Tripod Advice

nmcdonald

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Hi All,

I recently got a D7000 as my first DSLR and i'm very happy with it, but i need to get a tripod and head. It needs to be quite versatile, i dont have a macro lens yet but its high on my list of wants.

I have a manfrotto monopod so it doesnt need to necessarily be ultra compact.

For the head, i'm not interested in video at all, just stills.

I borrowed a manfrotto tripod the other week and was really dissapointed by how much the head slipped continually! Not sure if that was because of age etc but its not what i want.

So i'm just wondering what you guys use and what you would recommend?

Price wise i'm kind of hoping a few hundred should buy something that will last, probably longer than the camera.

Thanks,

Neal
 
Hi All,

I recently got a D7000 as my first DSLR and i'm very happy with it, but i need to get a tripod and head. It needs to be quite versatile, i dont have a macro lens yet but its high on my list of wants.

I have a manfrotto monopod so it doesnt need to necessarily be ultra compact.

For the head, i'm not interested in video at all, just stills.

I borrowed a manfrotto tripod the other week and was really dissapointed by how much the head slipped continually! Not sure if that was because of age etc but its not what i want.

So i'm just wondering what you guys use and what you would recommend?

Price wise i'm kind of hoping a few hundred should buy something that will last, probably longer than the camera.

Thanks,

Neal

I use Gitzo- take a look at their site- I'm sure you could find one that suits.
I find them well made and reliable. As for head- personal choice over ball head or 3 way or even Gimbal head depending on application. Manfrotto have some decent heads- bear in mind there's a weight limit so if you are over that the head is unlikely to hold still.
 
I use Gitzo- take a look at their site- I'm sure you could find one that suits.
I find them well made and reliable. As for head- personal choice over ball head or 3 way or even Gimbal head depending on application. Manfrotto have some decent heads- bear in mind there's a weight limit so if you are over that the head is unlikely to hold still.

Thanks, i didnt realise that Gitzo had cheaper models, i just saw the really expensive ones, not that any are cheap mind.

Guess i'll go to a shop and play with the heads. Are the Gitzo heads not so good?
 
Thanks, i didnt realise that Gitzo had cheaper models, i just saw the really expensive ones, not that any are cheap mind.

Guess i'll go to a shop and play with the heads. Are the Gitzo heads not so good?

Gitzo heads are very well made as you would expect but I found that they didn't really meet my needs. Either the ones I looked at weren't a three way head or the weight limit was too low or there was no quick release or the unit was too heavy or I didn't like the look. They had a nice feel to the operating action which is also key to a good head. I preferred their ball heads although I'm not a great fan of ball heads in general but I do like the centre ball head series.

Have a look at heads from Manfrotto, Giottos, Gitzo. Work out your max weights- lens/camera/flash etc and then go from there for preference on feel/ design/ operation- do you want quick release/ bubble level etc.

Remember with tripod load include- camera/ lens/flash and weight of tripod head.
 
You should take yr camera to a photostore and try it for operation, convenience etc.
However, if you're interested in wildlife/plant close-ups then look at the odd-leg Benbo's - you don't say what yr photo-interest is. . . .that might help with advice, here.
Of course if you are using long exposures then the stability of the tripod needs to be paramount.
 
Don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but I'm also in the market for a tripod. I've never owned one before and the choice is immense.

I'll probably be buying from Jessops so that I can try out first. That limits me to Manfrotto or Giotto's. I'm after a lightweight tripod for taking on mountain walks, takings shots at my sons football matches, and family portraits.

Any recommendations from the above brands, or if anyone knows of an absolute bargain elsewhere let me know. :thumbsup:
I don't want to spend much more than £100.

(Mods - let me know if you think I should start my own thread)
 
I, and several others can recommend the Redsnapper ones.....I have the RS-283 & RHS-12 Ball Head and its been brilliant. Santa has also just given me their monopod, very sturdy
 
I, and several others can recommend the Redsnapper ones.....I have the RS-283 & RHS-12 Ball Head and its been brilliant. Santa has also just given me their monopod, very sturdy

Red Snapper was the one other name on my list, but I've read some reports where there can be some "play" in the head plate.
Do Red Snapper come with a carry bag?
 
They do...a very nice one too.

I had a tiny bit of play on mine when i first got it but a quick email to Joe and a replacement was sent out the very next day. perfick
 
Another RedSnapper fan here. The quality for the price is unsurpassed in my book. No complaints about the tripod/head or bag.
 
Another RedSnapper fan here. The quality for the price is unsurpassed in my book. No complaints about the tripod/head or bag.

+1... Another fan here...:smashin:
 
I would normally jump in with a Redsnapper recommendation, I've had mine for a couple of years now, but recently I've not been happy with the amount of slippage I get with the ball head. I also have the three way and I'm going to go back to using that for now although I would prefer to use a ball head.
They are very good value for money though, I can't see me ever needing to change the legs but the heads I'm not so sure about.
 
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Another make you should consider is Velbon.I have a Sherpa Pro Carbon Fibre Tripod, which I use with a Manfrotto head. This will take a Canon 40D with a Sigma 200 - 500 mm lens with no difficulty.
 
^^^ Useful couple of posts ????
 
Don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but I'm also in the market for a tripod. I've never owned one before and the choice is immense.

Any recommendations from the above brands, or if anyone knows of an absolute bargain elsewhere let me know. :thumbsup:
I don't want to spend much more than £100.

Same here. Up until now, I've been using a Velbon df60 that I got from Jessops last year, but I now want to upgrade to something sturdier and more versatile. Been looking around the same budget for the last couple of days, but the one tripod that I keep coming back to is the Manfrotto 055XPROB. I like how versatile it is, and think that the ability to use the central column horizontally would be very useful indeed for macro shots or reaching over things (tables, fences etc). It also goes almost flat to the floor, which I like. However, the price of the legs only is about £105, so I would need to add a head, bringing the cost up nearer £175, busting my preferred £100 budget.

A few of you In this thread have mentioned Red Snapper and I would like to get an idea of how versatile the models are, but all I could find was ONE Youtube video ... and ... the bloke spent most of the time talking about the panning abilities of the head! :facepalm: Unfortunately, the website doesn't show any videos or pictoral configurations of the tripod that I might be interested in from their range (RS283/4). :rolleyes:

So, all that said, I'll keep an eye on this thread in the hope that someone kindly posts about something else that I can look at ... preferably with a horizontal action like the Manfrotto 055XPROB.

Cheers

Calvin
 
Just to follow up, I bought a tripod and head today ... a Manfrotto 005xprob with 496RC2 ballhead combo here ...





:)
 
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That's a pretty good combo!!!:thumbsup:

Cheers Raj. ;) ... I've been having a play with it for the last couple of hours and I'm well pleased. I'm glad that I bought the ballhead, as I was also considering the 804 Pan and tilt. I'll see how it goes, if I feel like getting the 804 at some stage, it's only £50. :)
 
Just a quick shout out for Slik. The Pro700dx is a great piece of kit, I paid over £300 for mine but you can get them now for just over £100! And that includes the head too! It's not the most compact tripod when folded but it's very tall at full height and so sturdy you can climb on it!
 

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