What to look for in a Tripod

[Noob7_0]

I am starting to do some research on a tripod and I was wondering what features I should look for.

Is it worth spending some money, $100.00?

Is weight something to concider?

Type of head? Are ball heads better then the traditional type or vice versa?

What would be a good brand to look at?

I was looking at the OPUS OT-1018BH at my local shop what do you guys think?

 

[reg]

$100 isn't "some money" for a tripod, that'll get you a decent budget one though.

Velbon and SLIK are decent.

Oh and if you get lucky you might be able to find a used Bogen on ebay for that. That's really what's ideal.

 

[Josh66]

I am starting to do some research on a tripod and I was wondering what features I should look for.

Is it worth spending some money, $100.00?

Yes, probably a lot more than that.

Is weight something to concider?

Yes, but what do you want? Light weight and easily carried around, or heavy and rock solid?
Will you be carrying it, hiking; or will you just throw it in the trunk?

Type of head? Are ball heads better then the traditional type or vice versa?

You'll get lots of varying opinions here. I personally don't like the ball heads, but lots of people love them. The thing I don't like about them (which is the very thing others love about them) is that they move in all directions at once.

What would be a good brand to look at?

I like Bogen/Manfrotto, but I think your options will be very limited there for under $100.

I was looking at the OPUS OT-1018BH at my local shop what do you guys think?

I'm not familiar with that and it doesn't look like B&H carries that brand, so I don't really know anything about that one...

 

[Noob7_0]

Alright thanks guys. Ill be boosting the budget then.

 

[molongneck]

I must agree with others, Bogen/Manfrotto is the way to go. A tripod is like tires on a car, would you trust your life with the cheapest on the market? Probably not. Don't trust the life of you camera with a flimsy 'good deal' tripod. The weight depends on you, how much are you willing to carry? There are other brands than B/M but you can start looking with those and then do some comparisons. Good luck.

 

[Josh66]

How much weight will it need to support?

If you up the budget to the $250-300 range your options will open up considerably (you could still spend much more than that if you wanted to, lol).

Less than $100 and you're not going to find very many good ones (if any at all). Buy a good one the first time and you'll come out cheaper (cheap one + good one 3 months later will cost more than a good one now).

 

[250Gimp]

I agree with what the others have said. If you can boost your budget it would do a lot.

I just bought an Induro AX214 and Manfrotto 488RC2 ball head for for around $375 cdn. after taxes. I intend to have this set up for a very long time though!!

I haven ot had a lot of time to work with it yet, but what I have done I have been very happy with.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jaszek]

I just got the Manfrotto 785B for about $60. It's light and folds to 17" so it fits into my bookbag. I know its not the best tripod but it was able to support my Canon XSI with a 70-300 lens in mild wind conditions and the pictures came out great (I was taking night shots)

 

[table1349]

http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

This should be the first read for anyone looking to buy a tripod. You do not need to spend the kind of money that Thom does, unless you are using the kind of gear he uses. The point is you can buy cheap now, and a little less cheap later, and even less cheap after that, or you can budget for a good setup that will last you for years and years.

 

[William Petruzzo]

I would suggest following all of the previous comments, but shoot for used. Especially if weight isn't really a consideration. Good tripods generally are things that don't get upgraded often. A good one could feasibly last decades, with only head replacements to match your taste.

That's what I did, I found a Bogen tripod from the late eighties and replaced the head. The thing is outrageously tall and rock solid, but because it's so old I only ended up spending about $60 on it, then I found a decent Giottos head for another $80.

So my recommendation is, look for good old stuff.

 

[Noob7_0]

Once again thanks for the comments and advice

 

[pez]

Not being a "pro", I bought a Velbon for about what you've budgeted and have been quite happy with it. I also have an old, old Slik lightweight tripod for when I have to carry the thing a long way, and rather inexpensive monopod that gets the job done as well. If I was paid to gallivant all over the world and shoot photos, I would certainly have some high-end equipment, but I'm happy with what works for me.

 

[Overread]

cats - cats everywhere!

Anyway - with tripods a lot of the choice has to be determined by use - consider these points:

1) weight - a lighter tripod is easier to carry on longer trips (especially if you have heavy other kit to carry - lenses, cameras , tent ). However lighter tripod also means its got less balance when the camera is on top (its centre of gravity is higher therefore its less stable). This can be countered by hanging your bag/kit/rocksinabag off the tripod - most have hooks for this.

2) Carbon fibre tripods are worth the money, though are usually double the cost of a tripod with the same statistics load capacity, height and other statistics. The lighter weight and balance "problem" that many see is often countered by the about point 1 - often this is easy as people that go for carbon fibre are usually carrying a lot of other kit with them

3) usage - what are you going to use your tripod for? Landscape shots, macro, fast moving cars, wildlife etc.... work this out and it can help you aim for a tripod best suited to you

4) Usage with regard to heads - tripod heads are even more defined by what usage you will be needing - a 3 way head is great for landscapes, but not so good for tracking fast moving birds in the sky -- in counter a ballhead is great for birds, but less suited to landscaping (especially panorama). Often some people will have more than one head for different uses.

5) budget - consider not only your current budget, but how long you are willling/able to save - a cheap tripod today might work for a short time, but won'y be best suited to a long life of hardy use and won't be one to trust to stand alone without falling -- waiting for a better tripod is a good thing

 

[Dionysus]

after having spent so much money on my camera i couldnt afford much else, but knew i needed a tripod. So for now i went to best buy and bought a 40.00 tripod, which suits my needs just fine right now. It's solid, and has never felt flimsy at all w/ my camera on it, which is important, because i want my 700.00 investment to be as safe as possible. It's also very light, and i carry it around in its bag, strapped to my camera backpack.

BUT i understand the need for a good tripod. I got what i could afford now, but I'm starting a photography savings account for everything related to it like lenses and tripods, etc..and I WILL be getting a great tripod sometime in the future. But for now, i don't regret buying what I could afford now. I'm not a rich man...so I have to get things one thing at a time. and sometimes i have to settle for something cheap, until i can get something better later on.

 

[tenlientl]

ATM, an important issue for me is 50mm, extra battery, tripod and extra memory card.

If I was to buy a tripod right now, I think i'll be buying a cheap one too. $200 for a good/reliable tripod is not worth it atm. I would only be using the tripod so the camera's stood still, i'll still be holding it or making sure it doesn't fall off. I don't trust tripods at all anyways. Even those $350 tripods i'm seeing, I fear that my camera will fall, lol