[canadave]

Hi all,

Just looking for a half-decent tripod here....nothing fancy or expensive, I'm not a pro Just something my wife can use with our K10D and Tamron to shoot wildlife outdoors on a purely amateur hobby basis. On the other hand, I'd prefer it not to be total crapola either.

We went to our (very) local photo store in our small town, and the only tripods they have are Giottos as far as I can tell. They carry three--the HD 334 ($70), HD 444 ($90), and HD 124 ($100). The 124 seems to be the top of the line.

I can't find any reviews of any of these, although I know Giottos is a "name" brand. The Giottos website doesn't seem to list them though.

Anyone have any opinions on these? Or have suggestions for an adequate tripod around the $90 mark? I've read through the threads on these forums about the Amvona tripods on ebay, but I'm not sure if the shipping to Canada (if they even ship to Canada) might wipe out any price advantages.

Thanks everybody!
Dave

[Canada_Rockies]

Whatever tripod you purchase, try to get a ball head rather than a pan head for wildlife shots. The ball head should be sturdy enough to hold your rig really steady. The combination should have a weight rating of more than the rig you will put on it to account for other stresses - like leaning on it when you slip on wet grass. One test I have seen is to sit on the tripod (Bogen ad for Manfrotto rebadges, I think).

The leg locks should be levers or snaps. The collars just don't work well.

The tripod should be tall enough without any center post extension to have the viewfinder at eye level. Or buy a grip for your K10d. Adds just enough to my tripod to make it quite a bit more comfortable.