First tripod purchase?

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markliamgraham

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Mark
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I'm relatively new to DSLR equipment, having had my Canon for a couple of months or so now, my wallet's finally recovered enough to buy a Tripod, after searching a lot on here the overwhelming majority of people are recommending Redsnapper. I've got maybe around £50 to spend, I have around £56 on my Nectar card so was thinking of getting:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...19453/c_3/3|cat_14419453|Tripods|14419470.htm

Until I seen all the views on here about how good Redsnapper were, so I'm now thinking of getting this:

http://www.redsnapperuk.com/camera-accessories/RS-283_tripod_and_RSH-24_3-way_head_.html#nogo

Good choice? That or the RS-284. Anybody recommend anything other than that? :)

Cheers for any help or advice!
 
Hi Mark!

I would go for Redsnapper if your budget is limited. I wouldn't recomend Camlink, i had very similiar tripod, and apart from being light it wasn't the best product for it's price. I would still try to squeeze out few mor £££ and check out deals on maybe Giottos; they had pretty good deals at Jessops, try Ebay as well.

Another tip - read reviews and find something that will suit your needs, the worst thing that might happen is when you buy tripod that wouldn't suit your style. Also go to shop and see what they have in stock, try it, see how it feels (very often the weight is the important factor with tripods), you might just find a good in-store deal.
 
Their cheapest ball head is £30 making this £80 delivered :( a lot of money for a tripod imo although this is what I want ideally. Is the RS-284 quite unstable? Does it move around and wobble a lot?
 
I bought the RS-284 as I wanted a more compact tripod, and have had no stability issues.
 
B16 VAS said:
. Is the RS-284 quite unstable? Does it move around and wobble a lot?
Click to expand...
Crikey no. Redsnapper are known for good price/performance. Yes, £80 may seem like a lot, but my 284 will hold my 5Dmk2/battery grip/lens/flash perfectly steady... I use it for long exposure night shots for example....
 
B16 VAS said:
Their cheapest ball head is £30 making this £80 delivered :( a lot of money for a tripod imo although this is what I want ideally. Is the RS-284 quite unstable? Does it move around and wobble a lot?
Click to expand...

By all means get the package with the standard head and see how you get on, thats only £50 isn't it? Then add the ballhead after?

BTW, £80 is not a lot of money for a good tripod/ballhead combo. ;) But I know what you are saying.
 
B16 VAS said:
Their cheapest ball head is £30 making this £80 delivered :( a lot of money for a tripod
Click to expand...

If you've got an expensive camera surely you want it to be secure and stable when on a tripod? Cheap tripods tend to be flimsy and poorly made - any satisfaction at having saved a few quid by purchasing an Argos' or Jessops' special would evaporate pretty quickly the first time a slight breeze sent both it and your pride and joy toppling over onto the terra firma ;)
 
Zarch said:
By all means get the package with the standard head and see how you get on, thats only £50 isn't it? Then add the ballhead after?.
Click to expand...

This is what I'm doing, standard £50 package for now and will add the ballhead in the future.
 
OK, think I'll go for the more compact of the two tripods because I'll need my tripod for holidays and then buy a ball head later on :)
 
Redsnapper for me but as above if you can save for a giottos you would not be dissapointed. The customer service from Giottos is also excellent should anything go wrong or if you need any advice.
 
My first tripod purchase was a Manfrotto 055ProB & 488RC2 about 4 years ago.
This has been my ONLY tripod purchase

I think you should ask which tripod not which First, as if you buy right you only need to buy once.
 
I'll start and I'm sure others will fill in what I miss (or tell me I got it completely wrong).

First of all, it needs to be rigid so it doesn't flex when you put your camera and lens on it.

It needs to be tall enough that you don't need to extend the centre column too much as this reduces the stability.

The leg locks need to work well so you can easily adjust the legs when required. There are twist and lever locks; I prefer lever but it's a personal thing.

The fewer the number of leg sections the better.

Any extra tricks the column has like being reversible for low shots are a bonus.

Being able to adjust the legs to different angles is also a bonus.

It needs to be small and light enough that you'll take it with you. Of course, the lighter it is, the less rigid it'll be and the fewer the number of leg sections, the longer it'll be when collapsed.

What head you put on the tripod is a separate issue but a good ball & socket is what I'd go for.

FWIW I don't use a tripod often as it doesn't suit my style of photography but the best purchase I made was a Manfrotto 441 carbon fibre (now part of the 055 range). It cost what seemed a huge amount of money at the time but it's the one I've kept longest.

Jonathan
 
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