Tripod Features Question

scott-devon · 06-12-2007, 06:18 AM

I currently have a cheap tripod which I find is ok as long as I don't crank the head up much above it's lowest point. Too much rod out the top and it really is shakey, especially with a long lens and teleconverter on.

My previous tripod was worse, it had no bracing on the legs so they contributed to the instability.

So...lesson learned. No more cheaping out on the tripod. I was hoping you folks could chime in with your opinions on what features to look for in a good tripod. Not necessarily one I'll go back-packing with but I don't want it to go over 10 lbs either as I'd like to be able to carry it on short walks....say a couple of miles strolling.

This time I plan to go out and physically choose one in a store, not get one that looks great in a photo online. So... any pointers on what to look for?

ccallana · 06-12-2007, 07:06 AM

I got a SLIK (thkphoto.com) - I thought it was a nice balance of cost/features. Many will say go with the manfrottos, etc.. I didn't think it was worth the cash

Look for one with multi-position legs - the ones with the extra bracing prevent you from using it in unusual ways.. if you do Macro, being able to spread the legs out oddly is very nice. Also if you do Macro, look for ones where you can use a horizontal boom - I wish I would have gotten one of those.

Get one that is light enough to carry, but strong enough to hold your heaviest combo - don't just go for the heaviest tripod - a 'pod that stays at home is not useful.

I'm sure there is other advice....

rhermans · 06-12-2007, 07:16 AM

Sorry to say but I'm happy with a cheapo

half a year ago I got myself a " AT 828 Professional Tripod by DynaTran™", Amvona 720 imagine, discover, connect. through ebay - at 70$

they say it's professional - the weight surely is, and can't say that it's not stable.
the "grip action ball head" is stable enough to add some large lenses so no problem here

their prices are just stupid - on their site they set a list price above 400$, I had it at 70$ and just looked at ebay it was an 160$

bottom line I'm happy with it

pentaxshooter · 06-12-2007, 07:57 AM

Manfrotto makes great tripods, but they are NOT cheap.

Also, you might try Calumet and look at some of their Manfrotto (bogen) knockoffs. My main tripod is a Calumet, chinese copy of a very nice Manfrotto tripod. Heavy, made of steel, all metal hinges and everything....and only $50 last year. The Calumet 7100 looks nice online (I havent actually touched it) and it is the replacement for what I bought....should've got two when I had the chance....cause that tripod is going to last forever.

Also, you need a good tripod head. Since I do weddings I have the Manfrotto pistol grip (Model# 3265). Works very nicely!

**tranq78** · 06-12-2007, 08:20 AM

Originally posted by scott-devon

I currently have a cheap tripod which I find is ok as long as I don't crank the head up much above it's lowest point. Too much rod out the top and it really is shakey, especially with a long lens and teleconverter on.

My previous tripod was worse, it had no bracing on the legs so they contributed to the instability.

So...lesson learned. No more cheaping out on the tripod. I was hoping you folks could chime in with your opinions on what features to look for in a good tripod. Not necessarily one I'll go back-packing with but I don't want it to go over 10 lbs either as I'd like to be able to carry it on short walks....say a couple of miles strolling.

This time I plan to go out and physically choose one in a store, not get one that looks great in a photo online. So... any pointers on what to look for?

I use a tripod for over 90% of my images. And over 95% of my keepers are taken with a tripod.

To best answer your question, we should know what your heaviest camera + lens combination will be.

I carry a tripod for walking around or backpacking. The one I use the most is a 4 section carbon fiber with twist locks. The carbon fiber reduces weight and is much more pleasant than metal when it's very cold outside. The twist locks I prefer because flip locks tend to catch more easily on straps & other things.

Some people don't think C/F is worth the extra cost. Some people hate the slower setup speed with twist locks & prefer flip locks. So your taste may differ from mine.

You need to also give consideration to choosing a head. Ballhead or pan/tilt. I went with a ballhead because it is more compact and convenient to use. The head I use doesn't cause lensdroop -- that's when the lens droops slightly after you frame the picture, tighten everything down, and let go. That sort of thing is just maddening so I gladly paid the price for a high quality head.

little laker · 06-12-2007, 09:08 AM

Check out the Pawn Shops, flea markets and what not. There are often good tripods available for cheap.

I just got an older Manfrotto 10 days ago, along with a Lowepro camera backpack in exchange for 1 of my pic's framed. We are both happier than the dickens

You might luck out like that as well.

The only thing that I don't like about the Manfrotto is it's heavy. However mine also has a built in monopod (which is the heaviest part) I'll probably switch the pan/tilt head to a lighter ball head soon.

roy · 06-12-2007, 10:06 AM

Originally posted by rhermans

Sorry to say but I'm happy with a cheapo

half a year ago I got myself a " AT 828 Professional Tripod by DynaTran™", Amvona 720 imagine, discover, connect. through ebay - at 70$

i have the 858 legs. it's rock steady. a little heavy tho. legs cost me $33usd delivered. i'll get another if i need it.

comes with a bag and spike/pad feet.

Singinman · 06-12-2007, 10:08 AM

I paid about $300 for a new Manfrotto and pistol grip ball head. It will last me a lifetime. I could have bought the equivalent C/F tripod for $800, but I could not afford that and a new lens too. So I carry the extra pound which has not been a problem.

GaryML · 06-12-2007, 10:19 AM

I agree with most everything tranq78 said in his post.

When you buy a tripod, you are really buying a system consisting of legs and head. There are lots of choices for both and you should consider what suits your needs. There are always trade-offs between weight vs. stability, precision vs. ease of use, and cost vs. quality. I use a compact, lightweigh 4 section tripod with a small ball head when I will be walking or hiking a lot and cannot carry a heavy tripod. It weights about 4 lbs which is pretty much my limit for all-day travel, and I can carry it comfortably in my backpack. I use heavier, three section legs with a geared head when I need maximum stability for use with my telescope or precision use with a camera. My "precision" tripod weights nearly 7 lbs, and I sure don't want to carry that around all day.

I would definitely go with carbon fiber if it is within your budget. I actually prefer the flip levers rather than twist locks for the legs, both for the ease of use and the greater reliability in sand and dirt (twist locks tend to jam and need to be disassembled and cleaned). Ball heads are very convenient but make sure that the control lever or knob is easy to lock and unlock, and doesn't move the camera slightly when locked. Pan heads are good for video and that's about it. "3D" heads allow more precision adjustment than ball heads but are slower to use since each axis is adjusted separately. Geared heads allow the most precise adjustment. And finally gimbal heads are good for easy handling of long and heavy super-telephoto lenses.

Manfrotto makes some good quality gear for the price and their stuff is a good compromise between quality and cost. My "precision" tripod has Manfrotto aluminum legs and a Manfrotto geared head. Gitzo makes some excellent carbon fiber tripods that are lighter than the comparable Manfrotto, but they are much more expensive. My lightweight tripod has Slik aluminum legs with a small Manfrotto ball head. It works ok, but I would like to replace it with carbon fiber legs and a more precise (but still light) ball head. My ideal travel tripod would be Gitzo CF legs and a Kirk BH-3 or Acratech "Ultimate" ball head. However, that combination will be over $800 so it will have to wait a while.

stewart_photo · 06-12-2007, 08:23 PM

I just finished a week long search for the perfect tripod. My goal was a reasonably priced, lightweight, but very study, tripod. It also had to have a good head with strong support even in the tilt position.

My final selection was the Davis & Sanford CarbonLite X10 tripod. While I did look at one carefully in a local store, the best price I found ($187) was at Cameta Camera...

http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Sanford-CarbonLite-3-Section-Olympus/dp/B000KGMW...368562&sr=8-11

This tripod features carbon fiber legs, magnesium canopy & leg hardware, and aluminum-magnesium alloy head. The large quick release mounting plate on the head should provide solid support in all positions. The tripod weighs 5.4 lbs. The load rating for the legs is 14 lbs, with 9 lbs for the head, which should be enough to provide reasonable support for the K10D with extras (grip, larger lens, flash, etc).

I placed an order for this tripod a couple of days ago and it has shipped. It will take about a week to arrive here in Germany.

By the way, if all this sounds like a sales pitch, do remember that I've been reading exactly that over and over for the past week. I now know more about tripods than I truly care to know.

stewart

06-12-2007, 06:18 AM	#1
scott-devon Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Alberta Posts: 2,140	Tripod Features Question I currently have a cheap tripod which I find is ok as long as I don't crank the head up much above it's lowest point. Too much rod out the top and it really is shakey, especially with a long lens and teleconverter on. My previous tripod was worse, it had no bracing on the legs so they contributed to the instability. So...lesson learned. No more cheaping out on the tripod. I was hoping you folks could chime in with your opinions on what features to look for in a good tripod. Not necessarily one I'll go back-packing with but I don't want it to go over 10 lbs either as I'd like to be able to carry it on short walks....say a couple of miles strolling. This time I plan to go out and physically choose one in a store, not get one that looks great in a photo online. So... any pointers on what to look for?

06-12-2007, 07:16 AM	#3
rhermans Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Europe - Belgium - Antwerp Photos: Albums Posts: 213	Sorry to say but I'm happy with a cheapo half a year ago I got myself a " AT 828 Professional Tripod by DynaTran™", Amvona 720 imagine, discover, connect. through ebay - at 70$ they say it's professional - the weight surely is, and can't say that it's not stable. the "grip action ball head" is stable enough to add some large lenses so no problem here their prices are just stupid - on their site they set a list price above 400$, I had it at 70$ and just looked at ebay it was an 160$ bottom line I'm happy with it Last edited by rhermans; 06-12-2007 at 07:21 AM.

06-12-2007, 10:08 AM	#8
Singinman Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 66	Tripods I paid about $300 for a new Manfrotto and pistol grip ball head. It will last me a lifetime. I could have bought the equivalent C/F tripod for $800, but I could not afford that and a new lens too. So I carry the extra pound which has not been a problem.

06-12-2007, 08:23 PM	#10
stewart_photo Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Posts: 1,864	I just finished a week long search for the perfect tripod. My goal was a reasonably priced, lightweight, but very study, tripod. It also had to have a good head with strong support even in the tilt position. My final selection was the Davis & Sanford CarbonLite X10 tripod. While I did look at one carefully in a local store, the best price I found ($187) was at Cameta Camera... http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Sanford-CarbonLite-3-Section-Olympus/dp/B000KGMW...368562&sr=8-11 This tripod features carbon fiber legs, magnesium canopy & leg hardware, and aluminum-magnesium alloy head. The large quick release mounting plate on the head should provide solid support in all positions. The tripod weighs 5.4 lbs. The load rating for the legs is 14 lbs, with 9 lbs for the head, which should be enough to provide reasonable support for the K10D with extras (grip, larger lens, flash, etc). I placed an order for this tripod a couple of days ago and it has shipped. It will take about a week to arrive here in Germany. By the way, if all this sounds like a sales pitch, do remember that I've been reading exactly that over and over for the past week. I now know more about tripods than I truly care to know. stewart Last edited by stewart_photo; 06-12-2007 at 08:34 PM.

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06-12-2007, 07:06 AM	#2
ccallana Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Folsom, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 321	I got a SLIK (thkphoto.com) - I thought it was a nice balance of cost/features. Many will say go with the manfrottos, etc.. I didn't think it was worth the cash Look for one with multi-position legs - the ones with the extra bracing prevent you from using it in unusual ways.. if you do Macro, being able to spread the legs out oddly is very nice. Also if you do Macro, look for ones where you can use a horizontal boom - I wish I would have gotten one of those. Get one that is light enough to carry, but strong enough to hold your heaviest combo - don't just go for the heaviest tripod - a 'pod that stays at home is not useful. I'm sure there is other advice....

06-12-2007, 07:57 AM	#4
pentaxshooter Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: SoCal Photos: Gallery Posts: 199	Manfrotto makes great tripods, but they are NOT cheap. Also, you might try Calumet and look at some of their Manfrotto (bogen) knockoffs. My main tripod is a Calumet, chinese copy of a very nice Manfrotto tripod. Heavy, made of steel, all metal hinges and everything....and only $50 last year. The Calumet 7100 looks nice online (I havent actually touched it) and it is the replacement for what I bought....should've got two when I had the chance....cause that tripod is going to last forever. Also, you need a good tripod head. Since I do weddings I have the Manfrotto pistol grip (Model# 3265). Works very nicely!

06-12-2007, 08:20 AM	#5
tranq78 Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,005	Originally posted by scott-devon I currently have a cheap tripod which I find is ok as long as I don't crank the head up much above it's lowest point. Too much rod out the top and it really is shakey, especially with a long lens and teleconverter on. My previous tripod was worse, it had no bracing on the legs so they contributed to the instability. So...lesson learned. No more cheaping out on the tripod. I was hoping you folks could chime in with your opinions on what features to look for in a good tripod. Not necessarily one I'll go back-packing with but I don't want it to go over 10 lbs either as I'd like to be able to carry it on short walks....say a couple of miles strolling. This time I plan to go out and physically choose one in a store, not get one that looks great in a photo online. So... any pointers on what to look for? I use a tripod for over 90% of my images. And over 95% of my keepers are taken with a tripod. To best answer your question, we should know what your heaviest camera + lens combination will be. I carry a tripod for walking around or backpacking. The one I use the most is a 4 section carbon fiber with twist locks. The carbon fiber reduces weight and is much more pleasant than metal when it's very cold outside. The twist locks I prefer because flip locks tend to catch more easily on straps & other things. Some people don't think C/F is worth the extra cost. Some people hate the slower setup speed with twist locks & prefer flip locks. So your taste may differ from mine. You need to also give consideration to choosing a head. Ballhead or pan/tilt. I went with a ballhead because it is more compact and convenient to use. The head I use doesn't cause lensdroop -- that's when the lens droops slightly after you frame the picture, tighten everything down, and let go. That sort of thing is just maddening so I gladly paid the price for a high quality head.

06-12-2007, 09:08 AM	#6
little laker Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,697	Check out the Pawn Shops, flea markets and what not. There are often good tripods available for cheap. I just got an older Manfrotto 10 days ago, along with a Lowepro camera backpack in exchange for 1 of my pic's framed. We are both happier than the dickens You might luck out like that as well. The only thing that I don't like about the Manfrotto is it's heavy. However mine also has a built in monopod (which is the heaviest part) I'll probably switch the pan/tilt head to a lighter ball head soon.

06-12-2007, 10:06 AM	#7
roy Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: D/FW area, Tx. Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,710	Originally posted by rhermans Sorry to say but I'm happy with a cheapo half a year ago I got myself a " AT 828 Professional Tripod by DynaTran™", Amvona 720 imagine, discover, connect. through ebay - at 70$ i have the 858 legs. it's rock steady. a little heavy tho. legs cost me $33usd delivered. i'll get another if i need it. comes with a bag and spike/pad feet.

06-12-2007, 10:19 AM	#9
GaryML Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Diego, California Posts: 441	I agree with most everything tranq78 said in his post. When you buy a tripod, you are really buying a system consisting of legs and head. There are lots of choices for both and you should consider what suits your needs. There are always trade-offs between weight vs. stability, precision vs. ease of use, and cost vs. quality. I use a compact, lightweigh 4 section tripod with a small ball head when I will be walking or hiking a lot and cannot carry a heavy tripod. It weights about 4 lbs which is pretty much my limit for all-day travel, and I can carry it comfortably in my backpack. I use heavier, three section legs with a geared head when I need maximum stability for use with my telescope or precision use with a camera. My "precision" tripod weights nearly 7 lbs, and I sure don't want to carry that around all day. I would definitely go with carbon fiber if it is within your budget. I actually prefer the flip levers rather than twist locks for the legs, both for the ease of use and the greater reliability in sand and dirt (twist locks tend to jam and need to be disassembled and cleaned). Ball heads are very convenient but make sure that the control lever or knob is easy to lock and unlock, and doesn't move the camera slightly when locked. Pan heads are good for video and that's about it. "3D" heads allow more precision adjustment than ball heads but are slower to use since each axis is adjusted separately. Geared heads allow the most precise adjustment. And finally gimbal heads are good for easy handling of long and heavy super-telephoto lenses. Manfrotto makes some good quality gear for the price and their stuff is a good compromise between quality and cost. My "precision" tripod has Manfrotto aluminum legs and a Manfrotto geared head. Gitzo makes some excellent carbon fiber tripods that are lighter than the comparable Manfrotto, but they are much more expensive. My lightweight tripod has Slik aluminum legs with a small Manfrotto ball head. It works ok, but I would like to replace it with carbon fiber legs and a more precise (but still light) ball head. My ideal travel tripod would be Gitzo CF legs and a Kirk BH-3 or Acratech "Ultimate" ball head. However, that combination will be over $800 so it will have to wait a while.