Recommend me a tripod

drfish

drfish

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Lee
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I have just been perusing what seems to be a vast array of tripods, and I'm a little stuck as to what to look for and what brands are recommended.

I'm only after something cheapish, that's quite light, sturdy and around 40-50" at full stretch. Something that can be easily carried around on nature rambles or easily packed into a suitcase. So obviously telescopic.

Any recommendations. I don't want to break the bank as I'm only a newb, and it's just for experimenting with exposures more than anything.

Is the Nikon NI400 any good. Seems a reasonable price and gets relatively good reviews. It's for a Nikon D5100 incidentally, with up 200mm lens, no fancy flashes or anything. I will buy a decent one in the future if it floats my boat.

I've done a search but can only find similar threads from over a year ago, so just after an up-to-date recommendation.

TIA

Lee
 
Don't buy a £20 tripod for your gear, you'll regret it. If it doesn't hold the weight, or a leg falls off ... you can't really complain at that price.

You should look to manfrotto's mini range. Get one that claims to hold at least 3.5kg, especially using a 200mm lens.
 
I don't even have the lens yet, I'm only using the standard 18-55, it was more for a 'future reference'. I did figure I'd be told to up the ante to a more respectable one. :)

I'll have a look into them then. There's quite a few on fleabay around the £40 mark, are these the kind of thing you mean?
 
I had something like this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayIS...5818&item=130765170514&lgeo=1&vectorid=229508

Not that exact model, mine had a more basic ball head with no handle. But it'll hold 3.5kg [suggested load, I wouldn't put more than 2kg on it] You might be able to find similar for about £40 on ebay.

I sold mine for €50 a while back. I was upgrading cam body & lenses and needed sturdier.
 
There seems to be quite a range of second hand ones at about £40-60, which is reasonable enough. I just don't want to be hovering around the £100 mark, my Mrs is hard as nails lol. Although I have sent her off to Butlins for the weekend with the girls, so what she doesn't know... :D
 
What to look for: Load capacity - even if your body and lens combined are only 1.5KG, you want to look ahead to future lenses, like you said. Aim for one that holds at LEAST 3.5kg, the more the merrier.

A quick release plate is a must. Even cheaper models will have this, but some may not, make sure the one you opt for does.

At this range you won't get too many interchangeable head models. So think about what you shoot. Will you want a slide plate? Do you do panos? If so a simple ball head won't be good enough. But for all else it does nicely. I don't do panoramics, I only ever use ball heads because they're quick and easy to control. My one has 2 spirit levels on it to make sure all is straightened up for horizons. Some cheaper models may have this feature. It's just a bonus.

The legs, as important as the head: Some won't have much control, can't be spread out for low shooting, and some have very thin bottom sections that aren't very good in the wind or on mud. Make sure it has nice thick legs.

Happy hunting :)
 
lots of member here recommend the redsnapper tripod for £60.
 
Super, cheers guys. Definitely some food for thought there. With regards what I want to shoot, I don't really know as yet. Still very much a n00b with regards photography. I have an agenda of mainly portrait, animals, nature/wildlife and kids (my own, I'm not a weirdo :D )

I'll do some reading up on the aforementioned makes and models.

Thanks again.
 
I would recommend the Redsnapper.Good size and weight and is very stable. The budget heads only support 5kg but that's more than enough for amatures.
 
ian-83 said:
I would recommend the Redsnapper.Good size and weight and is very stable. The budget heads only support 5kg but that's more than enough for amatures.
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Noticed that, but still a good spec.
 
Ah yes, I just looked at the bottom specs, for the tripod itself. 5kg is plenty enough for an amateur though. You really wouldn't need more until you get a 400mm or so. You can always upgrade the head to a manfrotto or whatever at a later stage if needed.
 
drfish said:
Super, cheers guys. Definitely some food for thought there. With regards what I want to shoot, I don't really know as yet. Still very much a n00b with regards photography. I have an agenda of mainly portrait, animals, nature/wildlife and kids (my own, I'm not a weirdo :D )

I'll do some reading up on the aforementioned makes and models.

Thanks again.
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You might find a monopod is more suited to that, things that move rather than being static.

You also need to consider the tripod head which arguably makes the bigger difference (three-way, ballhead, pistol,geared or gimbal). When you buy a 'better' tripod it is typically just the legs you get - the cheaper ones coming with a three-way head or maybe a ball head.
 
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