Tripod recommendations

dan_yell

dan_yell

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Can anyone suggest a good tripod - but one that won't break the budget. The tripod I have I didn't buy, it just kind of 'found it' so its pretty basic - it does the job of being a tripod, but think I need something a bit better, I got a freebie with a magazine subscription but its not suitable for my 5dII with any kind of lens other than 50mm prime. Would like something sturdy but also not too heavy and easy to pack, ill have to measure the tripod i have as it *just* fits in my suitcase diagonally, so couldnt go longer than that. Have birthday coming up and/or Christmas so was thinking of getting some research in to what to get......
 
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Google "Redsnapper" tripods. Good value for money, decent build quality and excellent customer service.
 
Well, I love my Three Legged Thing tripod. It doubles as a monopod as it has a detachable leg. It takes 30kg and will be going out with a 500f4 , Wimberley head and my 5D3 later today or tomorrow. Before anyone yells at me saying that this is not a budget model..well, with birthday, Christmas and a bit of your own it would do the job brilliantly and last... Mine is called Brian! Not by me...by them.
 
Whatever you eventually go for add Benbo to the list and at least take a look.

I got frustrated with conventional centre column through the middle designs as I just couldn't get the positioning I wanted. A Benbo with the additional "centre" column bracket was the answer for me and it's more stable than my previous frustrating and limiting Manfotto plus it's made of real metal and looks like it could survive WW3 which it probably could they're based on a gun support.

They're great for out door use IMHO.

Uniloc do a similar design.
 
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bazphoon said:
I just bought a manfrotto http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camera...o-compact-action-red-tripod-10010280-pdt.html excellent little tripod comes with decent bag .tried it with my 60d ans 10-20mm weighing 1.5kg no issues
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Hi Baz,

the spec on this says entry level SLR and altho you mention 60d, the lens is small (unless thats a typo?) - i'd be concerned it couldnt take a 300m (not that I have one) - the kit lens i have (which i dont like anyway) is really heavy. The one i have takes the weight fine, and is sturdy but its just very basic and feel like i need a bit more versatility
 
Chipper said:
Well, I love my Three Legged Thing tripod. It doubles as a monopod as it has a detachable leg. It takes 30kg ....*snip*.
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Be careful, It only takes 30Kg when you collapse it to 23 inches , the load capacity drops as you extend it.

Ps. I'm called Brian but I bought the Mefoto Globetrotter instead of the 3leggedthing :)
 
OP I could recommend loads of tripods, but without knowing your budget it's difficult as it is a case of you get what you pay for. Redsnapper appear to be a good balance of quality vs cost. Manfrotto are very good and do a range from basic to pro level. Vanguard do nice tripods. Then there's some very nice Giottos Carbon Fibre tripods being sold off. I'm not sure if it's just because they're end of the line or if Giottos UK have gone bust. There certainly doesn't appear to be a UK distributer anymore so I don't know how you'd go about warranty claims. That being said they are a bargain. There's some nice benro tripods too.

I'm actually currently looking myself. My trouble is my height. At 6'4" there's few that go to my height without the centre column raised that are still light enough to go trekking across the Derbyshire countryside.
 
snerkler said:
OP I could recommend loads of tripods, but without knowing your budget it's difficult as it is a case of you get what you pay for. Redsnapper appear to be a good balance of quality vs cost. Manfrotto are very good and do a range from basic to pro level. Vanguard do nice tripods. Then there's some very nice Giottos Carbon Fibre tripods being sold off. I'm not sure if it's just because they're end of the line or if Giottos UK have gone bust. There certainly doesn't appear to be a UK distributer anymore so I don't know how you'd go about warranty claims. That being said they are a bargain. There's some nice benro tripods too.

I'm actually currently looking myself. My trouble is my height. At 6'4" there's few that go to my height without the centre column raised that are still light enough to go trekking across the Derbyshire countryside.
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at 5'2", i am safe from such dilemmas. i dont think i'd like to pay more than £100 for one, but i think that might be pushing my luck. I just dont really know what to look for or what are good features in a tripod, or should there be extra features. the one i have is functional, but maybe itsnot ideal. or maybe, its ideal for the amount of time i use it (which is not super super often...)

So maybe im wasting everyones time... or maybe this will help others. A new computer is more of a priority so i can actually deal with photos without going insane, so maybe its not a good idea to get one right know. but it would be good to get an idea of whats out there and what people like and why.
 
dan_yell said:
at 5'2", i am safe from such dilemmas. i dont think i'd like to pay more than £100 for one, but i think that might be pushing my luck. I just dont really know what to look for or what are good features in a tripod, or should there be extra features. the one i have is functional, but maybe itsnot ideal. or maybe, its ideal for the amount of time i use it (which is not super super often...)

So maybe im wasting everyones time... or maybe this will help others. A new computer is more of a priority so i can actually deal with photos without going insane, so maybe its not a good idea to get one right know. but it would be good to get an idea of whats out there and what people like and why.
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Does £100 cover the head as well or just the legs? I'd suggest buying 2nd hand to get a better tripod for your money. Legs only you could get some decent aluminium legs new for £100.
 
snerkler said:
Then there's some very nice Giottos Carbon Fibre tripods being sold off. I'm not sure if it's just because they're end of the line or if Giottos UK have gone bust. There certainly doesn't appear to be a UK distributer anymore so I don't know how you'd go about warranty claims. That being said they are a bargain.
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Tell me more please :-)
 
yes i had it out last night shooting with it fully extended on the harbour edge .yes was using the canon 60d with sigma 10-20mm lens.doubt it would take a 300mm.think the weight was 1.3kg. as was using the little manfrotto pocket job but its to unsteady as the camera is to heavy.
 
+1 for Redsnapper; very sturdy for the price; years of good use out of mine :)
 
snerkler said:
Does £100 cover the head as well or just the legs? I'd suggest buying 2nd hand to get a better tripod for your money. Legs only you could get some decent aluminium legs new for £100.
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well this shows how much I know as I was not aware it was a separate leg/head purchase possibility! :coat:

whats the deal with this talk of 'column' tripods? My little brain is getting confused :ty:
 
+1 for redsnapper,had mine for a few years,currently using canon 6D + 70mm-200mm L IS lens,no problems,solid.:)
 
dan_yell said:
well this shows how much I know as I was not aware it was a separate leg/head purchase possibility! :coat:

whats the deal with this talk of 'column' tripods? My little brain is getting confused :ty:
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I've not heard the term column tripods but I assume it's those with a centre column that you can raise to make it taller.

Tripods can be bought with a head included (either with a fixed head or a separate head included as a kit), or legs and head separately. I would strongly urge you to stay away from those that have a fixed head. Buying a kit can save you money though, and allows you to swap the head/legs should you decide to upgrade at any point.
 
Yeah I didn't know there was a separate head thing going on. obviously the one I have being basic is fixed head. I will have to do some serious research into the suggestions and decide what to do.
 
psybear said:
Redsnapper offer well-matched head and tripod combos.
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Agreed. If I was after a cheap but good quality starter kit I don't think I'd look much further than Red Snapper tbh. It all depends on what you want though, size, portability, weight, twist/clip locks, etc etc. As with everything there's always a compromise :(

I went for ultimate portability and bought the Velbon ultra rexi L and Giottos MH1311-652 ball head. I have no concerns having my D750 on top, and even had it with the Tamron 150-600mm attached :eek: I have got a case of GAS of late and been looking at other tripods, but as yet haven't found one that fits the bill. there's always something. Plus the velbon is extremely teeny when folded down, and has an quite ingenious twist lock system.

I keep looking at the giottos carbon tripods as they've been discontinued and are a steal at the mo, but have read a number of reports of failures or stability issues so keep talking myself out of these.
I've also been looking at the Vanguard Alta Pro carbons but again read the odd reports of issues, plus the height without centre column isn't quite tall enough (although the same height as my velbon and I've managed fine with this). It does have (imo) a better centre column than the Manfrotto 055's I've been looking at in that you can tilt it at any angle rather than just the 90 degrees of the manfrotto. Plus it has feet that you can twist to reveal spikes.
As already mentioned I've been looking at the Manfrotto 055cxpro3 and pro4. Again they're not quite tall enough without having to use the centre column, and the centre column can only be swung to 90 degrees and so may prove limiting when shooting low angle landscapes.
Lastly I've been looking at the Red Snapper RS-324. It's got great height, and comes with two centre columns which should help with low level shooting. However, it's getting a little too heavy and apparently quality isn't as good as the manfrotto (but then it's nearly £100 cheaper).

Anyway, sorry for the hijack OP but the point I was making is that choosing the right tripod can be a real headache. My advice would be to look on Red snapper, see what's within budget and just buy it and save yourself the headache I'm going through :p
 
no hijack snerkler, it's all valuable information. looks like it's about as easy to choose a tripod as it is to choose a new camera bag :-)

by the sounds of it redsnapper might be the way forward given my budget and how much I will use it (not super amounts, but will make the difference when I do) - I will check it out.
 
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