[Kingsofronin]

i have been in the need of one for a while now.


what is a really good tripod for the money?



remember...i'm looking for value here, not a 4,000 dollar tripod.

[kbrabble]

Check out the Slik 500DX (or 700DX if you are taller than 6'). They are both light, well made, and extremely sturdy.

[kent vinyard]

Try a google search for Feisol carbon fiber tripods. I bought one about 9 months ago. Is a good solid tripod built like a gitzo but much less expensive and light to carry around so you tend to use it more often. I think mine was about $225 + shipping. They come with or without heads. I bought mine without head because I already had a Arca Swiss head.

[TaoMaas]

If this is your first tripod, you might want to take a hard look at how/when you intend to use it...and with what lenses. Personally, I have two tripods. A heavy-duty Gitzo and a smaller Manfrotto, although I'm considering selling my Manfrotto and replacing it with a Giottos.

[TaoMaas]

Btw, smart move to purchase a tripod. If you're going to buy great lenses, it just makes sense to put them on a tripod whenever you can so that you take advantage of all that sharpness you're paying for.

[KFrog]

I read on these forums somewhere that the Silk Pro 330DX is a nice tripod. I don't have one myself but it's on my ever growing gear wish list. It's available from B&H for around $90.00. I think if you go to the Accessories Forum you will find more threads with good information on tripods.

[and]

I have been contemplating tripod for a long time myself. the giottos is nice with its usefull lateral arm that is more flexible than that of manfrotto. but ive seen questions raised about the durability of giottos in terms of build quality.

personally im planning velbon neo carmagne 540 legs. they are very light and small in terms of min. length. then a manfrotto 322rc ballhead on top and then i just might add a feisol lateral arm and panning base for accsessories since the velbon doesnt have lateral arm.

that a nice thing about feisol they sell some accsessories like lateral arm and panning base that u can add on.

[radragan]

just bough a slik 212LE ($100+tax) from 17th street photo - didn't have a chance to use it yet, however it looks solid and well made

[kenyee]

remember...i'm looking for value here, not a 4,000 dollar tripod.

You didn't say what your budget is and weight/height goal is.

The "Camry" of the tripod world is probably Bogen's 3021. It's a solid tripod, but it's a bit heavy for hiking unless you yank the center column. There's also the Bogen 3001 which is about a foot smaller (no problem if you get the 322RC2 head and mount it vertically) and 1lb lighter. They're within 1lb of carbon fiber tripods which are 2-4x the cost...

I like my 3021BPro quite a bit...

[Kingsofronin]

i'm 5"8 and 135 pounds.

anything of medium weight and lower would be good for me,
as i'll probably be carrying it around a lot.


links are helpful too, if you have the time.


thanks for the reply's so far!

[joele]

Moved to Accessories area

[kenyee]

i'm 5"8 and 135 pounds.

Greetings, fellow stick. I'm 1" taller and slightly lighter :-)
I find the 3021 more than tall enough for me, so you might want to stop by a store and play with the 3001 which should be around $120:
Amazon.com: Bogen-Manfrotto 3001BPRO Professional Tripod without Head (Black): Electronics

The 322RC2 ballhead is roughly $110. It's a trigger grip, so it's really better for sports, birding, etc.
If you give us an idea of what types of things you want to photograph, we can probably suggest a tripod head that's more appropriate for your needs...

You also have to define "good for the money". E.g., Feisol or Benro tripos are a good deal for carbon fiber tripods, but run around $200-280. Bang for buck wise, it's hard to beat the Bogen 3001/3021 which are classics sturdy aluminum tripods.

[Nick1946]

I guess I'm cheap, but I bought the HAKUBA S-4500, aluminum with pan/tilt and quick release head for 39.95. It has served me well so far and has a built in carrying handle. B&H has it in stock for same price. Just go to B&H site and search for above name.

[stewart_photo]

I ended up purchasing my tripod in individual sections rather than as a complete package from a single manufacturer. The carbon fiber legs are from the Davis-Sanford CarbonLite Tripod, which Cameta Camera over at amazon.com has for $190...

Amazon.com: Davis & Sanford 70" CarbonLite X10 Carbon Fiber 3-Section Tripod with FGX10 3-Way Head For Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus & Sony Digital SLR Cameras: Electronics

I was not entirely thrilled with the head included with that tripod, so I added the Giottos M7001 Ballhead from B&H ($67)...

Giottos M7001 Ballhead with Sliding Plate (Quick Release)

I'm very satisfied with the current combination. It is easily able to firmly support my camera, grip, flash, and a long lens (my longest is 750mm), even in the vertical position. It's also fairly lightweight for such a visibly large tripod.

stewart