Why do photographers spend so much $ on tripod?

[zeroskillz]

One way to think about a tripod is that it is one item in your kit that you likely won't need to replace in the next 20-30 years... unless you buy a crappy one.

Now that's a great point!
(not that the others aren't)
Helps me persuade my cheap-ass side.

I bought one awhile back for around $70. It's decent, but I'll probably replace it at some point.

 

[Johnboy2978]

For a long time I used a quantaray that was just under $100. I bought it for my wife as she was into photography long before I was. So, I wasn't sure either why you should spend more on one. After all, it's just 3 pieces of metal/aluminum/alloy with adjustable legs right? After I got into the hobby, I found the limitations of it. Like others said, it wasn't that sturdy, it would droop and wouldn't stay locked and the controls were right in the way. I used cash from photo jobs to upgrade my gear, and after getting a few nice lenses and a better digital body, the tripod was the next to be upgraded. I researched a bit and decided on a Manfroto/bogen 190XBPro and a 322RC2 pistol grip. Man, what a difference. It's rock solid and the pistol grip ball head is so much better than the cheap plastic pan/tilt head of the sub $100 Qauntaray. I could see and feel the difference immediately. Like everything else, the law of diminishing returns seems to apply to tripods. I think there is a significant difference between this Manfroto setup and those of lesser price/quality, however, I can't imagine spending much more than $300 on a tripod that will last for many many years. The only exception to that is if you are looking for sturdy but lightweight like a carbon fiber model. You could just prop your camera up on a stack of phonebooks if you want, but like others have said, if you spend $1-5k on a body and an equal amount on a lens, you are foolish to prop it up on a $30 tripod that is more suited for a point/shoot camera.

 

[DWS]

always begin with a solid foundation .....and in the case of tripods, solid does not equal inexpensive

 

[a1157814a]

ok i get the point people lol
thanks.

 

[ruaslacker2]

Check this tread out...
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/buy-sell/148555-fs-manfrotto-bogen-tripods-heads.html

 

[andrew99]

I researched a bit and decided on a Manfroto/bogen 190XBPro and a 322RC2 pistol grip. Man, what a difference. It's rock solid and the pistol grip ball head is so much better than the cheap plastic pan/tilt head of the sub $100 Qauntaray. I could see and feel the difference immediately.

I just bought the exact same kit! I'm very happy with it, and the quick action grip ball head is just awesome!

190XPROB322RC2 Bogen - Manfrotto 190XPROB Black Tripod Kit with 322RC2 Grip Action Ball Quick Release Head & Tripod Case

 

[SpeedTrap]

Quality cost money.
The reason I spent over $250 on tripod and head is the adjustability, stability and build quality.

I do not want to put thousands of dollars worth of gear on a $30 tripod.

 

[Enem178]

I almost found out the hard way. I have a $30-40 tripod that works fine with my dsc-h3 but when I put the 40d on it the camera was actually too heavy for the locking mechanism and it was almost disastrous. Point is im buying another tripod asap!!

 

[Josh66]

I think 90% of the time you get what you pay for. Sometimes you get lucky and find a great deal, but that's rare.

I think I spent around $300 (Manfrotto head and legs) on mine. I like the head, but I find the legs to be a little lacking. They're not quite as tall as I'd like (probably about 5 feet without the center column extended, 6 with it up), and it's not quite as stable as I want without opening the legs up to at least the middle position (but then you loose a little height).

I can see my next set of legs costing as much as I paid for the whole combo I have now.
Then I'll need to buy another head so I don't have half a tripod sitting around...
I expect the total cost to be in the $4-500 range...

Who knows when I'll be able to get that...