Advice on buying my first tripod

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brewers_fan

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I will be buying my first tripod in the next couple of days and was wondering if anyone has any advice on what to look for or brands to avoid, it will be used with my Nikon D40 with 75-300mm lens and at some point a more advanced Nikon DSLR.

I have been looking at this one on Amazon, would it be suitable I dont have much of a clue about them at all but the reviews seem good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455344027&pf_rd_i=468294
 
If it's something you're planning on using regularly, get the best you can afford. (buy once)
 
brewers_fan said:
I will be buying my first tripod in the next couple of days and was wondering if anyone has any advice on what to look for or brands to avoid, it will be used with my Nikon D40 with 75-300mm lens and at some point a more advanced Nikon DSLR.

I have been looking at this one on Amazon, would it be suitable I dont have much of a clue about them at all but the reviews seem good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455344027&pf_rd_i=468294
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That's cheap rubbish.

You need to spend three figures to get a decent tripod, plus head. RedSnappers are popular at the budget end and good value, also mention this forum and you'll get 10% off, I think.
 
Manfrotto 055 pro. Then a head of your choice. Will last you a long time. Still use my 190 that I was bought nearly 25 years ago. Only upgraded to the 055 pro last year.
 
OldCarlos said:
If it's something you're planning on using regularly, get the best you can afford. (buy once)
Click to expand...

:agree: I've got a big Feisol Carbon Fibre and it's brilliant and I doubt I'll ever need to replace it, but not cheap :)
 
If you are using it outside in the cold get carbon fiber - aluminum freezes your hands to numbness in minuets.Feisol are great tripods.

If you want lots of flexibility get one of the tripods with a column that goes horizontal Manfrotto do one and Giottos also.

I have Gitzo (massive heavy aluminum), Manfrotto 055 (aluminum),Feisol CT 3372 (big carbon fiber) and the Giottos YTL3838 (medium carbon fiber). I use the Giottos the most because it is not cold on my hands,not to heavy and has the flexibility of the horizontal column.

What ever you do don't buy cheap because when you get out there and are trying to get a good shot the last thing you need in the cold and wind(70% of the time) is a crap tripod with sticking legs ect.

Then there is the head.Gimble,geared,ball, ect. That depend upon what you want to photograph?
 
Try to get one that is a comfortable height without having to always raise the centre column. Reasonable quality head is also needed otherwise you will have wasted your money getting a stable tripod.

Without knowing how much your budget is its very hard to recommend anything in particular, but taking the one you linked as an example it is probably worth looking at the Redsnapper range. Never owned one, but they seem to get good things said about them on here and without breaking the bank, as also mentioned might well be a bit of discount too.

If you buy an aluminium one, bit of foam pipe lagging on the legs makes them much nicer to carry in the cold weather
 
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I have a Manfrotto 190XPROB which I got for a bargain price on an Amazon Black Friday deal a couple of years ago. However, prior to this I had used Hama tripods. The first one fell apart after quite a lot of use and I still have the other in a cupboard somewhere.
My advice would be firstly decide how much you want to spend and how much you are going to use it. From my experience, I would say buy the one you have put a link to see how you get on with it and how much you use it. Yes, it is as someone helpfully said 'cheap rubbish' but if you are only using it rarely it will suffice for a while till you decide if you want to invest in something more expensive. Also, keep an eye out on websites such as Hot UK deals.
Remember if you buy a 'decent' tripod you will also have to buy a separate head for it.
 
tbh, if it's that cold outside & you were walking to a shoot you'd probably have gloves on, or carrying it in a bag or on a strap (most have rubber/foam on the top sections anyway)
If weight is going to be a big factor, for long walks, then obviously go for carbon. I prefer a slightly heavier tripod for stability & not found the cold a big problem.

Also, don't skimp on the height.
By that I mean, if you need one that is going to be X usable height at eye level with your camera atop (depends how tall you are) don't take the `fully extended` height as your normal shooting height, especially if it has a centre column.
imho get one that is slightly taller than you think you will need so it's more stable when not fully extended, but is also tall enough for comfort if you did want to use it shooting upwards into tall trees/night sky, without having to stoop too low.

Also think about what gear you might have in the near future. Don't skimp on the `weight rating`.

I got a Giottos MTL9361B but that's probably been updated/changed now.

Edit, typing slowly missed the 2 previous posts! ;)
 
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Heres a few pics on the tripod i went with, shown here with a D3S, Nikon 400mm f/2.8 with a Nikon 1.4x attached as well as the Beike BK-45 Gimbal head

Got to say that im very impressed with this tripod and Gimbal head, the tripod seems to be very well made, and has quite thick 28mm legs dropping down to 19mm, vast majority ive seen are thinner 25-15mm legs, this gives me a little more confidence that it can handle the weight, the tripod also has a very good 15kg rating

Bought from Poland so no import fees etc, etc. http://foto-tip.pl/en/statyw-triopo-ge-3228x8c.html £95 delivered

hould just add that the manufacturer quotes this as weighing in at 1.27kg, ive just weighed it at home and it comes in at 1.1kg, im gobsmacked something so light can take something so heavy

Legs were a little stiff but are begining to free up a touch.
 
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