Tripods, where to start?

Kodiak Qc said:
Every dollar saved is a dollar twice earned.
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I kinda think this is my, and @Phil V's, point too

A truly FAB and expensive tripod is more likely to be an over engineered waste of money when a much simpler/far cheaper one can do the same job :)

Mine's had some real hammer and while chipped a lot and dinted a bit works perfectly well, if I've spent the sort of money suggested above it'd have been wrapped in swaddling clothes and left at home a lot !!! :D

Dave
 
DG Phototraining said:
Some just like to waste money ;)

£900 for a fking tripod !!! Jeez :D

Dave
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Haha I know where you're coming from :) For example, I'm often bewildered when budding landscapers are invariably told they'll need a good tripod when in practise most landscapes are shot in good light, or at least easily hand-holdable light. And newcomers too are always told they'll need a tripod regardless when they'd usually be much better off with an extra lens or a decent flashgun when it comes to expanding creative opportunities.

But when you do need a tripod - either because shutter speeds are too long for hand-holding or (the other main use of tripods) you need something to hold the camera in a fixed position while you're busy doing other things eg studio table-top stuff - then you need a good one.

So, if you do find yourself needing a tripod on a regular basis, you'll quickly discover that cheap* tripods are often simply not up to the job and/or can be downright frustrating to use (the head also plays a big part in this). Serious tripod users, if they have the budget, always end up with a Gitzo. Yes, they're expensive and IMHO overpriced, but they are clearly and demonstrably better than anything else in the same size/weight class. The best way I can put it is to say that they perform at least one class above spec, eg a 2-series Gitzo will be as good as a 3-series from other brands.

*Not all cheaper tripods are poor. The Novo mentioned in post #20 is terrific value at around £200. Assuming it's the same tripod I think it is, ie a Ventura VT-1 (from CameraGearUK in Norwich) also available under other over-brand names like Desmond.
 
IVe just purchased a Benro Mach 3 TMA48CXL. Absolutely love it. Comes with loads of fixtures and fittings and is huge. A fraction of the price of the comparative Gitzo at £400.
 
johnf3f said:
Perhaps I didn't phrase it very well Simon. I bought my GT3531, GT3320BS, GM2541 and (ex) GT3530LS from a high street camera shop which is 50 minutes away - not too much of a wait? The GT45642LS took a bit longer at 48 hours direct from Gitzo UK. Now my G1550T did take several months until I could find one at the right price - but that is the problem with buying used! The others were brand new.

Hope that clarifies.
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Not really no, the GT4542LS is retailing at £699, GM2542 (current version of the GM2541) is £219, GT2532 (current version of the GT2531) is £649, GT3320BS is £249. So that's £1816 excluding the G1550T.

I understand you can get some great bargains, I've done it plenty myself and I once paid something like £240 for a brand new GT2541EX from Gitzo UK, it was a stunning deal but as you can't get it anymore at that price who am I helping by telling others about how cheap they can be?

My point simply is, it doesn't help anyone looking to buy to give them unrealistic prices.
 
So I had to check, as it’s old, my tripod and head comes in at round the £200 mark today, I know guys with older versions (and I think Dave’s is the same one)
Manfrotto 055 xpro (mines prior to them designation)
 
RichieTee said:
IVe just purchased a Benro Mach 3 TMA48CXL. Absolutely love it. Comes with loads of fixtures and fittings and is huge. A fraction of the price of the comparative Gitzo at £400.
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Benro Mach 3 tripods are pretty good. Not Gitzos exactly, but they tend to concentrate less on trick features and invest more in important stuff like fatter leg sections :)

Phil V said:
So I had to check, as it’s old, my tripod and head comes in at round the £200 mark today, I know guys with older versions (and I think Dave’s is the same one)
Manfrotto 055 xpro (mines prior to them designation)
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Manfrotto's 055 has always been a very decent all-round mid-price tripod, even though the design has actually changed several times over the years.
 
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Kodiak Qc said:
That is the worst "killing all your chances for a deal" situation.
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I'm a firm believer in the saying "everything comes to he who waits" which is why 90% of the stuff I own is used but it's only useful advice if you don't need something anytime soon.
 
simonbarker said:
Not really no, the GT4542LS is retailing at £699, GM2542 (current version of the GM2541) is £219, GT2532 (current version of the GT2531) is £649, GT3320BS is £249. So that's £1816 excluding the G1550T.

I understand you can get some great bargains, I've done it plenty myself and I once paid something like £240 for a brand new GT2541EX from Gitzo UK, it was a stunning deal but as you can't get it anymore at that price who am I helping by telling others about how cheap they can be?

My point simply is, it doesn't help anyone looking to buy to give them unrealistic prices.
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Tend to agree Simon ;) Buying a used Gitzo is certainly a good way to a bargain, but only if you know what you want, have good knowledge of the entire Gitzo range past and present, are prepared to scour second-hand retailers and ebay on a regular basis, are patient and prepared to take a punt on what actually turns up.
 
Phil V said:
So I had to check, as it’s old, my tripod and head comes in at round the £200 mark today, I know guys with older versions (and I think Dave’s is the same one)
Manfrotto 055 xpro (mines prior to them designation)
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You can get the aluminium 055XPRO pretty cheaply nowadays, it's been replaced by the MT055XPRO (major difference is the horizontal/vertical action is hidden until you push up the column), the stuff prior (PROB, V, AB, CB, CLB etc) should all be in the sub £50 range. You'll often get a decent head thrown in with a used tripod so there's deals to be had.
 
Phil V said:
So I had to check, as it’s old, my tripod and head comes in at round the £200 mark today, I know guys with older versions (and I think Dave’s is the same one)
Manfrotto 055 xpro (mines prior to them designation)
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Yep that's the one - fairly heavy by modern standards, but doesn't that help it stay still more?

Anyway, you're a wimp if you really think you need a carbon fibre version of a heavier metal one :D

Dave
 
simonbarker said:
My point simply is, it doesn't help anyone looking to buy to give them unrealistic prices.
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Well my tripods (past and present) look pretty realistic to me as did their prices.
 
Thanks all, some great advice on the thread. I’ll make sure to post my final purchase.
 
simonbarker said:
OK that's wonderful to hear, can you tell us where we can buy them at those prices then?
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Certainly, from several places, the (sadly now defunct) Walters Photo Video, E Bay and Gitzo. Naturally other sellers pop up with good deals now and again but those are the ones that my current Gitzo tripods came from. The loss of Walters was a blow as they were a nice bricks and mortar shop where you could try before you buy and they had great prices too. My Gitzo purchases from them were very keenly priced but they gave me cracking deals on cameras and lenses = they took an awful lot of money off me!

Incidentally most of my camera/lens lineup was bought at similarly unrealistic prices. Check my gear list, only the Canon 16-35 F4 L IS cost somewhere close to it's "proper" price.
 
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Several places? You're recommending a store which doesn't exist anymore, the Gitzo website which is basically full retail and used gear off eBay which is useless for anyone who wants a specific tripod and isn't prepared to wait weeks/months.

OK fine, that's super helpful, thank you.
 
simonbarker said:
Several places? You're recommending a store which doesn't exist anymore, the Gitzo website which is basically full retail and used gear off eBay which is useless for anyone who wants a specific tripod and isn't prepared to wait weeks/months.

OK fine, that's super helpful, thank you.
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You asked where I bought them - I told you, and you have a problem with that?

Unfortunately I have no control over other buyers who shop abroad and kill British camera shops who were (in the case of Walters) very competitive/cheaper for tripods/cameras/lenses and the filter prices were just silly. The Gitzo website is not always retail price, as I have the tripod and receipt to prove. There are plenty of Gitzo (and many other brands) of tripod on FleaBay for quick delivery - often at decent prices, if you care to look! I waited a while for my Gitzo Traveller as it was very low priority so I didn't want to spend much - were I in a rush then I could have gone £50-£100 higher and got one in the time it takes the parcel to arrive - this would still have been about half price. This was the only photographic item of any type that I have had to wait any significant time (over 3/4 days) for. There was no long research/waiting for my 1DX, Canon 800 F5.6 L IS, Canon 300 F2.8 L IS, Canon 24-70 F2.8L V2, Wimberley 2, Gitzo G1318, Gitzo leg reducers, Gitzo Spiked foot set, Gitzo Systematic Top Plates (£13 rather than £80) etc. etc

Sorry but I am a bit baffled at your attitude/comments - do you want the OP to overspend on a quality tripod or make do with a cheap and inadequate one? Anyway I can see it is pointless trying to enlighten you so there is little point in carrying on with this as it is of no help to the OP and is wasting both mine and your time. I have the gear, I have paid far less than others = I am happy, if you don't want to play that's fine by me.
 
Okay so I’ve decided to pickup a MT055CXPRO3.

I just can’t decide on the head:
  • MANFROTTO 327RC2
  • MANFROTTO X-PRO3
  • MANFROTTO X-PRO Ball
This will need to hold a fair bit of weight (body+ 70-200).
 
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Phil V said:
So I had to check, as it’s old, my tripod and head comes in at round the £200 mark today, I know guys with older versions (and I think Dave’s is the same one)
Manfrotto 055 xpro (mines prior to them designation)
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I’ve had the 055pro since 2002, does the job.
 
Just noticed a post by Simon Barker on the tread Ball Head recommendations regarding the Novo heads. They are new to me but look very interesting - well priced too.
 
JohnBradbury said:
Okay so I’ve decided to pickup a MT055CXPRO3.

I just can’t decide on the head:
  • MANFROTTO 327RC2
  • MANFROTTO X-PRO3
  • MANFROTTO X-PRO Ball
This will need to hold a fair bit of weight (body+ 70-200).
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Any thoughts?
 
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