Tripod advice

bigeoino

My birthday's coming up and was thinking of asking for a "good" tripod (for a 400D - at the moment...:) ) mainly to be used outside so rough fields, weather proof etc. etc.

Any advice?

I've looked around the web and the key points seem to be

• Stability & Anti-vibration qualities
• Load carrying capacity (my biggest lens is a 300mm one)
• Height range (I am around 195cm so want a reasonable sized one)
• Leg lock and operational issues
• Construction quality / durability
• Weight

and last but not least

• Cost

Looking around the following appear to be recommended:-

• Bogen ProBall and Bogen Workhorse; Bogen 3050;
• Manfrotto 075
• Benbo Treker, #1?

with mixed reviews on Gitzo

And finally, after all that, are they cheaper in the US - heard that the benbo is cheaper in the UK...?

Thanks in advance for all your help?

mathias

Tripods have a lot of trade offs , for instance if the tripod is too light , then its unstable , but too heavy and its a pain to be carrying around ,

The Manfrotto 075 is a beast of a yolk , very very heavy and really , in my opinion , only good for studio work , I personally wouldnt like to be carrying that around all the time.

For me the one I settled on was the 190XPRO ,

http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/offonce/pid/13145/lang/en

Its small enough to strap to by backpack , its not too light , not too heavy either , and it has a centre column and lock mechanism that can be positioned any way you can think off , so getting macro shots close to the ground is as easy as getting landscape shots with it. Each of the legs can be independantly placed as well , which can be really useful for hillside shots and the like.

The tripod costs about 100 euro without a head.

Paulw

I have a Manfrotto 055ProB tripod. It's a bit heavier than the 190. Very sturdy.

I use the Manfrotto 322RC2 ball head. Very flexible and easy to move around, and yet very sturdy. I've used it with a 1D MkIII with a 300mm f/2.8 mounted on it.

Just some more options for you.

Borderfox

I use a Manfrotto 055xprob with the 222 joystick head and I am very happy with it. Not too heavy and not too light.

digitalage

Gitzo are cream of the crop when it comes too tripods, I have a gitzo 1340 and a manfrotto 190D, totally different league. If cost is a problem then the manfrotto range is a good compromise.

Borderfox

I thought the 190 was good till I got the 055 tripod, big difference

mathias

The 190XPro is a totally different design to the 190 , just to point out. Way better tripod.

I have a Gitzo carbon fibre as well , it was given to me , but it doesnt have anything like the flexibility of the manfrotto and the price was horrendous , 585 euro !!

fguihen

mathias wrote: »

Tripods have a lot of trade offs , for instance if the tripod is too light , then its unstable , but too heavy and its a pain to be carrying around ,

The Manfrotto 075 is a beast of a yolk , very very heavy and really , in my opinion , only good for studio work , I personally wouldnt like to be carrying that around all the time.

For me the one I settled on was the 190XPRO ,

http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/offonce/pid/13145/lang/en

Its small enough to strap to by backpack , its not too light , not too heavy either , and it has a centre column and lock mechanism that can be positioned any way you can think off , so getting macro shots close to the ground is as easy as getting landscape shots with it. Each of the legs can be independantly placed as well , which can be really useful for hillside shots and the like.

The tripod costs about 100 euro without a head.

What advice then do you offer for picking a head for this tripod? I have a rubbishy 40 quid tripod that well, isnt the best and want to upgrade

Borderfox

Depends on what you use the tripod for. IMO if its for landscape a three way is grand and for macro a heavier tripod with a very solid easily positionable head would be better. for macro I generally use a 5d with a 100mm lens and the 055 is great for this.

GristlyEnd

I have the 055ProB with a 322RC2 head. It's a great combination for most work. I will probably buy another head as the 322RC2 is not steady enough with a 300mm f/2.8 lens.

Another one worth considering is Benro. I've heard goods reports about them and there are some good prices on eBay.

Paulw

DarrenG wrote: »

I will probably buy another head as the 322RC2 is not steady enough with a 300mm f/2.8 lens.

Is the Nikon lens heavier than the Canon? - edit: Just checked. The Nikon lens is 320g heavier.

Mine is fine and stable with the 300mm f/2.8 (same tripod and head).

majiktripp

I whole hearidly recommend the Manfrotto 190XPro tripod, not too light , but definately not too heavy. got it from a German seller at christmas for €200ish so I was happy with the price. Just ordered a carry case for it today aswell.
I have heard very good reviews and much praise for the Slik 700X tripod, info here
http://www.slik.com/pro/4906752105122-e.html

Paulw

Not wanting to hijack the thread, but can anyone recommend a carry case for the Manfrotto 055ProB tripod?

rymus

manfrotto neotec.. it's your only man

mathias

What advice then do you offer for picking a head for this tripod? I have a rubbishy 40 quid tripod that well, isnt the best and want to upgrade

That really depends on the shots , most of mine require a pan and tilt head , so I use an 804RC , got it at the same time as the tripod , from here , ( click on ireland to get taken to the product)

http://www.technikdirekt.de/main/en/foto/fotodigital/stative-zubehoer/stative/141778/-/Article.html?

pan and tilts are great for landscape and macro or anything not likely to move too fast ,

I also have a ball and socket pistol grip 222 , which is for fast moving stuff ,( birds , cars , panning shots and so on ) bitch to keep level though !

Heres a rough guide to heads

http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?article=112105_2&op=academy_new

bigeoino

Thanks a lot for all this - obviously it's a compromise between Quality/ Cost/ Weight and so it looks like it'll be the
Manfrotto 055ProB and 322RC2

The EUR 410 pricetag puts Manfrotto Stativ Neotec on the wish list

Cheers

stcstc

i have a 055 XproB and a 804rc2 head

Although it is quite heavy

its great, solid

one nice thing too its actually quite a tall tripod so i dont hve to bend as much, :-)

JMcL

The Manfrotto 190s and 055s are quite nice (the 055 now also has a version where the centre column can swing around easily to the horizontal). Of the widely available options they're probably the best.

The absolute best are Gitzo, but the prices are outrageous. Yes you get what you pay for, but I'm never 100% convinced when I look at Gitzo tripods. If you have money to burn though, got for it!

Having recovered from pricing the Gitzos, I recently went for a Feisol CT-3442 with a Feisol ballhead and levelling base. It doesn't work out particularly cheap, the whole lot came to just under €400, then customs took their cut of another €100 odd. Having made the mistake of buying 2 tripods which ended up being not at all ideal, I decided to splash out and get something which will last. So far I'm very happy with it. The whole lot weighs around 2kg, the legs on their own are just over 1kg, and without the levelling base it'd be around 1.5Kg. Build quality seems excellent, and it's easy to set up. The levelling base is excellent for landscapes. I'll post a longer review when I get out and about to make proper use of it (haven't had a proper chance yet)

But to get back to Bigeoino (at 195cm - well named!). All the above will be quite low for you. My Feisol is 142cm fully extended, and with head and camera on top is the perfect height for me (182cm). If you don't want to bend over all the time, you might want to look for something which extends a bit more. It's typically not a good idea to rely on extending the centre column for height. I only ever did it on my old Velbon when absolutely necessary, and it was pretty unstable.

jank

Can anyone recommend a tripod for about 50 ish euro?
looking at pixmania but really dont have a clue what im looking for

Borderfox

Three toilet roll tubes and sticky back plastic Maybe try to get a mini tripod or a Gorillapod small tripod for under €50 as the large tripods for €50 are s**t

JMcL

jank wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a tripod for about 50 ish euro?
looking at pixmania but really dont have a clue what im looking for

You really do get what you're paying for in a tripod, and trust me, having personal experience here, if you spend €50, you'll end up replacing it - probably sooner rather than later.

You don't say what kind of camera you have, but if it's an SLR (ie relatively heavy), I'd look at something like the Manfrotto 190 (that one has a decent head included as well), but at the very least something like this (though I had a look at this and though it a bit lightweight and flimsy). It sounds like a lot of money, but it's less that the cost of practically any lens beyond the kit lens, and if the lens isn't kept steady when taking the shot, you've defeated the purpose from the off.

jank

How about this one?

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/547086/art/velbon/sherpa-600-tripod.html

What does one look for in a tripod? Is it weight and sturdyness?

Thirdfox

Sorry guys but I really don't see the point of spending more than 5 euro on a tripod (apart from getting a ball head to allow greater ease to compose the exact shot quicker than with the 3 way lever system).

Here's an example shot taken with my 5 euro tripod (click on the thumbnail to see the original size versions).






These were photos taken over 23 minutes each - and steady as a rock (in my opinion). To be fair I had a problem once when shooting near a cliff and the tripod was too light to hold in the gale force winds but I doubt a manfrotto would have done much better - in the end I just leaned the tripod against a large rock and it was fine.

Most photographers will not be mounting a 500mm f2.8 prime on a tripod but something like their basic 18-55 or standard telephoto 55-200 etc. Such an expensive tripod isn't justified at all in my opinion.

JMcL

jank wrote: »

How about this one?

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/547086/art/velbon/sherpa-600-tripod.html

What does one look for in a tripod? Is it weight and sturdyness?

I had a Sherpa 250 previously, and I was ultimately not too happy with it. My main problems were that it wouldn't go very low, though this doesn't seem to be a problem with the one you're referring to. I also kept losing the rubber ends on the legs in mud, rivers etc, and a couple of other smaller bits broke. I also wasn't overly keen about the pan and tilt head, though this is a personal preference, and it's perfectly functional.

I'll temper that by saying that my tripods get a fair bit of abuse - they're regularly plonked in the sea, rivers, and muck of all sorts. The Sherpa to be fair to it is fairly sturdy, and it did serve me well, despite the odd string of expletives when wrestling with it with cold hands. The 600 should if anything be better. For that price though, I'd still be tempted by the Manfrotto 190 + head

Your main thing for a tripod is sturdiness. After that, it's trying to balance this sturdiness with weight and how much you can afford. You can buy a wooden tripod relatively cheaply. It'll be rock solid and look lovely, but will weigh a ton. You can remortgage and buy a Gitzo, and it'll be sturdy and very light. The tricky thing is to find a decent compromise. From the ones I've seen, and I've looked at a lot, The Manfrotto 190 (or 055 - bit more expensive and heavier) are about the best compromises

man1

Are slik tripods any good?
Had a look at their website (http://www.slik.com/) and it is not very professional so that put me off first of all!!

JMcL

man1 wrote: »

Are slik tripods any good?
Had a look at their website (http://www.slik.com/) and it is not very professional so that put me off first of all!!

They've got a good reputation, though I don't know too much about them personally. And if you think that website's bad, have a look at Feisol, which I eventually bought. Thankfully their tripod engineering abilities are far in advance of their web design abilities

Thirdfox

If you insist on spending big money on tripods then I hear Benro are also pretty good for their Gitzo clones.

Dades

Thirdfox wrote: »

Most photographers will not be mounting a 500mm f2.8 prime on a tripod but something like their basic 18-55 or standard telephoto 55-200 etc. Such an expensive tripod isn't justified at all in my opinion.

I'm inclined to agree. I bought a cheap-ass one in Argos as a stop-gap, but it does everything a tripod should. It may not stand up in high winds - but that's because it's light. And because it's light I don't mind carrying it places where I wouldn't a sturdier model. That's a personal compromise I guess.

JMcL

Thirdfox wrote: »

If you insist on spending big money on tripods then I hear Benro are also pretty good for their Gitzo clones.

I did think long and hard about them as well, but they appear to be a bit of a lottery quality wise, with ebay sellers flogging off outdated stock. I believe the latest Benros are pretty nice pieces of kit though, if you can get the right one!

Thirdfox

Well I would be buying them from the local Chinese shops if I were ever inclined to spend large amounts of money (I use online for small purchases only).