Tripod help............................

[StevePn]

Hi
Looking to spend about £70-80 ish on a tripod.
I want to be able to do low level macro work as well as the usual stuff. Also which head is best, ball or pan/tilt?
Any advise and recomendations most welcome

Steve

[jonnypb]

I have the Velbon Ultra Luxi F and really like it. Quite a few others on here have it as there was a good offer on at jessops a while ago. See link for mini review

Don't think jessops have it anymore but do a bit of googling if you fancy this one

Velbon website

one for sale here

[tdodd]

I just bought a new tripod and head this week, after having a crappy Boots special for the last 30 years. I spent a lot of time researching as there really is a lot to consider....

- weight
- max load supported
- height with column extended (bad for stability/vibration)
- height without column extended (nobody wants to stoop)
- lowest height
- collapsed size
- number of leg sections
- type of leg locks
- option to move legs independently
- horizontal centre column option

and for the head you need to consider load capacity, weight, type/speed of operation, quality, features.

but I think your budget does rather set some limits. My Manfrotto 055MF3 carbon fibre legs were £185 and my Manfrotto 468MGRC2 hydrostatic ball head was £175, and that's not high-end by any means, but I'm not really sure what the lower end of the market offers.

Calumet has some own brand tripods which I believe are well recommended as offering good value and performance. Have a look at this - http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/item/C...specifications for £70.

Alternatively Velbon are supposedly pretty good these days. My brother in law is a professional photographer and is very impressed with a Velbon CF630/635, which is carbon fibre (strong, light, vibration resistant) and comes with a basic head for £130 - http://www.bristolcameras.co.uk/p-ve...635-ph157q.htm

Ball heads offer quicker movement but less precision and are better for action - only one control to release/tighten the head. 3-way pan and tilt heads offer greater precision, better for macro, but are generally slower to operate - more bits to twiddle - up/down, pan left/right and flip portrait/landscape - and the handles may get in the way a little if your position is awkward.

[h4rri]

I personally would look to visit a large retail outlet with some in stock to feel the weight and construction of a few. You then need to look at what you need to unit to be capable of. One of the considerations will need to be how low can it go? My Benro legs wouldn't go low enough without reversing the centre column and shooting upside down so I took a hacksaw to it LOL.

Another consideration is as tdodd says, the max load supported in that as you increase your gear you may have to replace it, I did

I would look at how much you actually use the tripod, see if you can stretch the budget and check some reviews for a suitable model. I did find my £30 Velbon to be good but it wasn't a great head so accurate adjustments weren't easy.

[tdodd]

Originally Posted by h4rri

I personally would look to visit a large retail outlet with some in stock to feel the weight and construction of a few.

Easier said than done Before buying my setup I wandered around Comet, Currys, Dixons, Jessops, Photo-Optix at Lakeside, Essex, and phoned Cameraworld stores in Chelmsford and London. None had any of the tripods I was interested in. The Jessops selection was pathetic - two cheap and nasty "full size" tripods, although hardly that, and some smaller tripods for midgets and table-top photographers. Photo-Optix had by far the best selection but their stock topped out at the Manfrotto 190XPROB legs, overpriced at £130 or so, when many etailers have them for £90ish. The 190XPROB legs are supposed to be pretty good if you want a lightweight setup and can't afford carbon fibre but there is the cost of a head to be added.

http://www.google.co.uk/products?as_...ow=dd&safe=off