Carbon Tripod or not?

NOJ75

NOJ75

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Jon
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Hi Guys,

Being new to this game I have begun to read books to try and get to grips with it all. I read in one that it was best to buy a carbbon fibre tripod as it is better at reducing shake due to it not pickinng up the camera shutter vibration like normal ones would.
Taking into account that a carbon fibre tripod would only set me back about £120, would you recommend that this is what I go for or are there mixed opinions?

Thank you for your time.
 
NOJ75 said:
Hi Guys,

Being new to this game I have begun to read books to try and get to grips with it all. I read in one that it was best to buy a carbbon fibre tripod as it is better at reducing shake due to it not pickinng up the camera shutter vibration like normal ones would.
Taking into account that a carbon fibre tripod would only set me back about £120, would you recommend that this is what I go for or are there mixed opinions?

Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...

I have a Giottos carbon fibre tripod, and find it's excellent!!!!!
 
hi jon if your camera has mirror lockup i would use that and not worry about the tripod picking up vibration.
i have a carbon tripod and would recomend one has they are very light and i take mine on long walks in the peak district without weight being a issue.
get one with a hook below the ballhead to hang a bag of stones or such like if it is windy.
the only downside i can see is carbon being a lot lighter it may pose a problem in high winds.
hope this helps.
 
clive said:
the only downside i can see is carbon being a lot lighter it may pose a problem in high winds.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Very good point Clive. Didnt actually think of that. I am off to the Lake District so thats very good advice. Thank you.

@Wilko Thank you for the reply. Think I might go ahead and get one :)
 
Thanks Mark, I hear you :)

I thinking of getting This One

Should be ok? Not to bothered about carrying weight (quite used to it).

P.S Where is Surrey are you Mark?
 
Take your heaviest kit to the shop and try it out.

I found the carbon tripods were too light to support a D3 with flash+bracket in portrait even though the spec max load was 10kg.

I bought the slightly heavier Aluminium one, and I still wouldn't trust it in a strong wind :thumbsdown:

Reluctantly went back to using the Manfrotto 058B which weighs a whopping 6.5kg without a camera on top.... but steady as a rock.
 
Many thanks guys. Think I will take the advice and shop about a bit :)
 
Hi, I just bought a CF tripod and it's like a feather compared to my first one, for walking it makes life that much easier, as to the one you are thinking of buying i would ask the question "why so cheap for CF"? look at the prices of the quaility tripods (without heads in some cases) also take a look at http://www.ffordes.com/home they sometimes have used and ex display models of quaility tripods.
 
i've got a manfrotto 190cx3 carbon fibre tripod and its fantastic to carry around but wouldn't dare take it anywhere too windy. nothing beats having a tripod lighter than your camera...
if i'm going up a big hill and is quite a breezy day i steal my dad's old manfrotto 055b which weighs a ton but i'm sure will be rock still in a hurricane. but that is a rare occasion

with tripods the best accessory is a cable release for your camera.
 
NOJ75 said:
Hi Guys,

Being new to this game I have begun to read books to try and get to grips with it all. I read in one that it was best to buy a carbbon fibre tripod as it is better at reducing shake due to it not pickinng up the camera shutter vibration like normal ones would.
Taking into account that a carbon fibre tripod would only set me back about £120, would you recommend that this is what I go for or are there mixed opinions?

Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...

Well I don't know about whether it's better for camera shake, but it's definitely better for your shoulder if you have carry it anywhere :lol:

And a new Carbon Tripod for £120 ?? My Manfrotto was £200 !! And it was one of their cheaper ones.

Steve
 
kiko said:
there are random cheaper ones out as well, jessops "own brand" is shocking but if you wanna say you have a carbon fibre tripod, it's yours for £90. please don't buy it.
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I think 'shocking' is a little unfair they are pretty decent for £80 quid, would I have a 1d with huge 'l' glass on it? absolutely not, but a xxd with medium lens or light telephoto is more than fine. in a wind you want to be hanging something from the hook though but I imagine this is the case with all CF..
 
Carbon Fibre is unbeatable if you're going to be carrying your tripod any further than the car. If you're shooting outside and it's windy then hang a bag of rocks from your tripod's centre column hook (it it doesn't have a hook it was too cheap).

It's worth getting things right the first time round - which means spending a lot of money now to save even more money later. My first tripod was a cheap (free with my spotting scope) metal one that was nice and light but about as stable as a jelly with parkinson's. Not wanting to spend a lot of cash I then bought a Manfrotto metal tripod that was as steady as a rock. But the first time I took it on a short walk I soon (after the first mile) realised it was far too heavy. Finally, I decided to spend some real money on a tripod and got a decent, stable, light CF item for a couple of hundred quid.

I've still got that one, and it's the one I use when going out birding. But it still had some limitations - mainly not being tall enough for my 195 cm frame. So I've bought another, larger, heavier, more expensive tripod.
 
I've got a Velbon one I use most of the time, it's brilliant, it sits just fine with one leg dropped into a maglite holder on my belt.
 
hollis_f said:
Carbon Fibre is unbeatable if you're going to be carrying your tripod any further than the car. If you're shooting outside and it's windy then hang a bag of rocks from your tripod's centre column hook (it it doesn't have a hook it was too cheap).

It's worth getting things right the first time round - which means spending a lot of money now to save even more money later. My first tripod was a cheap (free with my spotting scope) metal one that was nice and light but about as stable as a jelly with parkinson's. Not wanting to spend a lot of cash I then bought a Manfrotto metal tripod that was as steady as a rock. But the first time I took it on a short walk I soon (after the first mile) realised it was far too heavy. Finally, I decided to spend some real money on a tripod and got a decent, stable, light CF item for a couple of hundred quid.

I've still got that one, and it's the one I use when going out birding. But it still had some limitations - mainly not being tall enough for my 195 cm frame. So I've bought another, larger, heavier, more expensive tripod.
Click to expand...

This is sound advice.

Plenty of ways to make a light CF tripod work well in non ideal weather conditions.
 
I agree. Thank you very much for all the feedback guys. Appreciate your time.
 
I'd also look at getting a better tripod now, rather than upgrading later. I still have my first, a carbon Manfrotto and it's done me proud. One thing to consider, is that tripods take a hammering, and things will break when being abused in our wonderfully wet countryside. What I like about my Manfrotto is that you can buy spares from them to repair it properly and easily. I'd doubt if you could with a Jessops tripod.

Mark.

(how many Mark's are there in Surrey! Looks like I'm just up the road from you!).
 
If you are going to take you tripod walking and it's too light, the simple thing is to hang your bag off it! Mine all have a little loop of 3mm climbing cord under the head, and all my bags (both camera bags and walking rucksack) have a clip on to hang them with.
 
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