Tripods - What are you using?

[ronlane]

I use one of the Vanguard tripods as well. I bought the SBH-200 head for it a few weeks latter.

 

[jsecordphoto]

I have a vanguard alta pro 263 with the sbh100 ball head. I really like it, and it fits nicely on my camera bag for hiking. I am looking into picking up another, more stable tripod for using my new tamron 150-600 though. The vanguard is great for everything else but with the tamron attached its not quite sturdy enough

 

[Scatterbrained]

My primary tripod is the Sirui R4203L, with a Bencher Majestic geared head.

Sirui R 4203 L by tltichy, on Flickr
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My travel unit is an old Giottos with an Acratech GP head.

 

[JustJazzie]

Hubby bought me this one a while ago. It's nice enough for now. My biggest complaint with it is that ball head. When I have my long lens on it, and I secure the ball where I want it when I let go it "falls" sometimes as much as 1/2 my image gets lost. So, I have to frame up and hope it lands where I want it.


Amazon.com : SIRUI T-005 5-Section Aluminum Tripod, Max Height 51-inch, Supports 8.8 lbs, Blue : Camera & Photo

 

[runnah]

Ball heads suck in my opinion.

 

[KenC]

Manfrotto 055x + 496 ball head

The trick with ball heads is to get one at least a size bigger than you should need based on the weight of the camera/lens. I did that and don't have any problem with framing except for magnifications beyond 1:1, where nothing works well other than focusing rails. I find the basic ball heads (no release plate) easier to handle, with fewer parts to fail, and also they're cheaper.

 

[JustJazzie]

Ball heads suck in my opinion.

Ball. Head. Suck.

I'd better leave before I pull this thread off topic.

 

[weepete]

I use a Velbon Sherpa with a quick release 3 way pan head

 

[runnah]

3 way pan is all you need. Anything else can be fixed in post.

 

[usayit]

Bogen 3021pro
Manfrotto 3021s
Cullmann Magic 2
Sirui T005

 

[qleak]

A Manfrotto 055xb with a bogen 3030 pan-tilt head... I've come to realize it's a bit heavier duty than I need, I'll probably get a lighter duty one too.

 

[pixmedic]

Ball heads suck in my opinion.

I use a ball head on the monopod, but a pan/tilt on the tripod.
Not a fan of ball heads on the tripod, although I have been tempted to try one of those pistol grip heads.

 

[JTPhotography]

Ball heads are the best, assuming you get a good sturdy one........induro, really right stuff, arca swiss, and a few others.

Price doesn't always equate to solidity, but always to quality.

I can make a recommendation for someone wanting an inexpensive, qualitly tripod with a ball head. Smith Victor with a BH8 head. This BH8 is so good I have resisted purchasing one of the 500 dollar big daddies. I think they are about 50 bucks new. The only problem is that the plate screw keeps breaking. SV has been great with customer service so as long as they keep it working for me, I will keep using it. I make sure I have an extra in the bag if I need it.

 

[Derrel]

I use an old Bogen 3051 "automatic tripod" most of the time. It is now called the Manfroto 058B. I goes quite low, and pretty high, and is very stable, but more important to me than height or stability-it is FAST and EASY to adjust, which is for me, the reason it is the best tripod for me, for people type work, and also whenever I want to shoot with a tripod but also want lightning fast set-up and QUICK, easy height adjustment. I use a tripod not so much for camera support on long exposures, but more for 1) framing 2)repeatable framing 3)supports the weight of a heavy camera/lens combination 4) allows me to look at the subject with my own two eyes, not while looking through the lens, and to shoot when the timing is right.

I have a newish 3-section carbon fiber Gitzo imitation I have had for a couple of years, nice and light, easy to pack, but has twist-lock legs, so it's slow to set up and slow to adjust.

This video shows the automatic tripod for a bit in the middle.

 

[petrochemist]

My everyday tripod looks pretty similar to Heather's new one, but only cost me £7 new. Not fantastically stable, but lightweight and adequate for many shots.

For long lenses I use an old Manfrotto 058 Triaut, with a decent Gitzo fluid head. As Derrel said It's strong, steady, quick to adjust & has a great height range. However it's heavy, if I had to carry it a mile I'd know about for days afterwards! It only comes out of the house if I'm doing extreme telephoto or seriously low light stuff.

As an intermediate I have a Unilok 1500 with a reasonable Benro ball head. It took a while to get used to the bagpipe type construction of this one, but once I'd learnt to kick the legs out I found it to be an excellent design. Very flexible in where you can put the camera & tripod feet, and fairly sturdy despite a managble weight. It usually lives in the car so I can grab it for macro or occations where the lightweight one isn't enough.