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- Messages
- 2,684
- Name
- Russell
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Hi, Although what kind of photography you do matters I would say buy the best you can afford because if you spend £50 on one and your neighbour spends £200 on one in a year or two you will be spending money again for a new tripod but your neighbour will still be out there with the same one 5,6 and more years still with the same tripod, it is another one of those photography items you should not try to cut corners with.
Russ
Russ
With tripods the gold rule is
Lightweight/Quality/Price..............Pick two.
Think about buying used and remember you might have to budget for the head on top of the price of a set of legs.
Never used this myself but this gets good reviews Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB complete with ball head fits your budget
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0...G4&linkCode=xm2&pc_redir=T1&tag=ephotozine-21
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-...k6tsumxol9c8audeuyigwmtxi00tjj9jsurocajlw_wcb
Lightweight/Quality/Price..............Pick two.
Think about buying used and remember you might have to budget for the head on top of the price of a set of legs.
Never used this myself but this gets good reviews Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB complete with ball head fits your budget
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0...G4&linkCode=xm2&pc_redir=T1&tag=ephotozine-21
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-...k6tsumxol9c8audeuyigwmtxi00tjj9jsurocajlw_wcb
Last edited:
- Messages
- 6,428
- Name
- Graham
- Edit My Images
- No
It's well worth checking out the Surui Carbon fibre range on ebay. They do a range of sizes so should be something that suits. Well made and good value from the couple I've seen.
Taking price out of the equation for a second, there is quite a bit more to tripod choice than meets the eye. The most compact tripods usually have short leg sections so that they fold down neatly. So that they offer a reasonable working height, they have several leg sections (and indeed sometimes a high centre column), anything up to six and each of those leg sections gets progressively smaller in diameter so you have less stability from thinner legs and all those joints but the advantage is a much smaller pack down size. Conversely the most stable tripods have big thick, long legs and only 2 or three sections. And then there is everything in between. Carbon fibre is lighter than Aluminium but more expensive. It's better at dealing with resonant vibration but heavy tripods are often inherently more sturdy, especially if it's windy.
Then there are the myriad of head options! Ball heads are quick to adjust but hard to be 100% accurate with. Geared heads are heavy and expensive but offer the ultimate in precision. In between there are myriad of three way type options.
QR plates are often dependent on the head manufacturer but more and more offer an arca type plate connection which is as close as you'll see to an industry standard and many accessories such as L brackets or lens feet use this system so it's worth thinking about.
FWIW, I have a big heavy but earthquake proof Gitzo with a gitzo ballhead and a featherweight 3 legged thing with a ballhead. I bought both used for less than £300, there are some good bargains to be had.
Taking price out of the equation for a second, there is quite a bit more to tripod choice than meets the eye. The most compact tripods usually have short leg sections so that they fold down neatly. So that they offer a reasonable working height, they have several leg sections (and indeed sometimes a high centre column), anything up to six and each of those leg sections gets progressively smaller in diameter so you have less stability from thinner legs and all those joints but the advantage is a much smaller pack down size. Conversely the most stable tripods have big thick, long legs and only 2 or three sections. And then there is everything in between. Carbon fibre is lighter than Aluminium but more expensive. It's better at dealing with resonant vibration but heavy tripods are often inherently more sturdy, especially if it's windy.
Then there are the myriad of head options! Ball heads are quick to adjust but hard to be 100% accurate with. Geared heads are heavy and expensive but offer the ultimate in precision. In between there are myriad of three way type options.
QR plates are often dependent on the head manufacturer but more and more offer an arca type plate connection which is as close as you'll see to an industry standard and many accessories such as L brackets or lens feet use this system so it's worth thinking about.
FWIW, I have a big heavy but earthquake proof Gitzo with a gitzo ballhead and a featherweight 3 legged thing with a ballhead. I bought both used for less than £300, there are some good bargains to be had.
- Messages
- 7,517
- Name
- John
- Edit My Images
- Yes
I had an advert - now archived - for Manfrotto Pro 290 legs - super construction.£55 delivered
only selling as I've gone lightweight for walking -
a very sturdy tripod in great condition
complete with original box and a Manfrotto shoulder strap
all legs slide smoothly, and clamps are firm and solid
[ plate has 3 screws underneath to firmly lock ball-head ]
.
Height (extended) - 152cm
Folded Dimensions - 52cm
Weight 1.74kg
Load 5kg
let me know if interested and I'll run the advert again
sk66
Advertiser
- Messages
- 8,678
- Name
- Steven
- Edit My Images
- Yes
The Vanguard 263 is one of the better bargains out there. IMO, easily as good as a comparable Manfrotto/Benro/Giottos.
Most of the stuff I use is a lot more expensive. But like everything else in photography, you pay exponentially more for relatively minor gains.
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- 1,795
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Olive always been pleased with Manfrotto. Keep an eye on their website, they do deals '50% off' which aren't always quite that in the real world but definitely genuine discounts and good prices.