[hockmasm]

im searching amazon for a tripod thats inexpensive, but i can't tell if any will support my camera with a 70-300 tamron if tilted sideways.

any recommendations?

[Canada_Rockies]

At 300mm you will need a sturdy tripod. I don't know that I would trust any $50 tripod to hold a camera steady with a lens that long. Your best bet is probably in the used market. Start hitting the garage sales to find something in your price range. I use a set of aluminum Manfrotto 055 legs with 0168 ball head, and it is not as steady as I would like with the 400. This combination weighs 8 or 10 pounds without the camera and lens.

[SpecialK]

The 70-300 f4-5.6 zooms are not THAT heavy - just bulky, and they have no tripod mount so they are unbalanced off the front of the camera. A reasonably decent tripod should be fine. Some of us recently got the Dolica 630 for $18.50 on a special sale, but it will cost about $40 now. It has a hook for hanging a weight (such as your bag) to the center column for extra mass.

[hockmasm]

i just found this tripod at Best Buy. Seemed cool. What do yo uall think?
Sunpak Platinum Plus 6600PG

it has a pistol grip! only $49.99

[amoringello]

Sadly a $50 tripod is not going to give you great results.
You need to good sturdy tripod for long lenses, and that is going to cost a bit.

BUT... find a way to hang your camera bag (or a 15lb bag of sand) underneath and it will help a lot.
AND... use a cable release or mirror lock-up (or 2-second timer) to help eliminate any movement from your hands and from the shutter vibration.

As long as the ground isn't moving or wind blowing, you should be well above the range of using the cheap tripod alone.

NOTE!! Beware how much weight the head will support. They don't say for the model given, so probably not much. i.e probably fine for a point&shoot, but maybe not for a DSRL.

[hockmasm]

the box in this video says 11lbs

You Tube

You Tube

[KxBlaze]

im searching amazon for a tripod thats inexpensive, but i can't tell if any will support my camera with a 70-300 tamron if tilted sideways.

any recommendations?

I have the one linked below and think it is great. I also have the Tamron 70-300 and it supports my Kx with that lens without a problem.

Amazon.com: Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head: Camera & Photo

[Black_ronin]

i just found this tripod at Best Buy. Seemed cool. What do yo uall think?
Sunpak Platinum Plus 6600PG

it has a pistol grip! only $49.99

I am also researching this tripod. It has great reviews on Amazon Amazon.com: Sunpak 620-660Pg 6600Dx Tripod with Pistol Grip Ball Head: Camera & Photo

Did you get this tripod? Can you recommend it for 300mm lens?

[Ratmagiclady]

I probably would not recommend that one for the purpose, Ronin, particularly with a pistol grip and a long lens for verticals. When you tilt that head sideways, you'll be cantilevering that long lens way out there off-center, and that'll really probably amplify any vibrations you're already getting.

I don't think much of cheap and fancy, in general. I suggest keeping it simple, at least, and I'd favor those Dolicas of anything mentioned here. (Peekin.) Hey, really good price right at the moment. Beats that other thing soundly. I'd probably say 'look no further,' on the general recommends from the guys here: for fourty bucks doing much better isn't very likely.

[interested_observer]

I would check your local craiglist for starts. I found lots of the cheap camcorder tripods. I also found quite a few very good "professional" tripods, however they retained their value very well. I did run across an old heavy duty tripod that I picked up for my backup body, but I had to spend a while looking for it - and waiting for it to come on the market.

Your mileage may vary....

[Ahab]

I have the one linked below and think it is great. I also have the Tamron 70-300 and it supports my Kx with that lens without a problem.

Amazon.com: Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head: Camera & Photo

Same here but with the K7.

[stevebrot]

70-300mm in vertical orientation for under $50. That is a tough order. At that price point your best option would be a consumer video tripod with center column brace. Slik, Sunpack, and various other brands offer products in this space. I used one of those units (Slik U-8000 @ $45) for several years before the head became too worn to hold without slipping.

Tripods of that sort are adequate and will do the job. The main issue is flexing of the legs when the load is off-center (i.e. in vertical orientation). There is also the matter of resistance to vibration. Addition of weight, either suspended or wrapped around the crown helps with vibration, but not the flexing. Other issues include:

• Bulky
• Limited options for low angle configuration
• Very poor quality head
• Very breakable plastic hardware

I am sorry to say that despite my being one of the worlds foremost cheapskates, I have not been able to make the "quality at reasonable weight" price point at less than about $100 with the true bottom point being closer to $120.

BTW...the issue with your zoom is not so much weight as it is focal length. Even small vibrations (say from wind or mirror slap) at 300mm are amplified due to the lens' reach.


Steve

[stevebrot]

I would check your local craiglist for starts.

An excellent suggestion.


Steve

[stevebrot]

the box in this video says 11lbs

The first rule of tripod specifications:

Stated capacities are way overstated. Usually by at least a factor of two and often by much more.

This is true across all brands. There is often a disclaimer indicating that the capacity assumes a well-balanced load in neutral orientation. Bottom line is that if it looks spindly, it is spindly. There ain't no magic can make it elsewise.


Steve