Camera Tripods

[DTD]

I've got a Manfrotto which like everyone else says is good. I find the little spirit levels built into the head handy and the quick release makes setting it up a bit easier. I used to have a Benbo MkI, which although it was an incredible bit of engineering, I always found a pain to set up for most of my shots (I found I very rarely had to get into a ridiculous low position) so it got sold.


I also had a Slik 88 which was good value for money and had lots of novel features, but was too plastiky.

I think if you spend £100 to £150 now, you'll probably never need to buy another tripod.


I also find a bag makes carrying a tripod a lot easier and don't forget a cable release or remote.

 

[ttcycle]

Simon-coming to this late but you know photographic equipment is right up my street...!

I'd echo all the sentiments about Manfrotto - really great tripods and built to last- if I had money - it's what I'd get tommorow but alas that's not going to happen right now. Aim for £100-£150 for something decent

To be honest re the John Lewis link you sent- I wouldn't bother with anything lightweight or deemed as such as basically you ultimately want a weighty tripod to keep the camera steady especially a DSLR- lightweight and titanium jobbies are really aimed at people who in the photographic world are all the gear no idea (imho) I have the gorilla pod- for specialist situations but wouldn't have it as a stand alone tripod.

What exactly will Susie be shooting? What camera and lens is the tripod needing to support- this factors into the tripod type etc
I won't be able to make the celebrations next week I'm afraid- bombshell and some stuff to sort but PM if you're interested to know.

 

[downfader]

My old Manfrotto 055pro once saved me from a dalmation that went for me. Great for keeping mutts at bay.

Have a look at the old s/h dealers in the back of Amateur Photographer magazine. Places like Ffordes will sell a perfectly good tripod for a third the price. His quality ratings are pretty accurate too, so if he says "scruffy but 100% working" then he means it, if he says "mint" equally.

 

[david1701]

that is points. Lots of points!!!!

http://www.johnlewis...05/Product.aspx - any thoughts?

I wouldn't bother,either get a good light one (vitruvian) or a good heavy one (frotto 190) and I'd go for a decent ball head as I hate with a passion 3 way ones

 

[david1701]

I have a few backpacks but I hate riding with one a mate is one of the lowepro professionals so if I need something particular might be able to blag it or at least get it a bit cheaper.

usually I sling a shoulder bag and tripod on a spare camera strap like an x which isn't brilliant but does work, ought to try it strapped to a backpack

camera bag collection atm includes think tank, lowepro, domke and peli depending on job

 

[Andy in Sig]

I've got three tripods and the one that I used the most is the all metal Leica table top one. Not cheap (as is the case with anything from Leica) but it has easily supported my 5x4 large format camera and of course anything of more normal size is a breeze. Table top tripods are the most versatile of the lot because they pack down to virtually nothing and if you can't find a wall or rock to stand them on, you can always hold them firm horizontally to the side of a tree or a wall while rotating the head to the position you want. This is particularly useful in urban photography as you don't want to go lugging a normal tripod around a city. If it must be a "normal" tripod then I would recommend the smaller of the Benbo ones but with a Novoflex magic ball head (the smallest size if it is only a digital camera)-

 

[downfader]

I've got three tripods and the one that I used the most is the all metal Leica table top one. Not cheap (as is the case with anything from Leica) but it has easily supported my 5x4 large format camera and of course anything of more normal size is a breeze. Table top tripods are the most versatile of the lot because they pack down to virtually nothing and if you can't find a wall or rock to stand them on, you can always hold them firm horizontally to the side of a tree or a wall while rotating the head to the position you want. This is particularly useful in urban photography as you don't want to go lugging a normal tripod around a city. If it must be a "normal" tripod then I would recommend the smaller of the Benbo ones but with a Novoflex magic ball head (the smallest size if it is only a digital camera)-

I was using a Cambo SC, 10kg of 5x4 camera on a 055pro tripod. Great bit of kit.

 

[GordonB]

I have two Benbo big jobbies, a high end Slik (can't remember the model and it's in the car) and a Manfrotto with twist lock legs (the model number has worn off it so can't say what it is). The Benbos are fantastic bomb proof bits of kit but you wouldn't want to carry one very far, the Slik cost me £5 at a car boot sale and as I recall the original price was around £120, so it's a proper job. However, the Manfrotto has been in use most days for the last 10 years and is faultless. I'd heartily recommend a Manfrotto and bear in mind that my tripods usually support a noise meter costing up to £12,000 so they have to be good.

Sone folks have recommended the latch type legs as being convenient but I would avoid them. I have had very wide experience with various makes of tripod because I teach acoustics and students generally bring their own kit with them. The problem with the latch type is that they often break at the point where the pivot pin enters the hinge. What seems to happen is that a small stone gets into the gap between the latch blade and the body and when the latch is closed it needs more force to close, often enough to snap the pivot pin support. Over the last few years I must have seen at least 20 tripods with this problem, some of them quite pricey ones. My advice is to select one that uses either a twist lock or screw clamps.

Hope this makes sense! BTW all of my tripods are fitted with Manfrotto heads using the same quick release plate, makes it easy to swap meters over.

Gordon

 

[Andy in Sig]

The Benbo Trecker (I think that is the name of the light one) is luggable but you need to get a stronger head to replace the supplied one.

 

[dellzeqq]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.calumetph...5-102H/features

Unlike the Redsnapper and Manfrotto jobbies I can go along and play with it in the shop today. I see that it has lever locks so I'll give them a working over in the shop.

I think that Her Nibs might find the three lever arrangement easier than the ball arrangement.

 

[Arch]

The weight doesn't matter - she has an assistant to carry stuff.

I'm thinking the assistant might have a different view on whether weight matters?

 

[aberal]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.calumetph...5-102H/features

Unlike the Redsnapper and Manfrotto jobbies I can go along and play with it in the shop today. I see that it has lever locks so I'll give them a working over in the shop.

I think that Her Nibs might find the three lever arrangement easier than the ball arrangement.

That would be ideal, but, I'd suggest that the ball arrangement is actually easier to use than the three levers once you get used to it. It's also substantially lighter and the 3 levers are a bugger to pack away. I know this because I use Giottos tripods. Their build quality is excellent and you would have no issues with them at all. Worth going along to play with.
I moved from one very similar to the one you are considering to this one http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/item/755-002E/ which has loads of advantages. It is lighter, compacts down to a size it can be carried in my bag, the ball head arrangement is simpler to use, has twist grips and it has a facility to extract one of the legs to make a monopod. So tripod and monopod in one. You might baulk at the price Calumet are selling it for, but I bought mine on Amazon for £130.

 

[david1701]

imo a decent ball is as good as or better than a 3 way head and a gazillion times more user friendly. My current frotto grip head blows my old 460mg (3d head) out of the water stability wise

 

[scots_lass]

This might prove useful. Tripods

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm thinking the assistant might have a different view on whether weight matters?

the assistant considers it an honour!

I bought the Giottos. Now here's a funny thing. You've been in the kind of bike shop where the assistants lack the gift of adult conversation and are more interested in the stock than the customers? Try going to camera shops......

Anyway it looks really sturdy to me, and it's not so very heavy.

Once again, many, many thanks for all your help, both on this and on the pre-Christmas camera thread.