what tripod?

mastertrinity

mastertrinity

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Luke
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hi everyone,

the otherday i was taking my tripod out the car in pitch black and the next day when i came to use it i realised the quick release plate:bang: was gone. i knew this was rendered useless but it was only a cheap £12 tripod from argos:gag: that i bought two years ago while on holiday. i now realise that losing the release plate was a good thing because i can invest in a proper tripod. i am on a max budget of £80-100 and would like a good sturdy tripod to last me a good five years. i already have a cheap flimsy jessops 315 but i use that more for travel as its light. this tripod will be used for the normal photographic duties, weather conditions, studio use etc. could anyony give me any advice?
 
I wouldn't claim to be able to give you expert advice but I can tell you what I ended up with (within your budget) after a fair bit of research.

I considered the Manfrotto 190 legs and a Manfrotto head, but when compared agaisnt the Redsnapper I couldn't justify the extra cost of the Manfrotto kit. The Redsnapper products seem to very highly regarded on here.

I got a set of TRI283 Redsnapper legs and a TB-12 ballhead - they are cracking quality, very sturdy and extremely well put together. They are each about £50 - so total £100 less 10% discount (not sure about UK mainland delivery).

Or you could go for a set of TRI-283 legs with a pan and tilt head for £75.

Note - mention TP when you order and you get 10% discount! It was a great service and cracking product.
 
yes i have heard of those redsnappers and do sound a really good cheap alternative to the manfrotto's. im just a bit put off about having to order them online, its not the same than when you go down to a shop;camera in hand, and test them out and the one you like you walk away with. by the way im 5'5 and need a tripod with max height of around 150cm and minimum height as small as it goes.
 
Don't be put off by trying to buy online. Quite a few of the more experienced members on here have used Redsnapper - they really are great quality and Joe provides a very fast and reliable service. You should call Joe (number on his website) and chat to him - he will give you a striaght answer and I am sure he will let you return if you are not satisfied.

For the money I was blown away by the quality - both of the legs and the free bag that they come in. You will NOT get better value for money than the legs with a pan and tilt..... unless of course you go 2nd hand.
 
mastertrinity said:
are there any cheaper redsnappers? i know £100 aint much when it comes to professional long-lasting tripods but i do like to get a deal.
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It's £74.95 + delivery for the legs & 3-way head :shrug:
 
redsnapper
 
mastertrinity said:
ive found a sony tripod at jessops. would this be any good?

http://www.jessops.com/online.store.../products/Sony/VCTR100 Tripod-74309/Show.html
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I doubt that it would be much better than the one you had, but as I have never seen it in the flesh I can't really comment. I still have a Jessops Tp 232 that looks very similar. These are usually very light and IMHO you would be wasting your money. Not everyone has £100 lying around, but my advice would be to avoid the cheaper models, save your cash up and get the Redsnapper.
 
I'm looking for a new tripod too and have been considering a Giottos MTL3361B. A recent review in PhotoPlus reckons the head controls are too complex, but otherwise rates the tripod reasonably well. What about Benbo's. A bit pricey, but versatile?
 
whenever i read a thread about tripods in this forum, Redsnapper comes up. I have never heard of it in other places, is it a product specific to this forum? I suppose its very good value. I myself recently bought CF Feisol for less than half its price. I would recommend buying used, the tripods go very cheap second hand (even though good ones can outlast lenses easily)
 
nikontos said:
whenever i read a thread about tripods in this forum, Redsnapper comes up. I have never heard of it in other places, is it a product specific to this forum? I suppose its very good value. I myself recently bought CF Feisol for less than half its price. I would recommend buying used, the tripods go very cheap second hand (even though good ones can outlast lenses easily)
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Not specific to this forum but as Joe who runs Redsnapper is a member & offers 10% to forum members I'm not suprised they are mentioned frequently - As to quality I got a tripod (legs only) for work & its is very good quality for around £50 (imho you will have to spend over £100 to match it elsewhere) - Well made / sturdy not lightweight but not too heavy to carry around if you needed to (excellent bag provided btw) - Time will tell how good but I bought ours based on the comments here from people who had already bought one believing they would know a decent tripod from a poor one? - So far I'm impressed & would recommend Redsnapper to anyone (their bags are great quality / value too)
Paul :thumbs:
 
after i got my Manfrotto, i never looked at another tripod again
 
I've looked at loads of tripods in the last few months at around your budget.

Conclusions...

there are an awful lot of options in £70-£130 range
Manfrottos are always on offer somewhere as a leg n head kit, but never much below £100
Manfrotto 190 seem to be well made, sturdy and heavy
Giottos were Okish - not much to choose from Manfrotto, perhaps a little more fiddly and less robust ?
SLIK - decent enough for the money, good value , just not sure what they would be like in 10 years time

Redsnapper - i've not seen one, but its still the one i will most likely buy.

You have to be wary of forum answers - peoples answers, whilst trying to help, are based on their usage and expectations. I'll be using mine for under 100 frames per year i would guess; so some might say i'd be OK with one from Argos. Others will use their tripods much more, with varying amounts of weight loading.

The only thing i would say about redsnapper is i've never seen a bad report - bear in mind the semi/professional guys on here will not be using them (£100 is not their price point) so its the lighter users that will be reporting on them (exacty the use you'll give it) . Its well specced with rubber and pointed feet, quality bag and strap. Add up these extras on even a basic Manfrotto 190 and you'll be at £90 without any head.
 
yes i have noticed that theres alot of tripods around the £70-130 range. i would love a manfrotto,gitzo,redsnapper etc. but i never see the need for different heads, my arogs one was a fluid head and was perfect, i use it often but i dont do major HDR landscapes and stuff like that (probably because i live in tamworth which is no where near any sea or anything exotic) but i need something to last five years and i dont know if i am better off with a cheap £20 tripod.
 
I bought a Manfrotto 190, with a 486RC2 ball head from this place http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetails~man~Manfrotto~productID~7086~categoryid~158.html

I actually took a trip over Christmas to their place in Chipping Norton after comparing loads of places on the net, and had decided on a cheaper (Manfrotto) kit, but I'm so glad I went for this one. I didn't want to be spending £70 now, then a lump more in 6 months for something better, so I spent about £130 on this combo, plus a case for it, and I love it. Feels really well made, nice and sturdy, stable and easy to use. The advice I got from the chap there was excellent, he really listened to what I wanted to use the equipment for, and advised accordingly - and that includes steering me away from spending more money than I needed to which to my mind is a pretty unusual and honest thing to do.

When I'm ready to buy more gear, I'll definitely be going back there.
 
I'm a "light user". In the past I've had Jessops/Argos tripods, I've played with "Pro Level" tripods in the shops and while I've been impressed by the feel the cost didn't equate to my usage levels.

When my last budget tripod no longer suited by camera/lens I looked at the "pro level" tripods again & compared the specs/reviews to the Rednsnapper range. After much dithering I bought the legs/3 way head and I must say that I feel they are a bargain.

I honestly do not think that if you asked a non photographer to compare the Redsnapper tripod to a "pro level" tripod that they would find £100-200 worth of difference :)


Brian
 
Sorry to kind of hijack the thread but I didn't want to start another tripod thread and am in a similar position..

I was all for getting a Redsnapper legs and the 3 way head until I saw this on ebay

NEW MANFROTTO 190XDB 486RC2 BALL HEAD
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120345774566

Being new to all this photography and tripod buisness I am a little unsure as to which is the better head for general useage, ball or 3 way.?
 
I'm also looking to buy, as my cheap one is pretty awful! The redsnapper series sound tempting, but I don't know the difference between the heads?
 
Sorry that was a dumb question :) I think i'll just go for the 75pound pack. Can it be upgraded to a ball head in the future?
 
Keep an eye in the for sale section and place an ad in the wanted.

Managed to pick up a Manfrotto 055 and 222 head for under a ton, thanks to a top member :thumbs:
 
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