought the Bogen compact DIGI-TRIPOD--When I bought this one I told all my photographer friends that I had left ALL THINGS ANALOG BEHIND….I EVEN HAD A DIGITAL TRIPOD!

 

[Derrel]

There's a lot of on-line talk about lenses and cameras, and which ones do what the best, for the least money, etc,etc,etc.. But there is not a lot of discussion about tripods, and much of the on-line tripod talk is from people who want a lightweight, relatively small, portable, yet sturdy tripod that packs well, and which keeps the camera steady and safe on long exposures. In other words, a hiking/landscape tripod. The Bogen 3051, now the Manfrotto 58B, is an entirely different animal than any other tripod; it is as far as I know, the only "automatic" locking/unlocking tripod on the market; I believe the design is totally, 100% patented and locked up, so to speak.

For most people, who do want the smaller, lighter tripods, I think the choices center around leg lock type: twist lock or flip lock? and leg sections: how many? 2,3,or 4? and of course, price and weight/height. A lot of tripod talk centers on steadiness and the ability to do long, timed-out exposures. For me, those things are much less important than other factors are. But again, a LOT of tripod talk focuses on criteria that may or may NOT be important to different kinds of shooters, so I think it's worth talking about WHY a tripod is needed before offering a suggestion or following somebody's suggestion and making a purchase.

 

[photoguy99]

Almost nobody talks about how useful a tripod is for self-defense, for instance. I've found that, here, the head may matter more than the legs.

 

[JerryVenz]

Almost nobody talks about how useful a tripod is for self-defense, for instance. I've found that, here, the head may matter more than the legs.

Yep, and a MONO-POD can be a devastating weapon!

 

[Philmar]

so true...I was walking the streets of Mestre near Venice at 5 AM chasing the sunrise and I was being followed by two local toughs apparently sizing me up for a robbery. I had my FLM tripod and remembered I had my spiked feet in my sling bag....as I quickly walked to a safer street I was able to switch out the rubber feet to spike feet and started holding the tripod by the head end. It quickly became a weapon that they realised might lose them an eye.

 

[Lez325]

I use both a Carbon Fibre Manfrotto tripod and a Benro Carbon Fibre Monopod - light & very strong - worth the extra cost for

Les

 

[ntz]

People here spit brands, which is informational, but not that much ... It's probably better to elaborate a bit further what parameters on tripod you're using and why ... so let me start ..

1) My main tripod is sturdy entry level Manfrotto MT190X3 - 2kg, 3 leg sections and 59cm folded length \wo head, 160/135cm height (max/center column down) .. I was considering to upgrade to some carbon MT055x line (like this) but it makes absolutely no sense .. weight is same (this 055 is even bit heavier) and I really want 3-section tripod ... less sections == better .. also the portability is same, folded size is not a meaningful difference (59cm Vs 54cm) .. I've been testing 055CXPRO4, good friend of mine have it .. I was with him many times out on photo hikes so I can compare them based on my experience from the real world - there is NO difference in the meaning of advantage for his ~$350 MT055CXPRO4 Vs for my aluminium ~$175 MT190X3, just none ... I am sticking with my entry level tripod ..

key features: 3 sections, quick locks instead of twist locks (however this in reality probably doesn't play a big role but the speed advantage of setting up a quick lock tripod Vs twist lock tripod is significant), sturdy simple tripod which weights only 2kg without head .. I use a good-old arca-swiss style head, I don't like that MT quick release system .. super stable, the best I've ever seen ..

2) My secondary tripod is carbon MT190GOC4 that in reality I don't use much. I bought it while I was hunted by my GAS syndrome .. 1.35kg weight, 4 leg sections and 45cm folded length \wo head, 147/123cm height (max/center column down). I've originally bought this tripod to achieve a better portability (it's a bit lighter and smaller when folded) but later I've found that sturdier MT190X3 is just more stable tripod which can be set up quicker .. When I go somehwere out with car I don't care, I take my 190X3 if I don't plan to hike long distance .. In reality I've used this secondary tripod only very few times when I was about to hike afoot for long distance and still, when I have this tripod with me I was always thinking if I shouldn't take my 190X3 instead because it's bit higher and sturdier .. This is never the case when it's vice versa and when I have my main beast with me, I never think about if I couldn't take this lighter one with myself ... Only sometimes when going like the freight train uphill

key features: awesome quality made in Italy, shares same ball head with my main tripod (in reality I have only one head), just very nice tripod over-all .. this is just quintessential form of superb build quality and lightness and compactness and still yet good stability ..

3) my super-light-weight tripod is Rollei Compact Traveler No. 1 Carbon Tripod (fancy name, isn't it ) .. 1kg weight including ball head and only 33cm folded. I've bought this tripod because of his size and compactness to fit to my Vanguard messenger bag .. I take this tripod usually on the standard family vacation (abroad) where I don't take my full photography gear. To be honest I didn't use it much yet but the size and lightness and fact, that it fits inside my messenger bag, makes it my favourite tripod. If you wanna to hike all the day long in the beautiful historical Italien cities only with your messenger bag where everything fits including tripod - which you usually won't need anyway if you have just a compact camera like my Fujifilm X100F - this is the choice. I had before a Benro Travel Slim but I didn't like the quality and returned it after month.

key features: superlight and small when folded (1kg/33cm), much better and nicer quality than competitors in his range, flimsy but again above average in his class ..

So these are my tripods .. I think it's better and more informational to refer to tripod including a key features and parameters rather than just spit a brand name. Ofc there are certainly super-expensive brands but I don't think those brands will give you a much advantage over the trusted brands that are not overpriced ..

regards, ~d

 

[DPKnowlton]

Induro C414 with a nice ball head or a Wimberley Version II gimbal mount. It is big and heavy - exactly what I need using a Nikon D850 with the Sigma 150-600 Sports lens (sometimes with the Nikon 1.7 teleconverter). I am thinking of getting a tripod that is more suited to macro photography in addition to the Induro.

 

[Original katomi]

Manfrotto tripods
With a mix of old heavy, and new lighter heads
Combo twin head arm,
I like their modular system
What spec.
The weightiest camera lens combo that I think I will ever own then a head/leg combo to take at least 2 times that amount of weight

 

[Nikon photographer]

I've got probably too many tripods, but my go to tripod is a Velbon Sherpa 750 pro , I've had it over 20 years and it's never let me down, my back up is a Bilora I bought many years ago in Germany.

 

[Sharpshooterr]

As much as I search my local ads, I have never thought of purchasing a tripod used... :headscratch: What an idea!

Heather, used tripods are a great way to go. And unless you need the really latest and greatest, old alloy pods are a great deal. In fact I've never bought a new tripod!!
What do I use?
My most used tripod is an old alloy Vivitar Pro that's older than even your parents! LoL
I paid $50 for it used, in 1975. It's my most used tripod.
For travel I use an alloy Gitzo 026 because it folds to 12".
For everyday hiking and general shooting I have a Gitzo 1542T Carbon fiber wonder pod!
But no carbon wonder will ever replace my old Vivitar pro, that thing is just SOOO SWEET!!!
SS