Tripod

[fcanozo]

Hi guys, I'm new in the photography world and I'm planing to buy a tripod but I don't know anything about.

-Nikon D40
-Sigma lens 18-200

Any recomendations?

Thanks.

 

[eddx]

You have two choices in my eyes.

a - an old tripod, from your local camera shop, probably cost around $30-$80 and might last you three or four uses.

b - a Bogen/Manfrotto Tripod System that will last you years (my dad still uses his from 20 years back an it is fine, just a little heavy). For your I would recommend the 190xProB with a 486RC2 ball head. With the more professional tripods you buy the legs and head seperately to get a more custom set up. The cost is around $200 up wards, here is a link to get you started.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/480322-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto__190XPROB_Tripod_Legs_Black_.html

Now $200 might seem a lot for a tripod, it is but I have plenty of friends who brought the cheaper alternatives and within two or three weeks came back to go and buy Manfrotto. One of my friends just takes HDR photos and ended up going through three cheap tripods he got of eBay before setting up and buying Manfrotto.

Hope this helps.

 

[Father Jack]

Now $200 might seem a lot for a tripod, it is but I have plenty of friends who brought the cheaper alternatives and within two or three weeks came back to go and buy Manfrotto.

I must agree with eddx, cheap tripods are a total waste of time and money. They lull you into a false sense of security ...
Buy a model from the middle of the range made by a well known manufacturer and it will last for years and provide a rock solid base for your camera ....

 

[BlueScreenX]

I have the "b" setup from above. It works great

 

[ChrisA]

b - a Bogen/Manfrotto Tripod System that will last you years (my dad still uses his from 20 years back an it is fine, just a little heavy). For your I would recommend the 190xProB with a 486RC2 ball head. With the more professional tripods you buy the legs and head seperately to get a more custom set up. The cost is around $200 up wards, here is a link to get you started.

I'd recommend Bogen/Manfrotto as being the most "sturdy per dollar spent" but if you want "most sturdy per weight caried" go with Gitzo. You have to think about what you want to optimize, weight on your back or price. Someone told be that with tripods you can choose

• light weight
• high strength and durabillity
• low price

But you can select only two from the above

I would NOT get the ball head. Cheap ball heads (cheap being under about $250) are just not something you want trust. Spend less money and buy a good pan/tilt three axis head. For any given budget the pan/til head will be both stronger and cheaper. Also for most kinds of work you really do want to adjust each axis without disturbing your setting of the other axis. For examle if you pan over 5 degress you do not want to have to re-level the horizon. The three axis haed alows for more fine control, the ball head is for when you need to work very fast. For equal quality the ball head costs 4X more

Ball heads are used by wildlife photographers. They will track the animal with the ball loose and then clamp the ball down and fire off the shot, release the ball, continue tracking. It is great for shooting a moving subject. But never leave a camera on a ball head un-attended

Tell us about what you will shoot. Is it feild macros, sports, indoor studio work? Will you be backpacking?

 

[Everythingisnt]

I agree with ChrisA about not getting a Ball Head.

I have a manfrotto tripod with a pan/tilt head (cost around $800) as well as a much cheaper one with a ball head that I use for video work. They are VERY reliable, and in many ways the ball head is much easier to work with and provides much more maneuverability in terms of pan/tilt shots with a video camera.

However, for still photos a pan/tilt head is a must. It's much more secure then a ball head and lets you fine-tune your shot very precisely.

The only brand I think you should consider is manfrotto, though. They make exceptional products and I have had flawless performance from my tripods for the last 3 years with no breaks/degrading.

 

[sonor]

Gitzo are widely considered to make the very best tripods, but I don't think Manfrotto are too far behind and plenty of serious pros are happy with them. I like the Manfrotto 055PROB (Bogen 3021?). I prefer it to the 190 (Bogen 3001?) as it extends a little further.

I prefer the speed of ball heads to a pan & tilt, but ChrisA is right - it all depends what you're shooting.

Good tripod articles...

http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

http://photo.net/equipment/tripods/philg

 

[fcanozo]

Thanks guys, great forum.

 

[Doylem]

Sounds like good advice to me.

I have a big, old, heavy, Manfrotto, but it generally stays in the car. I also have a smaller, lightweight tripod; it folds down very small, and, crucially, it stays strapped to the front of my camera bag. Although I photograph landscapes, I use the tripod a lot... mostly to keep the lens at its optimum aperture... about f11.

 

[CATinHAWAII]

Manfrotto rules!

i got the Manfrotto 190xProB, just a couple months ago..
it works well for me,,,

 

[juanster]

i got one on sale, it was retail at 99 bucks, down to 35, theyd idn t have any left so i took the demo for 25... its work well so far, but it is not the sturdiest of all tripod, it's served me very good tho.. i can t rememeber the brand now...

 

[compuwar]

Most sturdy: Berlebach wooden tripods
Lightest top of the line: Gitzo carbon-fiber tripods
Good compromise: Manfrotto aluminum tripods.

Get the largest/heaviest one you'll regularly carry, tripods are all about stability.

 

[Abstract]

Manfrotto 190XProB legs, and any head that will make you happy.

 

[pdechavez]

How are Giottos tripods? they seem sturdy nd lightweight....