Tripods--out of the mouths of husbands...

[hwblanks]

In our house, the money is divided into his, hers, and ours, with most of the money going into the "ours" pot for joint living expenses and other purchases. My camera gear is bought out of the "hers" pot, which includes my "allowance" from my paycheck + any cash gifts that I might get for birthdays, Christmas, etc. While I do talk some of my gear purchases over with the husband, the final decision rests with me as to what I buy with my money. We've been married for over 9 years now and this system has worked out pretty well for us.

Now that my dad has gotten into photography, I generally tend to discuss possible gear purchases over with him, as he's pretty level-headed and has made some really good choices in building his own Canon kit. He has a way of gently being able to bring me back down to earth when I'm contemplating making a stupid gear purchase. Yes, we've discussed tripods and ballheads; we've settled the ballhead question, but I don't think we've settled the tripod question yet.

As it stands, a new ballhead is a need, as the current one has drooping issues. Being able to use a custom L-bracket with a ballhead would save a lot of headaches when I want to switch the camera between horizontal and vertical views of the same subject, since I wouldn't need to reposition the ballhead. While I do have issues with my tripod, it is less of a need and more of a want, but I figure that if I'm going to get another tripod, I want it to be wise purchase--I'd really rather not have to replace it again.

Other wants...
I want a K7, but...my K20 still works just fine.
I want a longer lens that can do closeup (ie--Tamron 70-20/2.8 or Sigma 180/3.5), but why not put a TC on the DFA100 and go with that?

Dad and I have figured that the best way to curb stupid gear purchases is to go to photography workshops--they eat up a good bit of money and we learn how to use what we already have even better.

Heather

[geauxpez]

Buy the heavier tripod..and make him carry it.

Seriously..like any piece of equipment, buy the best that you can afford that you will use. When I was buying my digi SLR, I opted for the K10d over some less expensive options. At the time I thought that I was splurging a bit, but that I wasn't throwing money away on features that I wouldn't use. Now there is a second generation beyond the 10d and I am still very satisfied with my camera. Even when the time comes to upgrade, I feel that I will have wrung my money's worth out of it. I't won't bother me to either get very little for selling it at that point or to use it as a backup.

[Russell-Evans]

Originally Posted by Ash

I get ya, Heather.
Your hubby can be assured that although technology keeps advancing at an exponential rate, simple essentials like a tripod don't really go out of fashion or get as considered fads.

Tripods are soooo 1999.



Quadropod

Thank you
Russell

[Mike Cash]

Why wipe your butt today when toilet paper may go on sale next week?

[hwblanks]

Originally Posted by Mike Cash

Why wipe your butt today when toilet paper may go on sale next week?

You do make a good point.

Heather

[Confused]

Too many "If's" & "Butts" here for my liking

If I were you, I'd just get totally "legless", then decide !

Best regards
Richard

[Damn Brit]

Have you thought of a monopod for when you're hiking Heather?

[Lowell Goudge]

Originally Posted by Marc Sabatella

Actually, there's a very similar observation in The DAM Book (Peter Krogh) - kind of the Bible of digital image organization. He's talking about disk drives, and suggesting not to buy anything too big, as within a year or two, prices will have dropped considerably. "Buy the drive you need right now, not the drive you will need in 18 months", or something to that effect. And he says he first heard that 20 years ago. Sounds about right.

Now, tripods aren't disk drives; they aren't subject to the same price trends. But I thought it an interesting parallel, snce I just read that passage from Krogh again yesterday (in the new second edition).

the difference is that a 20 year old tripod will still hold your camera, but a 20 year old disk drive won't even hold one photo

I have 2 tripods, both all metal, but with new monfretto ball heads. Except for the weight, they are just as good as the new tripods, and with respect to the weight, I don't spend any time looking for extra weight to keep it from blowing away in a light breeze

[Lowell Goudge]

Originally Posted by Russell-Evans

Tripods are soooo 1999.



Quadropod

Thank you
Russell

any body who builds furniture knows that it is impossible to get the 4 legs of a table/chair to sit on a flat surface and be stable. Want proof, just go into a cheap diner and see how many have things wedged under the tables to stop them from rocking

I saw this in a photo magazine and thought this'll never work

[hwblanks]

Originally Posted by Damn Brit

Have you thought of a monopod for when you're hiking Heather?

As a matter of fact, I do have a monopod (BM 680) and I've been pondering using it more for travel when a regular tripod isn't practical. I would like a little more stability, so I was thinking about adding something like this:

678 Manfrotto (Distributed by Bogen) Universal Folding Base for the 3016, 3018, 3249, 679, 680 & 681 Monopods

or something like this:

361 Manfrotto (Distributed by Bogen) Shoulder Brace for Monopods, for Extra Stability (#3248)

or something like this (it might be especially handy for low to the ground macro):

Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | 331 Monopod Support Bracket | 331

Keep in mind that when I hike, I'm inclined to shoot both landscape and macro type shots.

If anybody has used any of these accessories, I'd appreciate your input on your experiences with them.

Thanks!
Heather

[Russell-Evans]

Originally Posted by Lowell Goudge

any body who builds furniture knows that it is impossible to get the 4 legs of a table/chair to sit on a flat surface and be stable. Want proof, just go into a cheap diner and see how many have things wedged under the tables to stop them from rocking

Wouldn't the wedges be proof that adjustable legs will work? Don't you already level your tripod in the same manor?

I don't have any interest in owning one, but an interesting thing about the unit is how it can be used in other situations.



Thank you
Russell

[Lowell Goudge]

russell

I think this is overly complex for what is needed.

with a 3 legged tripod, you only need to adjust a single leg at a time and it always sits without rocking.

with a 4 legged tripod, you will never get this.

you will always have one axis higher than the other.

and for the window attachment, how do you stop the central platform from tilting?

I think it is too independant, and the platform, ideally should be horizontal not vertical.

[Russell-Evans]

Originally Posted by Lowell Goudge

I think this is overly complex for what is needed.

If this isn't a joke, I'm going to split my sides laughing.

Thank you
Russell

[Fl_Gulfer]

You want a great cheap tripod that will hold 7 lbs easy and it's not real heavy. It's VERY easy to use.
PhotoEtcOnline.com-Heavy Duty Tripod-MX3000

[Ben_Edict]

Originally Posted by Marc Sabatella

Actually, there's a very similar observation in The DAM Book (Peter Krogh) - kind of the Bible of digital image organization. He's talking about disk drives, and suggesting not to buy anything too big, as within a year or two, prices will have dropped considerably. "Buy the drive you need right now, not the drive you will need in 18 months", or something to that effect. And he says he first heard that 20 years ago. Sounds about right.

Now, tripods aren't disk drives; they aren't subject to the same price trends. But I thought it an interesting parallel, snce I just read that passage from Krogh again yesterday (in the new second edition).

I don't think, this is a valid example. Disk drives are consumables, tripods are not. Disk drives usually won't be used for longert than perhaps 36 months, a good tripod will serve for decades (as mentioned above).

Ben