Tripods

I have a slik travel tripod and I love it. Less than 3 pounds, a reversible post, and I can get within 9 Inches of the ground with it. I think I paid 120 for it. Comes in a nylon bag with a cary strap. Pan tilt head (I don't like the ball heads). I suggest you shoot on time delay, thiugh. The travel tripods are light enough, they vibrate a little when you press the shutter. I'll try and find the link at B&H when I'm not typing on my phone.

http://www.amazon.com/Vista-Explorer-60-Inch-Lightweight-Tripod/dp/B000V7AF8E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396096733&sr=8-2&keywords=Tripods

A great beginner tripod and they even honor the 10 year warranty. Tripods are like cameras. You can spend 25 bucks or 2500! So many different options. The one that I am looking to buy is this one as I will give the first one to my son.

http://www.amazon.com/Dolica-TX570B150SL-Compact-Tripod-Professional/dp/B009YE462G/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1396096967&sr=1-4

Ok, let's see if this works. I copied this link on my phone:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/614700-REG/Slik_611_863_Sprint_Pro_II_4_Section.html

This tripod is so light, I have to keep checking to make sure I still have the bag in my shoulder. Only problem would be in high wind. It's very light but very sturdy. I love it.

Velbon also has a few very lightweight tripods. You can find them on B&H, Adorama, and Amazon. I have one that is just under two pounds and collapses down to a very small size for traveling. Not great in windy situations, but it's very easy to travel with.

Mair,

2 Tripods!!! A girl after my own heart! Most of the suggestions will work from above, but best to try and visit a camera store and fiddle around with them and see how easy they adjust and stay adjusted. I would buy both tripods from the same manufacturer and that way, the mounting plates will match. And while I'm talking about mounting plates, make sure you have extras,especially for any trips. If you only have one plate and you lose it..............

Rich

Rich, I hear ya on that one. I was putting the tripod bag in my back seat and heard a "clunk". The plate had fallen out of the bag. Good thing I heard it.

I now keep the plate screwed on the bottom of the camera at all times.....it doesn't take up that much room.

It might be an acquired taste but I really am fond of my Gorillapod:

http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GorillaPod-SLR-Zoom-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000KFRSG4/

I hated lugging a "real" tripod when I traveled and it just always ended up being something I left in the room most of the time. I'd realize I was going some place that day that I couldn't carry the tripod in,so it would stay behind. My Gorillapod is just always in my bag. It requires being creative, though, finding something to attach it to. I use a regular tripod ball head on mine so that once I get the pod attached securely I can then use the head to level things up.

The other must carry in my bag is a bean bag.

There's a rare occasion I wish I had a full tripod but then I consider how much I would have dragged it around for that one moment and it passes, but your mileage may vary.

PS Pretty clearly these are urban examples, if you're off photographing rural landscapes, you'd be hard-pressed to use this unless you're wrapping it on fences or trees or something. ;-)

This is what I use. :) (for my day job).

@Tiny, now that's one sturdy tripod. Can I get one on ebay? LOL

@ Kim,

Maybe.... never looked there. They go for around $2K retail.

I use it for 3D scanning.

Scans at highest resolution of 960,000 points (data points) per second. I typical scan at 1/4 resolution produces approx 40million points of data in approx 6-8 minutes. :)

Here is a good example of what you can do with the scanners (if interested).

I just got an Induro setup. They are light and so far very sturdy. It's a carbon with a ball head. With their carbon tripod you may be able to get just one that is light enough to use everyday, hike and travel with.

They use the standard Arca Swiss plates and not proprietary ones.

Consider the option of no tripod unless you have a specific reason (long shutter speeds, night shots).

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/digital-killed-my-tripod.htm

TNB,

Here are my 2 remaining tripods. The smaller one is about 5' and the larger one is high enough to walk under. I had a "middle" one, but sold it. My all time favorite, was my studio stand.............



Mary, Yepper, I have it always on the bottom of my camera, one on the Canon 100-400 tripod mount and then one extra, in the bag,

Rich

@ Rich,

I was joking around about using that elevator tripod for my camera. It would be overkill to the nth degree. :)

However, the 3D scanner that I use has a camera threaded mount on the bottom, so I need to use a special adapter to go from 5/8ths thread on the tripod to a 3/8ths thread on the Scanner.

So in reality I could put one of my DSLR's on this thing. :)

Hi Mair,
Recently received my bday gift. :o) I love that the column can tilt down. I am also a painter. It's is great to take photos while I work on my canvas. Pros and cons are on video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpor9c3F104

I have a Promaster T325P with a Manfrotto 96RC2 head.

The tripod legs are carbon fiber with twist to lock legs. It was small and light enough to carry in my luggage to Israel, yet sturdy enough to give me some great pictures on my trip.

The Manfrotto tripod heads are very well made and since all of my buddies have the same mount for their tripods, we can use each other's tripods. When my buddy Jeremy "Forgets" his tripod at home, I'll let him borrow mine.

No matter what, I would advise avoiding any tripod that has a flimsy plastic mount... I have seen thousands of dollars of camera gear destroyed because of a bad tripod.

I only have one, a Gitzo GT2541 Mountaineer, http://www.adorama.com/GZGT2541.html, and an Acratech Ultimate Ball head, http://bit.ly/1ldTVdp and it's the one thing I NEVER leave home without. Expensive? Yup. But worth it in the long run. For me, with all the time I spend in cold weather, carbon fiber is a must since unlike aluminum CF doesn't suck the heat right out of my hands on a sub-zero day in the mountains.

Edward, thank you for mentioning the no-tripod option. I have one but felt guilty that I've never used it. A beanbag-type-thing is about all I've ever needed--or a windowsill or the hood of the car. No waterfalls here to shoot. If I ever see a waterfall in person, I may reconsider.

Thanks everyone for all you help.

Edward, thanks for the link. Really interesting points. I might not bother with a tripod now unless i'm shooting close-ups. Thinking about it, it would probably bother me more having to carry it around on holidays plus i think id get better dynamic shots etc without it.

Cheers

Mair

Have you thought about a mono-pod? I use a Vista Walking stick.

I've seen discussions claiming that monopods can be worse than handheld. If you have image stabilization in the lens you have be wary of when to turn it off or not.

Now with video, a tripod is a must.

Upside of tripod - slows you down, allows for long exposures, make you look like you know what you are doing, good for panoramics, video

Downside - You end up taking every image from the same angle, you attract a crowd because you look professional, museums kick you out, you can't be spontaneous.

Buying a fast, wide angle lens with image stabilization might be a better investment.

“It's better to know me and not need me than to need me and not know me.” King Stahlman local bail bonds guy!

Tripods fall into the same category. Best to have one and not need it then to need one and not have it!

Great points Edward, depending on what you normally shoot.

I actually like that it slows me down, which is exactly what I tell the people I've taught. With a tripod you're more apt to put some thought into your composition, rather than go with the "spray and pray" method. Then again, I am that "landscape-waterfall-panorama" guy.

As to your second point, again, depending on your chosen subject matter, taking all your photos from the same angle isn't a fault of the tripod, it's a complete lack of imagination on the photographers part. My tripod is as likely to be set so low I need to kneel, or even lie on my stomach, to look through the view finder, as it is to be in the full upright position. And every conceivable position in-between.

But, that's me and my style of photography. I'd sooner flip a coin to see which lens I leave behind than I would consider leaving my tripod at home.

Consider buying a used tripod. There are many photographers who buy them and never use them apparently!

I like Rich's advise about extra mounting plates. I've got a mounting plate for the bottom of each of my cameras, my macro focusing rail, and an extra one I can mount a flash/umbrella rig on.

It's rare that I ever set out without my tripod. It's an older aluminum manfrotto that I bought used on ebay. It's heavy, but I just strap it to my back and go. I only leave it at home if I walking around some kind of city event like a parade or block party type of thing.

Most of the time I do want to slow down, especially with my nature and landscape photography.

Mair,

All good info here,but the bottom line, is that there are images that can only be created,using a tripod,period. And in additon,many images can be improved,by using a tripod,rather than bumping the ISO up and losing some F-stops. If you're serious about your photography and I know you are,since you opened this about buying 2 tripods,you're on the right track.

Edward,never thought there was a downside to tripods! Probably still isn't. Museums don't allow tripods for various reasons,as you know, copying art,crowds and safety,etc. SO that's not a reason to not buy and use a tripod. When I'm shooting cars,which is one of the hardest things to do, people everywhere,sitting in back,walking in front,etc., the tripod is my friend. People see me and "assume" I'm a real professional,since I'm the only nut there with a tripod! And give me space and move out of the shot, in most cases. When shooting as long as I have been shooting, and shooting cars and trying to shoot as many cars as possible, the tripod is a help,since I see what I want and simple make some small adjustments to height,angle and I'm done. ISO 100,F16 or so and who cares about the shutter speed! And like Jeff, who said slowing down is bad? If you've ever shot large format,you know there are no snapshots made with those cameras,since you really need to see,from behind the camera,what you're about to take a photo of,which is one of the few things that I miss not shooting film anymore.

So, no, a tripod isn't for everyone and everyone's style, but for the vast majority of the images here, they could benefit from a tripod. If you shoot street stuff or Fashion,maybe then no tripod will work, but most of the photographers I've seen that shoot Fashion, ALL have their gear on a studio tripod.

Here are 2 images that couldn't have been shot, if I didn't have a tripod with me:





Andrew, both of my tripods are the old Bogen/Manfrotto style, a bit heavy, but older than most of the artists here!!! LOL!

Rich

Hang onto your tripod if you're shooting a real camera like a Hasselblad, Gandolfi, Linhof, Silvestri, Horseman, Tachihara, Gilde, Seitz, Sinar or even a Wisner, Wista or Mamiya, but toss it if you're shooting a popular digital SLR.- Ken Rockwell

I like Ken Rockwell and some of his takes but disagree with this one. I could care less what I look like when I am out shooting. That's my free time away from distractions of everyday crap. I have had people come up to me and ask what I see or am looking it as if I had some type of inside connection with the Photo God, but its a pretty simple answer. Not sure if V/R is all its cracked up to be since most suggest turning it off when using a tripod. Supposedly the camera anticipates shakes and counter it with shakes. So, what happens to steady hand Fred?

http://www.nikon.com/about/technology/rd/core/software/vr_e/index.htm
at a 1/125 second shutter speed may avoid camera shake 70% of the time....

Old school philosophy was less than 60 you used tripod.

Craig,

I've been using a tripod way before I hit 60! LOL!

Rich

IMHO a tripod makes you think, slow down, and makes more shots and more effects possible. Unless you are shooting with a fixed lens it can also make much less cropping necessary.

Unless you use a tripod you are stuck with the preset focus points your camera came with. Use a tripod and you can focus your shot on one single leaf in between branches of a tree that are too close together for the autofocus on the camera to shoot through to grab the leaf.

If you are shooting through the shattered window of an old car you can make the sharpest focus on the digits of the odometer. It's much more difficult if not impossible to do that without a tripod.

It is kind of a pain to carry it around and there are instances where they are not useful but I think for 95%+ of photographers using a tripod will make it possible to get more shots, better quality shots, sharper shots and print better quality larger images.

The only danger to carrying a tripod is a tendency to get lazy and shoot from standard positions all the time or 'forget' that its always possible to take it off the tripod for some odd angle shot that would either be extreme difficult or impossible to setup and configure the tripod.

I actually have three tripods. A wooden one from my old days of using a 4x5 press camera. I'd hike up mountains with this beast and the heavy camera. Crazy but I was younger then.

I recently got a cheap, foldable one that packs very small but is a nightmare to open up and set up. Took it to Hawaii so I could take sunsets and video clips.

The other one I use is a Vanguard Pro AT. I use it in the studio a lot, take it out in the field if I have the car near by. Its reasonably priced (around $150 on Amazon) and does just about anything you'd ever want. Has a life time warren-tee which was great when I slipped on some ice and fell on it, cracking a rib and bending a tripod leg.

Oh and I have a monopod that was handy shooting at a zoo. Tripods not allowed.

All depends on what type of photography you are doing. If you have a huge bazooka lens then a tripod is a must.

Ed,

Back in the day, I had a Cambo 4x5 studio camera which weighed in around 16 lbs and then the giant Bogen tripod from above and no assistants!!! For quick jobs, 3 outside shots and an interior or 2, I would just mount the Cambo on the Bogen, 30+ lbs and go! Liked that Cambo,but had a Toyo Metal Field camera later and that became my architecture set up. In the studio, I had that great big old Cambo stand,which was my all time favorite camera platform,

Rich

Thanks for all your replies.

Craig, like ur thinking.

So yes I've decided on getting one anyway. I don't want to spend much on something I may not use often though so I was looking at The monfrotto compact tripod link below. Any good? Or can anyone Suggest a better one for around that price mark.

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/manfrotto/compact-tripod-in-black-mkc3-h01-80245/show.html

Are monopods any good? What about gorilla pods, I haven't seen much good reviews on them.

Cheers all.
Mair

I have two - I have 4 cameras - one is a Vista Explorer - the other a "Samsonite" Both work very well are sturdy and not too heavy - I bought both of them at thrift stores - the Samsonite I paid about $8 for, I've had the vista for a couple of years - don't remember what I pad - but probably under $15. IF you check out thrift stores you may find a good one - just make sure the boot (the part that screws into the bottom of your camera) is with the tripod - they can be impossible to find a replacement. I bought one that didn't have the boot - a tripod without that part is essentially useless. Nice about these two tripods - the boot fits either.