What Tripod?

Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester

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Hi

I want to buy myself a a tripod that I can carry around with me; so I need something reasonably light weight.

I like to take photo's of plants and insects; so something with a relatively short minimum height would be useful; I can get the lens fairly close to the ground.

What do you suggest?

Cheers
 
Broken said:
this will depend on your budget i would say :)

i paid i think few months back £220 at the time for a manfrotto with a 3 way head mount heres a link
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-manfrotto-mk055xpro3-tripod-and-x-pro-3-way-head/p1549519

goes extremely low and also goes as high as 7ft if i remember rightly ?
can also swing the arm over to 90D going over the edge of a bridge or something :)
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Thanks for the helpful answer.

You're right; about the budget of course. I didn't specify one as I had no idea how much I might to spend to get what I want. As always, the less the better, but I'd rather not compromise quality.

I think I'd be to terrified of losing my camera to put it over the edge of a bridge!

I'll look at the Manfrotto you linked to.

Cheers.
 
There's the Pro4 version (I Think?) Which is carbon flavoured and a bit lighter if your budget will stretch to it.
Tis a cracking tripod, don't get me wrong. I am just feeble sometimes.
 
For small, light and low, I'd take a look at the Mefoto and Sirui range. Some good options in there and sound just what you're after. If you're feeling a little more flush, I really like my 3 legged thing tripod and head.
 
Jonny Funkweasel said:
There's the Pro4 version (I Think?) Which is carbon flavoured and a bit lighter if your budget will stretch to it.
Tis a cracking tripod, don't get me wrong. I am just feeble sometimes.
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Thanks; I'll check it out.

I'm no Charles Atlas either! In fact I'm more like the seven stone weakling who got sand kicked in his face.

(If that makes no sense to you; you're a lot younger than I am!)

Cheers.
 
gad-westy said:
For small, light and low, I'd take a look at the Mefoto and Sirui range. Some good options in there and sound just what you're after. If you're feeling a little more flush, I really like my 3 legged thing tripod and head.
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Thanks for that. I'll check them out.

I must admit (being a complete beginner) that I have not heard of any of those brands! :whistle:
 
As always, people generally want 3 things: sturdy, light and cheap (listed in order of importance IMO). Pick 2! I would guess that most people who have been playing the game for a few years have at least 2 tripods (or have had at least 2!), probably having bought something cheap that's turned out to be a poor investment since it's either too flimsy/wobbly to be of much use or weighs too much to be easily carried for any length of time.
I've ended up with 2 full sized Manfrottos and 1 travel Giottos, all now fitted to accept the same QR plates (Manfrotto's RC2 system). The 2 full sized ones are both Manfrotto 190s, one is an older Aluminium one and the other is a newer CF one with an easier centre column to set horizontally while the Giottos is a CF Vitruvian. The legs are only 1/2 the story, the head is at least as important - no point in having super sturdy legs if the head's all floppy! Heads are also a matter of personal choice, some liking ball heads for speed of set up and some liking 3 way heads for more accuracy and others going for geared heads for fine adjustment and accuracy. The best bet is to visit a well stocked shop and have a play so you can feel for yourself the difference in weight between a CF and Aluminium set of legs and see how firmly a head holds under pressure.

Happy shopping!
 
What camera / lenses are you going to use with the tripod?
I recently picked up a Chinese CF (Carbon Fibre - lighter and stiffer than aluminium) travel tripod from Amazon to use with my A6000 when I'm travelling - but when I'm using the much bigger A900 then it's time for the CF Manfrotto 055.
 
Nod said:
As always, people generally want 3 things: sturdy, light and cheap (listed in order of importance IMO). Pick 2! I would guess that most people who have been playing the game for a few years have at least 2 tripods (or have had at least 2!), probably having bought something cheap that's turned out to be a poor investment since it's either too flimsy/wobbly to be of much use or weighs too much to be easily carried for any length of time.
I've ended up with 2 full sized Manfrottos and 1 travel Giottos, all now fitted to accept the same QR plates (Manfrotto's RC2 system). The 2 full sized ones are both Manfrotto 190s, one is an older Aluminium one and the other is a newer CF one with an easier centre column to set horizontally while the Giottos is a CF Vitruvian. The legs are only 1/2 the story, the head is at least as important - no point in having super sturdy legs if the head's all floppy! Heads are also a matter of personal choice, some liking ball heads for speed of set up and some liking 3 way heads for more accuracy and others going for geared heads for fine adjustment and accuracy. The best bet is to visit a well stocked shop and have a play so you can feel for yourself the difference in weight between a CF and Aluminium set of legs and see how firmly a head holds under pressure.

Happy shopping!
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Thanks; that's a lot of useful advice!

I hadn't even considered the matter of the heads. My knowledge is very limited. I'll try to get to look at some tripods in the flesh.

Cheers.
 
Faldrax said:
What camera / lenses are you going to use with the tripod?
I recently picked up a Chinese CF (Carbon Fibre - lighter and stiffer than aluminium) travel tripod from Amazon to use with my A6000 when I'm travelling - but when I'm using the much bigger A900 then it's time for the CF Manfrotto 055.
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Thanks.

I have a Fuji XT10 which is reasonably compact and light. The largest lens I currently own is a 55-200; though I have three other smaller lenses.

I'll look on Amazon for CF travel tripod and check out the Manfrotto.

Cheers.
 
I have a Zomei carbon fibre that I use with my xt10. No issue with it and has a reversible centre column so tou can get really low.
 
I'd been making do with a big very cheap (LIDL) tripod for a few years, when an upcoming Mediterranean holiday suggested I ought to have a light travel tripod which could fit in cabin baggage. I chose the biggest Mefoto which would fit in the airline specified bag size, the Mefoto Globetrotter, aluminium because it was only a little heavier than carbon fibre, better able to resist typical travel accidents like accidentally sitting or stepping on it, and quite a bit cheaper. I had decided I needed two good tripods, one optimised for small and light travel and hiking about use, and a bigger heavier serious one for when the demand for better quality trumped portability. I'd choose the bigger serious one when I got back from holiday.

I was surprised and delighted by the excellent engineering and build quality of the Mefoto and its standard ball head, a very good ball head indeed. I had expected I'd want to upgrade from the standard "kit" head. Not only was I happy to keep the head, the tripod turned out to be good enough that there was no need to consider getting a better one for more serious work. A better tripod would let me get further into stability in more extreme conditions like one second exposures with a long lens on a gimbal mount in gusty wind, or minute long landscape exposures, but I so rarely want to do that kind of thing it's not worth spending big money on it.
 
Uncle Fester said:
Hi

I want to buy myself a a tripod that I can carry around with me; so I need something reasonably light weight.

I like to take photo's of plants and insects; so something with a relatively short minimum height would be useful; I can get the lens fairly close to the ground.

What do you suggest?

Cheers
Click to expand...

I'm always recommending Benbo and Uni-loc.

I rarely use a tripod but when I do I want to achieve the position I want not what the tripod will allow and for that reason my conventional Manfrotto centre column through the legs tripod frustrated me endlessly as I just couldn't get the positioning I wanted. Since moving to a Benbo I can now achieve any position :D and as a bonus when used to its strengths it's very stable and feels like it could survive a direct hit from a cruise missile. Oh, and the additional column bracket solves any drunken octopus issues :D

I think these tripods are well worth a look for general outdoor stuff and stuff where you need to be able to achieve the position you want.
 
As @woof woof says the old Benbo tripods (I have a Benbo trekker – google/ebay) can hold the camera at any angle and position are great for low level flowers but they can be a faff to set up. On some tripods (e.g. some Manfrottos) the centre column can be set horizontal and the legs folded out to nearly flat, so with the camera hanging upside down off the head you can again get the camera at ground level. The up shot of this being you don’t really need to worry about leg length to get low down.


As well as the trekker (which TBH I don’t use much these days) I have a Manfrotto 055 (which fell apart in the field 3 months after I bought it, but that’s another story) and a really cheap light Chinese job which has had several years of abuse, getting wet and muddy, etc and is still going strong. I’m no expert but as pointed out above you are going to end up with a few tripods and the old/cheap ones can always be used as flash stands etc. in the future. So I would buy a small/cheap (£50) one off Amazon and try it out for a while and figure out what I really need and then have a look at the more expensive systems. As always I think it is better to get your hands on in a shop or at an exhibition just to really see what you find easy to use.
 
sirch said:
On some tripods (e.g. some Manfrottos) the centre column can be set horizontal and the legs folded out to nearly flat, so with the camera hanging upside down off the head you can again get the camera at ground level. The up shot of this being you don’t really need to worry about leg length to get low down.
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On all my tripods, I can remove the centre column and replace it upside down so with the legs splayed out fully and the centre column set fully extended downwards, the camera can be below the level of the base of the feet...
 
Depends on budget ... but as already stated light and cheap usually don't exists (and if they do they are not stable). If a 'pod is too heavy to carry with you then it is of little use. For really light and stable (not not necessarily cheap) these take some beating http://www.feisoleurope.com/feisol-tournament-tripod-ct3342-rapid-p-30.html I have this and use it with a Nikon D810 and various heavy-ish lenses (24-70 f2.8 etc) without issue. It is stable and light. I use it with the CB40 ball head which is nicely matched.
 
I've just bought this carbon fibre Manfrotto tripod as I was concerned about having to carry too much weight. http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-manfrotto-190xpro3-carbon-fibre-tripod/p1543797. This is pretty much the same as the Manfrotto 055 mentioned by Chris in post 2 except that a) it is CF so is lighter and b) is shorter before winding up the central column. Having looked at and discussed both the 055 and the 190 with Calumet, their recommendation was to work out the height you need for the camera to be at eye level before using the central column (don't forget to add on the height of the tripod head and also the height of the camera body). For me, as I'm only 5'4" the 190 was the best choice.

Very pleased with it, however one minor criticism is that it doesn't come with a tripod bag - in one way this does make sense as heads differ in shape and size but on the other hand I ended up shelling out another £34 on Amazon for an unpadded bag.
 
Carol S said:
their recommendation was to work out the height you need for the camera to be at eye level
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I guess it depends what you are photographing but I can't remeber when I last used the tripod so that the viewfinder was at eye-level, personally I think this would not be my top priority
 
sirch said:
As @woof woof says the old Benbo tripods (I have a Benbo trekker – google/ebay) can hold the camera at any angle and position are great for low level flowers but they can be a faff to set up. On some tripods (e.g. some Manfrottos) the centre column can be set horizontal and the legs folded out to nearly flat, so with the camera hanging upside down off the head you can again get the camera at ground level. The up shot of this being you don’t really need to worry about leg length to get low down.
Click to expand...

I think that the additional column bracket thingy (I'm not exactly sure what it's called) helps enormously and for me completely eliminates the bagpipes/octopus effect.

I would take the Benbo anywhere and use it in any conditions, and I have, and have no worries about it either letting me down or being damaged but to be honest my Manfrotto regardless of how well made is actually is never inspired that confidence as it just never seemed like a go anywhere in the field tripod. Actually I gave it to someone who uses is exclusively indoors.

sirch said:
I guess it depends what you are photographing but I can't remeber when I last used the tripod so that the viewfinder was at eye-level, personally I think this would not be my top priority
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When I've bought tripods I've always got one which can go to eye level, just in case, but in reality for some subjects a lower mounting position can give a better perspective and the vast majority of my tripod shots have not been at eye level.
 
ndwgolf said:
Gitzo mountaineer
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At an entry level price of £375 or so, this range (although a great choice for those with very deep pockets) is a bit overkill.
 
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MrDrizz said:
I have a Zomei carbon fibre that I use with my xt10. No issue with it and has a reversible centre column so tou can get really low.
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Thanks for that. Good to have a suggestion from someone who uses their tripod with a XT10!
 
So many replies - thank you all very much.

As I said, I'm very much a beginnner, so many of the makes mentioned are new to me. I will try and read up on those tripods mentioned.

More importantly; I will try and look at few. That won't be easy; as locally I only have one specialist camera shop (LCE) which is quite small and the range is limited.

Please keep the suggestions coming in!

Thanks
 
Another vote for the MeFoto Globetrotter which is a very well build sturdy tripod for the money. Also worth a look is the Vanguard Alta Pro range.
 
Uncle Fester said:
I think I'd be to terrified of losing my camera to put it over the edge of a bridge!
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That's what straps are for :p the tripod wasn't tall enough to see over the railings lol I got it still and steady in other ways!

PsUk68k.png


BaaAAf9.jpg
 
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Carol S said:
I've just bought this carbon fibre Manfrotto tripod as I was concerned about having to carry too much weight. http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-manfrotto-190xpro3-carbon-fibre-tripod/p1543797. This is pretty much the same as the Manfrotto 055 mentioned by Chris in post 2 except that a) it is CF so is lighter and b) is shorter before winding up the central column. Having looked at and discussed both the 055 and the 190 with Calumet, their recommendation was to work out the height you need for the camera to be at eye level before using the central column (don't forget to add on the height of the tripod head and also the height of the camera body). For me, as I'm only 5'4" the 190 was the best choice.

Very pleased with it, however one minor criticism is that it doesn't come with a tripod bag - in one way this does make sense as heads differ in shape and size but on the other hand I ended up shelling out another £34 on Amazon for an unpadded bag.
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@Uncle Fester - I am selling one of the above tripods in the classifieds, so this is a shameful post!!
 
Raymond Lin said:
That's what straps are for :p the tripod wasn't tall enough to see over the railings lol I got it still and steady in other ways!

PsUk68k.png


BaaAAf9.jpg
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You wouldn't get me within ten foot of that balconey - let alone my camera. I'm terrified of heights!

Fantastic photo.
 
JJ! said:
@Uncle Fester - I am selling one of the above tripods in the classifieds, so this is a shameful post!!
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I spent most of last night looking at tripod reviews on Youtube. But I'm still try to decide what I want :love:

If I decide that I want your Tripod; I'll let you know - thanks. Shameful posts welcome!

Mind you, I've just been tempted by a lens in the classifieds, so I really shouldn't be buying anything else just yet ... ;)
 
Nod said:
Link seems to be broken now - they must have sold it! At that price it was a steal and I would have bought it to leave at our holiday destination!
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Ah well; that's one less thing to tempt me!
 
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