Yet another tripod question !

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uxbod

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First post so please be gentle ;)

I am starting to get into photography and have a Nikon D70. I am looking for a decent tripod and have checked out both Manfrotto and Benbo. With respect to what I shall be shooting it will be a combination of most things ie. nature, landscapes and some macro. So with that in mind should I go for a heavier tripod ? One other factor is the lens I have which is a Nikkor 70-300mm VR AF-S, so whatever I go for it will need to be able to accommodate that at full extension and still provide a rock solid platform.

Thoughts ?
 
I just bought a Red Snapper Head and tripod, its brilliant value for £100 all up and should certainly support your kit.
If moneys not such a problem then go for Manfrotto maybe, someone else will be versed in Frotto-speak....
 
Thanks. I have a few hundred £s to spend so would like something that will last me a good while and support future upgrades on camera and lenses eg. D300.
 
The redsnapper stuff get's a great write up so probably worth checking there. I just picked up a Manfrotto 055CLB with 804 head from FFordes for less than £100, tripod was ex demo but looks like new. They've still got quite a bit of stock on the site.
 
Uxbod, check out my review of a tripod I bought from netgadgets on ebay.

On first impressions it's as good as my Manfrotto 190 and for under £50 with a ball head, it's a bargain. Deffo consider this if you're on a tight budget.
 
If you are prepared to spend in the hundreds your choice is massive, you can get Gitzos, Manfrotto or as I did a Feisol see here. It really comes down to what stability/weight trade off you are prepared for. Are you looking to carry this for miles or just using it locally to where you live?
 
I guess max sort of 10 miles walking. Pretty strong so do not mind a slightly heavier one. Main concern is that it can handle the lens weight and keep the stability.
 
Also don't be afraid of mixing head and legs. There are some lovely ball heads out there.
 
What about Gitzo GT-1541? It's a carbon fibre tripod which is light and strong. The legs are fast to deploy too. :)
 
i just ordered the redsnapper tripod yesterday and the manfrotto 488rc2 ball head.
the ballhead was only £52.99 with free postage if you enter the code FPANDP

hopefully they will be a good combo

the ballhead was from jacobs by the way
 
There is just so much choice out there :) As previously said just need to ensure that when using my 70-300mm lens fully extended it is not to heavy for the tripod and therefore causes stability issues.
 
I'll throw my hat into the ring for the Redsnapper as well. It basically has everything you could look for in an aluminum tripod. If you are looking to go exotic then you are stepping up to carbon fibre (which I am very mistrustful of).

If you went for the equivalent Manfrotto legs then you are looking at spending a lot to get the bag and shorter central column (both of which are included with the Redsnapper legs)
 
Yeah must say it does look pretty nice and a fantastic price :) Just need to decide whether to go for a ball or 3 way head now.
 
You are onto a good thing with Redsnapper, I was realy blown away by the quality of the product when it arrived, so much better than I was expecting. Even the bag is of really god construction, padded with a nice shoulder strap. The short central column (which is stashed away in a zipped pocket in the bag) is handy to get your tripod down really low for your macro work. Nice one.
 
Just got my Redsnapper tripod with ball head last week excellent service and the tripod is very impressive. Good build quality, nice carry bag and the head is very silky. Highly recommended.
 
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