My first tripod... which one to choose?

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Robert
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Hi everyone,

I am looking to get a tripod however im not sure how much i need to spend. I would like it to be compact enough to be able to take travelling with me but not sure if Carbon Fibre is the way to go?

I have been looking through the threads on here and quite a lot of people reccomend redsnapper but which model?

Also what is the advantages/disadvantages of a 3way head opposed to a ball head.

I have read some magazine reviews and the Giottos MTL9361B with the GTMH1331-652 head always seems to do well but very open to recommendations.

Thanks again for your help!
 
I have the Gottos one and it works great, very sturdy and does the job well.
I think heads are all a personal choice I have a 3 way on my tri pod but a ball head on the mono pod.
If you are wanting it for travel then maybe the giottos one might be a bit heavy so the carbon fibre one is prob best.

spike
 
SpikeK6 said:
I have the Gottos one and it works great, very sturdy and does the job well.
I think heads are all a personal choice I have a 3 way on my tri pod but a ball head on the mono pod.
If you are wanting it for travel then maybe the giottos one might be a bit heavy so the carbon fibre one is prob best.

spike
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Thanks for the reply!

When you say the carbon fibre one, do you mean any carbon fibre one or do giottos make a specific one?

Any advantages and disadvantages to carbon fibre vs aluminium?
 
If you want it for traveling then you need somthing sturdy but light at the same time. Giottos or manfrotto are really good, I have not used redsnapper myself but alot of peeps on here say they are just as good for the money.
Look at the weights of the tripods.

spike
 
SpikeK6 said:
If you want it for traveling then you need somthing sturdy but light at the same time. Giottos or manfrotto are really good, I have not used redsnapper myself but alot of peeps on here say they are just as good for the money.
Look at the weights of the tripods.

spike
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! I saw that manfrotto were giving away a free pistol grip with some of there carbon tripods but it was around £200 which i think is a little pricy, or is this a really good deal?
 
If this is your first tri pod I would seriously be looking at the red snapper ones, they have some good bargains on there at the mo, for around £100 you can get a tripod and a head this was around 2.5 KG but they also had one for £150 which is less than a kilo.

Like I said before heads are very personal some people like 3 way some like pistol etc etc, when i bought mine it came with a 3 way head on it and I have used it ever since, it does what i need it to for my photography.
Check out jessops too they soetimes have good deals on aswell.

spike
 
I recently bought a Giottos 9271B (aluminium) tripod, cost £85 from Jessops online, very sturdy for the money!

I then bought a Manfrotto 808 RC4 head, a lovely sturdy head for my gripped Canon 5D & 70-200 mm etc.

A nice combination etc...
 
Ok, thanks guys, i think i need to do some more research and come up with a short list!
 
I'll echo Spike's post on your choice of tripod Robert.

Personally I too have a preference for 3 way heads on a tripod as they offer greater control. I do use the 1311-652's predecessor on my monopod to good effect. Choice of head is usually a personal matter. The 3 way is the way for me but it does ' bulk out ' the tripod a bit. To me it's a minor inconvenience.

Have you looked at Morris Photo? They have an offer on the 9351 along with a MH5011 head for a shade under £120 and that includes a free monopod!! Their price on the ballhead is also very attractive ( £69 ) and orders in excess of £65 are delivered free. If you like messing around you can get your 9361 with a MH5001 3 way head from Amazon for £120, sell the 5001 for £30 and buy the 1311. Total cost £159 ;)


Good hunting.
 
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I bought a 3 legged thing, has a built in monopod, I know people say it a rip-off of other tripods but it has all the best parts imo, Also own a Benbo trekker and that when you get the hang of it is pretty cool but imo check out the 3 legged thing website.
 
The Giottos that you mentioned in your post, the 9361B came out tops in a recent gear test in Photo Plus issue 54, it was paired with the Giottos MH1311-652 head and they said it had a street price of £160 but I can't find it at that price.

When I get this I'll be hopefully using it for landscape so although I have a bad knee, I don't think the weight difference between a CF and alloy tripod will be enough to sway me into paying the considerable difference in price and according to the mag some CF weigh as much so of no benefit.

Hope this helps Robert.
 
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