Which tripod to buy

angusallan

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I am looking at buying a tripod but I don't really know where/what to start looking for.

It will be mainly used for landscape and night photography so I would want something that is quick to set up and sturdy as I live in the north west of Scotland and it can get quite breezy here :) .

My camera is a canon 1000d and the heaviest lens that I will be using will be a sigma 10-22 or a tamron 70-300.

Your suggestions/ directions will be much appreciated.
 
I recommend a red snapper :)
 
If you can find one, probably the best stills camera tripod ever made - a Slik88 - fast to use, sturdy, relatively lightweight.
 
The best you can afford becuase a good one will outlast your camera and probably the next few too and don't skimp on a decent head.

Very important bit of kit and surprised how many people pay hundreds/thousands for camera and lens then buy a cheapo tripod
 
Very important bit of kit and surprised how many people pay hundreds/thousands for camera and lens then buy a cheapo tripod

Yeah.....Me! I bought a mini tripod from Aldi for £2.99, I thought it would fall to bits with my compact, much less my dslr, but. although it would be no good in the wind, it's an excellent bit of kit and even supports the dslr.. Similar to the gorillapod, but a 6th of the price. :D
 
The manfrotto one looks good although is slightly out with my budget. Looking at spending £120 max. Does anyone else have any comments on the red snapper tripods?
 
Do a search for red snapper. There are lots of threads discussing their tripods. :)
 
If you go to wex photography's site, you can pick up the pair mentioned above and in the video (good link George, btw) for £144 - there's a code on camerapricebuster for the tripod, for free next day delivery.
I imagine the same would apply for the head - so for an extra £24 for something you'll own for the next 3-5 years before needing or fancying a change/upgrade to carbon fibre or whatever, is it really worth quibbling over?
 
Consider buying used. I got a corking deal on a Mint condition Giottos legs & head from Ffordes for £75. (eBay prices were going for higher than new due to auction fever!!).

It really was Mint, and solid as a rock, will last a long time.
 
Manfrotto 055CXPro3 tripod - I tried a Giottos MTL8361B, but it's not a patch on the Manfrotto. Carbon fibre makes it lighter, but also reduces vibrations by a large margin. For windy places, it has a hook to hang a bag from (many tripods do). CFs also warmer to touch and your skin doesn't stick to it in cold weather. As per other posts, get the best you can afford. My last Manfrotto lasted 25 years! and was sold in full working order!

Cheers,
Dayve
P.S. I should say the same about the head - the best you can afford. I use a ball head mostly. I used to use a gearred head, but I got used to the speed of the ball (Manfrotto Hydrostatic ball head 468MGRC4 - expensive, but beautiful to use). I'm not an equipment freak, but I do need things to work well , so I can concentrate on what really matters)
 
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Giottos are doing a special carbon fibre model for Christmas
Giottos 8223-50 retails at £99.99:)
 
The only thing I don't like about the red snapper tripods is that they don't seem to have the quick hitch like the manfrotto one does. I think I might wait a until after the new year and spend that little bit extra on the manfrotto one. Thanks for the advice
 
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