Tripod a definite Must Have but which tripod?

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richardjames

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Richard Chiswell
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I realise I definitely need a tripod. My 5D mark II arrived today - lightyears apart from my old Nikon coolpix of circa 2000.

I want to concentrate on landscapes (and some restrained HDR images) and have quickly gather that I do need a very capable tripod. Ideally it should be lightweight, easy to setup, pack away and carry and be steady and easy to use with my kit. At present I have just a 24-105 mm Canon lens and the 5d but that's a good bit over a kilo.

I don't have a specific budget but would hope, with good advise to be able to purchase something that will last (and be light) for £300 - £500 maybe a little more if really needed. I hear the names manfrotto and gitzo mentioned but do I need something like this or would it be overkill. I am very much an amateur, I just don't want my work to look amateurish.

I'd really value any advice.

Many thanks, Ricard
 
I produced absolutely fine images on a Jessops 323 :thinking:

I currently have a Manfrotto 190XB, which in design is 10 fold better than the Jessops, but it was 4x the cost. My images haven't changed, I just feel a lot more comfortable putting the £500 camera on a sturdier tripod.

The Jessops 323 by the way, was £18. The Manfrotto 190XB was £80.

It seems that money be no object, so I'd look on the Manfrotto/Gitzo website, choose the tripod that best suits your needs, check reviews and THEN check the price. I think you'll be surprised at just how little the tripod costs. Remember you'll need to look at tripod heads, too, since most legs aren't supplied with.
 
Thanks for the advice foodpoison,

Not anything like as costly as I had imagine. What about the head, Any thoughts there?

I was scanning through messages about spending several hundred pounds on a tripod. What do people gain from spending that much? (apart from a small bank balance)

Richard
 
richardjames said:
Thanks for the advice foodpoison,

Not anything like as costly as I had imagine. What about the head, Any thoughts there?

I was scanning through messages about spending several hundred pounds on a tripod. What do people gain from spending that much? (apart from a small bank balance)

Richard
Click to expand...

You'll have to ask someone who owns one that much, because I for one have no idea. Yes there's a blatant difference between a £15 tripod and a £100 tripod, but not much difference between a £100 tripod and a £300 tripod, apart from features.
 
Its really down to personal preference. I've had numerous tripods in the past, and none were totally suitable for one reason or another. I bought a Gitzo a while back and have no regrets whatsoever. It is light and sturdy and very well built. The leg opening is a doddle and can be done with one hand. Mine also has a built-in levelling base which makes setting up for panos a lot easier. I combined it with a Markins Q10 ballhead and saved around 3lbs in weight. It may not sound much, but on long walks it makes a big difference - at least it does for me. :)
 
I use a £500 Gitzo but I use it with a 500 f4 when you spend £3500 on a lens you wan`t the best support available. For landscapes I imagine you are going to be carrying it around a bit so something light (and therefore most likely carbon fibre) is ideal.....thats going to mean over £200 but you won`t need to pay for the abilityto carry a heavy load so that should cancel out the £400-500 ones. I`d say that if you were willing to pay for the lightness of carbon fibre then between 200-400 should be more th enough.
 
Highly recommend the Gitzo 2531EX. It's very versatile, each leg opens separately which makes using it on rough ground a doddle. About £400 though.

For versatility again I'd recommend the Novoflex Magicball available from Speedgraphic. It's like a ball and socket head only upside down. The Ball is on the tripod, the socket on the camera. It gives you a much wider range of movements than a normal B&S. Its also quick to screw the camera on and off so you don't need an extra QR set-up:)

Why not go to Focus on Imaging next week(?) and try some out?
 
richardjames said:
I was scanning through messages about spending several hundred pounds on a tripod. What do people gain from spending that much? (apart from a small bank balance)

Richard
Click to expand...

Stability! Reliability! Versatility! :)
 
Thanks to foodpoison, scott1979, jerry 12953 and awp. Great advice I particularly appreciate awp's pithy reply, "Stability! Reliability! Versatility!"

I'll check out Redsnapper but suspect I'm going to go for a Gitzo and will start by looking at the 2531EX and Novoflex Magicball that jerry12953 recommends.

What a great forum where such valuable advice is given freely :)
 
richardjames said:
Thanks to foodpoison, scott1979, jerry 12953 and awp. Great advice I particularly appreciate awp's pithy reply, "Stability! Reliability! Versatility!"

I'll check out Redsnapper but suspect I'm going to go for a Gitzo and will start by looking at the 2531EX and Novoflex Magicball that jerry12953 recommends.

What a great forum where such valuable advice is given freely :)
Click to expand...

I was used to a Benbo Trekker which was very versatile, and when I came to replace it the only option was one of the Explorer series. The 2531 EX is superb and easily fulfils my expectations of it; the only minor gripe I have is that when you pull out the central column, it seems to have a rather rickety movement. But once tightened up its solid as a rock. The 2541 would have 4 leg sections rather than 3 which means its shorter for carrying but slower to expand fully.
 
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