Help/advice Tripods

[Sargan]

I have a tripod & monopod, both bought as Jessops own brand.
They have both developed same issue.
Both have a fixing plate that the camera ‘fixes to’ the fixing screw passing through the base.

Both bases have a rubber compound that provides a non slip pad to tighten camera down onto.
On both bases the rubber has disintegrated and crumpling away.

Anybody know of a way to replace the deteriorated rubber with something new ?

 

[GreenNinja67]

Do yourself a favour and buy a better make of tripod.

It'll come with a better plate and be much more stable

 

[sk66]

On a tripod you normally mount a head to the center column, and then mount the camera on the head; not using a head is more common with monopods. In either case it's simple enough to replace the degraded rubber with new rubber (or cork)... small sheets can be bought rather cheaply.

 

[realspeed]

Rick welcome to the foum. Hope this gives you some idea about tripod choice

It depends on where and what your going to use on the tripod. Points to watch out for are tripod head load carrying = made of carbon or metal= flip clamp or screw type legs clamps= height and collapsable size= Stability fully extended- centre column ability to swing out sideways for downward shots, and of course for travel.

The question of tripod heads ball head or video fluid head = type of clamp on the head ie swiss arca or square flip clamp.

And finally the budget you care to spend to get what suits you. Every photographer has their own preference. Personally I prefer the Manfrotto Befree live tripod with the MVH400AH fluid head . it packs down small. Going for a cheap tripod will only cause trouble , more than likely
fall over or break while out shooting and break your camera

Manfrotto Befree Live Lever Kit | Wex Photo Video

www.wexphotovideo.com

the one in the link above inclues a ball head making it easier to level up the shot. ball below red ring under the head
I also have a table top tripod using the same head but on a Moman base with a Sirui SL200 extn

Next is to consider how you are going to trigger camera shutter. Just pushing the camera butten could cause camera shake so advisable to find some wired or wireless remote to prevent this.



I mainly use this wireless remote you may have to find someing similar for your camera. works up to 80ft away
he advantage is being able to set up a camera say next or close to a bird feed station and get the photo without disturbing the birds

 

[Nod]

I have a tripod & monopod, both bought as Jessops own brand.
They have both developed same issue.
Both have a fixing plate that the camera ‘fixes to’ the fixing screw passing through the base.

Both bases have a rubber compound that provides a non slip pad to tighten camera down onto.
On both bases the rubber has disintegrated and crumpling away.

Anybody know of a way to replace the deteriorated rubber with something new ?

To answer the question asked...

Scrape off as much of the remaining material as possible (I use an old 2p piece - find a non magnetic one since they're a bit softer) then get rid of the remaining glue etc. with a solvent; I find that a piece of kitchen roll wetted with a few drops of white spirit and left pressed to the area gets rid of most gunk. Wash the plate with Fairy or similar and leave to dry. Cut a piece of rubber to size and shape (I have an old inner tube that I use for things like that!) and stick it on (I use double sided tape but a suitable glue will do the job.

Good luck.

 

[Garry Edwards]

Do yourself a favour and buy a better make of tripod.

It'll come with a better plate and be much more stable

Yes, you can easily get a bit of replacement rubber, but will it turn a sow's ear into a silk purse?

Here's a genuine phone shot of 3 of my tripod QR plates, front and back. They all use a bit of rubber, but that's where the similarity ends.
Left to right is my Manfrotto one, very old but built like a tank, and my studio stand takes the same plate.
The middle one is my Neewer heavy duty one, not up to the same standard but it's still easy to get a really secure camera fixing and, if push comes to shove it has a screwdriver slot to ensure a tight fit, and on the extreme right is a typical cheap Chinese one which, with or without a new bit of rubber, simply can't be tightened to an adequate standard.

Or, in other words, you get what you pay for.