Quality Tri pod recommendation?

Trigger76

Hi All,

I use a 7D - I've increasingly being getting some short vid work and my bog standard tri pod is just terrible for panning use. I need to upgrade to something that will allow me to pan, swivle etc in a smooth manner Id appreciate some recommendations.

Thanks
T

sensibleken

what have you got? I use a manfrotto which serves me very well, smooth panning, sturdy build

Trigger76

Im using a cheap and nasty Hama its very very basic , not sturdy , ideally Id like something thats solid enough to hold the weight of the camera with say a 70-200 F4L lense that doesnt require fiddling around with adjusting two seperate screws .... Im thinking something like a ball head that has enough reistance to hold the cam but is easy to move around on all axis if that make sense?

Its strange I know exactly what I want , I can almost feel how I want it to move hahah I just seem to have a hard time articulating it right now...:eek::D Im stuck to a desk and busy all weekend so wont get a chance to get into a camera shop this weekend hence looking for a recommend here

Cheers again T

dave66

I have a Manfrotto too, 141RC head, not designed for video use but smooth nonetheless, it might be an idea for you to call into DML (Western Industrial Estate) as they have a good range of Manfrotto on display, I got mine in Halls of Talbot street some years (11) ago but I guess they still sell them. I mention DML as I was there last week and was impressed by the Manfrotto display.

Trigger76

Much obliged to ya will have a look

Cyrusmekon

IM sporting the Gitzo GT2932EX with G1278M ballhead combo.

High quality build, very light and can take the weight of the lenses you mention no problem.

A good tripod is worth the investment in all honesty.

challengemaster

Unless you've oodles of money to spend on a tripod... I'd avoid a gitzo at all costs. Manfrotto aint cheap either.

Try Slik Pro, I've a 700dx and i really don't see what a gitzo or manfrotto could have better than it. Relatively cheap too

sensibleken

Cyrusmekon wrote: »

A good tripod is worth the investment in all honesty.

+1. Ive nearly had some very costly breakages due to flimsy tripods

NakedDex

A large factor is what your budget is. I recently replaced my two older tripods with an X2 from 3LT with their B3s ballhead. Super smooth panning on the head and a huge load capacity of 12kg. It's also remarkably light given how sturdy it is, despite it being the heaviest of the range (about 2kg with the ballhead), and it folds up to a very tidy size similar to the Giottos Vitruvian.
A nice feature of it is that one of the legs is removable for use as a monopod, for the days when you want to travel even lighter.


It wasn't cheap (about €230), but it certainly wasn't the most expensive option available, and it's perfect for me. Plus, as others have said, it's an investment. I know I'll have it for a long time.

bullpost

I'm in the same boat myself. Got a fairly crappy old Jessops and want to replace it with something sturdier. I wanted something fairly lightweight as I do a bit of hillwalking.

I'm not going to buy for a couple of months yet but I'm looking at this at the moment:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Giottos-Vitruvian-VGR9255-MH5310-630-Aluminium/dp/B003AJHAXS/ref=sr_1_161?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1300969680&sr=1-16

This one is not too heavy, has a quick release mechanism and turns into a monopod as well.

Aramicon

I upgraded from a cheapie tripod to a SLIK pro 400dx but I wish I could have afforded something more robust- the spec is good but the materials are a bit soft, after a bit of use the threading for one of the handles disappeared and adjusting the bolts ruined the shape of their allen-key heads (I hate soft bolts and screws!) They are well priced though, so you get what you pay for, as usual.

Tin Foil Hat

I have a Manfrotto. It's a really good tripod. However, I got one of the 190 series. It's too short, even for me, and I'm only 5'8". Get one of the 055 series instead. You will need a tripod which will be eye hight without the centre column extended. Tripods become quite unstable when the centre column is extended.

There's a good page here worth reading. Don't skimp on a tripod. You'll only end up forking out in the long run anyway.

daycent

For smooth panning you'll need a fluid tripod head (something like the Manfrotto 701hdv) . You could probably get away with "standard" photography tripod legs, as opposed to a full blown video tripod, as the 7D setup is fairly light.