How tall does a Tripod NEED to be?

david1701

david1701

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So I think my 3LT is finally dying the death after I sheared off a leg a few years ago (3d printed repair has had a good innings but is failing) and I want to replace it in its travel / hiking tripod. I'm looking at trying the Benro slim travel because its a kilo and folds to 30cm so will easily fit in hand luggage/camera bag and be nearly half the weight of my 3LT (1010g vs 1800g) BUT its short 105cm without the centre column 130cm with. Plus its cheap which appeals to me for a second tripod, I have a huge heavy manfotto 055 which lives in the car and stands in the sea a lot.

Has anyone had any experience with shorter tripods? to help inform this decision?
 
It all depends on the load weight which you don't say. I have one as well as others. seems well built for the price. I use a different head as the one that comes with it is erm? bit small ????

it is the Primaphoto PHTR001 the Moman ball and or fluid heads are ideal. Don't know if this tripod is still available.





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fair point, Fuji xt3 and primes so never more than a kilo I reckon, 700g for my usual landscape lens + body up to 1100g for the heaviest lens I would consider buying.
Also with the 055 I wouldn't expect to use my travel tripod in the worst stormy conditions
 
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look at Feisol, good make, fast shopping online and good service, they make them for other companies apparently.
 
Most of us like a tripod that we can comfortably use standing up. I do not buy tripods that do not meet this criteria as a starting point.

However the height you set your tripod at is governed by the view point that shows the subject to best advantage. It is usually possible to set tripods very low indeed and between that and up to their full height.
However there are other considerations to keep in mind. A heavy camera at the top of a fully extended centre column is unlikely to be very stable.
The greatest stability is usually achieved when the centre column is not extended at all, and neither are the smallest sections of the legs. I rarely extend a centre column more than a few inches.

The smaller and lighter the tripod is the less stable and the fewer options you have.

I have used tripods that could extend over nine feet high and comfortably hold a heavy monorail camera. Though for studio use and the most stable and fast to use is a mobile studio stand consisting of a large diameter vertical tube on a heavy mobile base with a weight balanced, sliding camera arm. but these are rarely seen outside a professional studio.
To answer the question, for general use and most purposes the taller the tripod the better. But moderated by your ability to carry it with you.

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https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p...AG7kOZ42jo-xpqEzPJxASp-FwE55-1el_qAeSDBeyW55g
 
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I used so many different tripods and was never happy with them till I switched to Gitzo. Granted they are expensive but so far mine has lasted 5 years and I was going through a manfrotto nearly every year so it has paid for itself.
I love having no centre coloumb and still being able to go higher than head height, im 6 foot 2 tall so no mean feat !
The system 3 one i have isnt available anymore but they have done a newer version, I highly recommed Gitzo if you dont mind spending a bit extra, its well worth it
 
Height is only important for perspective and comfort of use. For stability it's not actually that important, in fact the shorter the more stable (for a given leg strength).
 
Ideally it should put the eye piece of your camera at or slightly above eye level, without having to extend the centre column
 
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