Which tripod and flash for my D40?

pm63 · Feb 23, 2008

Hello all,

I'm looking to buy a tripod and flash for my Nikon D40. I am on a tight budget.

I know that any tripod will do, as they all have the same screw sizes (I think?) but I want something that will expand to at least 1.5m and not weight much. I found this one on Amazon, and the reviews seem to suggest that it would be fine for a beginner doing long exposures:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hama-Star-T...ef=pd_sbs_ce_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1203763134&sr=8-10

As for flash, I'm mainly going to be using it for action sports shots so it needs to be pretty powerful, and as a fill-in/bounce flash for occasions. I have been reccomended the Vivitar 285HV as well as others, but I discovered some of these output very high voltages that would fry modern DSLRs, so I'm a little worried about buying before seeking help. I would also like to be able to trigger the flash remotely, do you need a special extra mechanism for this?

If you guys could point me in the right direction for either of these that would be awesome.

Craddosk · Feb 23, 2008

As for a flash, what about a Nikon SB-400/600/800?

In terms of tripod, buy something that is quality, and it should last you many years.
For remote flashes, I think you need the wireless transponder from Nikon, though I think there are several aftermarket options.

Someone with more info will hopefully chime in.

SommarShade · Feb 23, 2008

First things first, you mentioned sports and action shots.

for action shots you have to figure out whether you can deal with the 500/sec shutter speed problem with the wireless flash options.
(some only synch to 250/s !! Yikes)

If its fast enough for you you have lots of options, if not , then you have to
get a battery pack and regular strobes.

pm63 · Feb 24, 2008

Thanks for the replies.

I will mainly be doing skateboarding photography with the flashes, and the standard shutter speed for that is 1/160th (but I like to round it up to 1/200th) so 250th shouldn't be a problem. So I have lots of options, you say? I probably won't go for a Nikon speedlight as the range is limited and expensive. I will probably be buying the flash second hand, by the way.

As for tripod, I'm considering spending twice as much, which still isn't that much, and getting a Sony tripod instead, better quality and should last me longer.

What do yo guys think?

jshelto3 · Feb 24, 2008

The tripod in your link looks exactly like the one I've seen at Wal-Mart. Many people doubt the durability of those. Just a heads up.

Dioboleque · Feb 24, 2008

jshelto3 said:
The tripod in your link looks exactly like the one I've seen at Wal-Mart. Many people doubt the durability of those. Just a heads up.

I just recently got this tripod from walmart. I've never used any other tripod, but this one is a real pain in my opinion, and must explain why they can get so expensive. You get what you pay for.

table1349 · Feb 24, 2008

Anyone interested in purchasing a tripod should read this article. http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

You do not need to spend the kind of money Thom Hogan does, however he makes some very good points. For under $300 you can pick up a tripod and head that should last you a lifetime of use with most equipment except super-telephoto lenses.

brileyphotog · Feb 25, 2008

Are you planning on using a tripod for skateboard photography?

Also, I'm curious to know who told you 1/160 of a second was fast enough (let alone standard) to shoot skateboarding, considering that in my experience 1/160 is too slow to freeze the motion of a distance swimming event, let alone your average fliptrick. I got a nice sharp picture of a guy doing a blunt at 1/500 once and that was only because I caught him right at the perfect moment where he is absolutely still.

SamSt · Feb 26, 2008

Hey,
When you're shooting skating it helps to have more then one off camera flash. On camera flashes are not needed at all.
Here's a lot of good info:
http://forums.skateperception.com/index.php?showtopic=52674

http://forums.skateperception.com/index.php?showtopic=88053

http://forums.skateperception.com/index.php?showtopic=60640

If you have question or anything feel free to PM me or something

pm63 · Feb 29, 2008

Are you planning on using a tripod for skateboard photography?

Also, I'm curious to know who told you 1/160 of a second was fast enough (let alone standard) to shoot skateboarding, considering that in my experience 1/160 is too slow to freeze the motion of a distance swimming event, let alone your average fliptrick. I got a nice sharp picture of a guy doing a blunt at 1/500 once and that was only because I caught him right at the perfect moment where he is absolutely still.

I might use the tripod for some skate shots, but mainly for landscape (I've already gotten a tripod).

Many people have told me that 1/160th is a minimum standard for skate... I've seen lots of pictures taken at that speed and all are fine. That's a minimum speed though, many people do 200th-300th. I'm surprised it took you 1/500th to freeze a blunt... I'm SURE you could have gotten away with less than that! LaFoto recently froze water at 1/200th (check the General Gallery). It probably isn't enough to freeze a distance swimming event because of all the water droplets you have to freeze.

Check out this page. All of her skate photos are taken at 1/160th:

http://flickr.com/photos/learic

Hey,
When you're shooting skating it helps to have more then one off camera flash. On camera flashes are not needed at all.
Here's a lot of good info:

Thanks for those links! They are incredibly useful. I understand how it all works with flashes and stuff, but I don't understand all of the technical details like WHICH flashes to get for my D40 or how to trigger them remotely. Will have a read of those links and post some questions if I still don't understand