Beginner Budget tripod for sony a7c + Tamron 28-75

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tzeusd

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Tudorel Oprisan
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I'm upgrading my gear from a Sony A6000 to a Sony A7C. The main lens(well, the only lens for startes) will be a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 G2.
Since the initial cost is eye watering, at least for me I'd like to spend as little as possible on a tripod that's not crap.
This is a hobby for me. The main reason for upgrading is that, well, all my batteries are dying too fast and I feel I made a mistake with the 60mm, since it has phase points only in the center. So instead of just getting batteries and another lens, I decided to sell all my gear and upgrade to ones mentioned.
I'll mostly be shooting my family, I have a toddler that moves a lot. The reason for the tripod is I like to stay in the garden at night, and would like to take some night photos. I realize 2.8 is not much in terms of aperture but it's what I'll have so...

I'm not familiar with tripods, I would like something to ensure my camera does not fall, or the wind doesn't know it down. Could someone tell me what to look for(in terms of specs/price), advice really. Links are welcome, I'm not able to post links yet.
 
The general rule with tripods is that you need to pick 2 out of cheap/sturdy/lightweight. It sounds like you will be able to get away without it being lightweight if it is mainly going to be used in the garden though.
 
I imagine by the time I'll afford(timewise) to go out on hikes ans take some shots, I'll afford a better tripod. Can you tell me some brands I should be looking at? I have a tripod back home(in another country so can't bring it here) that I purchased way back from aliexpress but I wan't happy with it. It had a ball head, but the thing I remember being most annoying from it was that the locking mechanism for the legs was not stable enough so some feet were slowly sliding. I don't want to go through that again, too much time wasted not to mention teh frustration when taking a longer exposed photo.
 
I've been very satisfied with Manfrotto. The 190 series is pretty good for most people, or the 055 series if you need a slightly heavier duty one.
Three Legged Things also get generally good reviews, and then there are Gitzo, Benro and other premium makes.
 
You can't really go wrong with a Manfrotto. Something like the 190 or the 055. It's probably a first tripod for many photographers. I still have an 055 laying around somewhere.

Not light but built like a tank.

I don't think the 055 is heavier duty than the 190 but it is taller. I may be mistaken as I've never had a 190 series.

Bear in mind that both the 190 and 055 come in Aluminium and Carbon versions. Obviously the Carbon fibre ones are more expensive but lighter.
 
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I'm a fairly recent convert to Benro, decent range with good balance of quality and price.
Customer service good when I wanted a spare part, answered a question promptly too.
 
I had the same combination for a while, but was then given a Peak Design tripod, so with 2 travel tripods the Travis went. The Redsnapper still gets used when I don't have to carry it far though.
 
My Redsnapper is mostly redundant these days because I have a heavy Benbo tripod for short range trips and a carbon jobbie from Amazon when I travel/walk.
 
K & F concepts do a decent range and not overly expensive, you can get a 10% discount as well.
 
I still use the Manfrotto 055 mostly, despite having heavier and sturdier tripods. It's a good balance between light enough to carry around and sturdy enough not to fall over every time a butterfly goes past.
While mine has survived winds that have blown a mates tripod over I NEVER leave mine unatended in any wind, even the heavest can go if theres enough wind.
 
Craikeybaby said:
The general rule with tripods is that you need to pick 2 out of cheap/sturdy/lightweight. It sounds like you will be able to get away without it being lightweight if it is mainly going to be used in the garden though.
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That's right. Size and weight can be an issue for many people, who want to carry them long distances. You won't need to carry it at all for your purpose, so just go for a heavy-duty one. And a really old second-hand one is likely to be both solid and cheap.
Manfrotto have made really good, solid tripods for a very long time, and the old (but not the new) Benbow ones were pretty good too. Avoid the cheaply-made Chinese ones and avoid everything made of carbon fibre.
 
Garry Edwards said:
That's right. Size and weight can be an issue for many people, who want to carry them long distances. You won't need to carry it at all for your purpose, so just go for a heavy-duty one. And a really old second-hand one is likely to be both solid and cheap.
Manfrotto have made really good, solid tripods for a very long time, and the old (but not the new) Benbow ones were pretty good too. Avoid the cheaply-made Chinese ones and avoid everything made of carbon fibre.
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Why avoid everything CF?
 
Wow, so many answers, lots of good advice here, thank you! I've read through everything and I think I'll look for a Manfrotto(perhaps a 055) on the used market. I don't need carbon at this point, and photography is just a hobby among others for me. No need to invest until it makes me some money(which I'm not looking into anyway). If I'll ever get to a point where it becomes either profitable or I get really serious about it, I'll move on to carbon fibre, or a more expensive one(which should cover sturdy/lightweight on the triangle mentioned at the beginning of the thread(cheap/sturdy/lightweight).
 
I use a 190 carbon fibre, solid, but you can hang your bag on the poorly designed hook for extra stability
 
tijuana taxi said:
I'm a fairly recent convert to Benro, decent range with good balance of quality and price.
Customer service good when I wanted a spare part, answered a question promptly too.
Click to expand...
I swear by the Benro stuff. I've got the 34C tripod with its ball head, their carbon fibre gimbal and also their completely solid wildlife video head.

For the OP I'd say consider your budget vs the weight the tripod needs to hold. Its a completely different question if you have a 4.6kg 600mm lens and a nearly 1kg body to go with it vs an 400g body and a 200g lens lol
 
James J said:
I swear by the Benro stuff. I've got the 34C tripod with its ball head, their carbon fibre gimbal and also their completely solid wildlife video head.

For the OP I'd say consider your budget vs the weight the tripod needs to hold. Its a completely different question if you have a 4.6kg 600mm lens and a nearly 1kg body to go with it vs an 400g body and a 200g lens lol
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I have one of their geared heads along with a couple of tripods and a ball head.
 
I just got a 055 and a 229 head from Ffordes, cost about £100. It's big and a bit on the heavy side but rock solid, considering how old it must be it seems to be in great condition.
When I say heavy I mean it's not like trying to lug around a suitcase at an airport and is really easily manageable.
I did have a Manfrotto compact action but it was hopeless; lots of flex in the legs and pretty flimsy, put me right off 'travel' tripods.
Buying a used tripod is certainly a lot less risky than a used body/lens.
 
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