What do I need from a tripod ?

BADGER.BRAD

BADGER.BRAD

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I'm looking for a tripod but never having had one before (except a £4 eBay phone tripod) I'm not sure what I really need or in fact what is available , My main use will be for Landscape photography with a mix of vintage film cameras SLR's and some more modern digital gear. It will need to be light enough to carry some distance on foot or bike have some sort of leveling indicator as some of the cameras have no method of fitting these. Can anyone suggest models which will be available second hand (I'm on a tight budget ) and any other features which may be useful.

Thanks all.
 
There’s a very recent thread in here about travel tripods so perhaps read that and have a look at sizes and weight. You can get used ones on here when you’ve been on long enough. Camera price buster will also give you an idea of the pricing. Budget for a cable release too.
 
Depends just how tight the budget is but I would say a good* carbon fibre tripod would serve for stability and lightness.
I picked up a Benro here in classifieds which fits the bill completely for me, cost £150.

* Don't get one with pencil thin bottom leg sections or which relies on a long centre columnto reach user height, as these will all serve to reduce stability.
 
There are 3 things people tend to want from a tripod - sturdiness, light weight and cheap. Only 2 are usually achievable! You've already said you need cheap so pick between sturdy and light - personally, I'd go for sturdy and not so light (or up the budget...)

I like Manfrotto's supports and would go for a 190 or 055 series model. Don't forget you'll need a head as well (and they can cost more than a set of legs.)
 
Nod said:
There are 3 things people tend to want from a tripod - sturdiness, light weight and cheap. Only 2 are usually achievable! You've already said you need cheap so pick between sturdy and light - personally, I'd go for sturdy and not so light (or up the budget...)

I like Manfrotto's supports and would go for a 190 or 055 series model. Don't forget you'll need a head as well (and they can cost more than a set of legs.)
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I cannot agree more re only 2 are usually achievable.

My advice is get something sturdy, a must, otherwise its no point getting the tripod at all. As for cheap, save up longer and get something that ticks all 3 boxes because a good tripod will outlast your camera and your lenses. I am still using my 055 pro bought 18 years ago (that makes me feel so old).
 
Stability pretty much. You have to factor in the weight of your gear Vs the suggested max load of the tripod head. Allow for wind, uneven terrain, moisture etc ... some cheap tripos will flake or have rubber bits peel off of them after a good soaking. Some will sway in the wind because the legs are feeble. Manfrotto do some decent budget friendly ones, just make sure to get a head that allows some headroom for max load. If your kit weights 2-3Kg get one with at least 5Kg ML because they can 'droop' when held at odd angles if you're using front heavy lenses.
 
I've got an old Redsnapper. It's about 8 years old at a guess & is getting a little tired now!! I think it was about £125 with a ballhead.

Certainly get the best you can afford. You will regret it. I've regretted it. Everyone else has regretted it.....

I'll have to weigh it sometime as I'd like to know what it weighs myself. It's a little weighty, but I wouldn't say too heavy. I can carry it while hiking 5-6-7 miles & it's also manageable whilst on the Flipside backpack too.

Personally.... I like twist locks for the legs. Ballhead. L Bracket.
 
And you feel a lot safer walking with the biggest and sturdiest one in hand.

CF is a bit pointless. all the cheaper ones feel very unstable. Good old aluminium is cheap and stable. A used manfrotto 190 is very much doable on ebay.

I would be very cautious about using tripod level indicator too seriously. My 410 head is showing a big tilt down when electronic level is perfect and it is in photos. It is just the way the plate sits or whatever and its wildly off.
 
Agree with Nod's advice.

Also - If you're on a bike, consider a panier. My tripod straps to the bike and thus has no discernable weight for me. I actually managed to get one tripod in the bottle carrier with a bungee cord. Only downside is that if you're a bit of a scrambler they can get caked in filth.
 
It really depends on your budget. I currently have a pretty flimsy Velbon which was only £50 or so and is fine for use with a spotting scope but completely useless when it comes to mounting a DSLR & long lens. And if there's a slight breeze forget it!

I'm in the market for something more substantial and with a budget of around £200 am hoping to get a second-hand Manfrotto 190 carbon fibre (or similar) with a ball head, although for now the search continues!
 
gramps said:
I'm sure that you didn't actually mean that ... did you?
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I actually did. And here is why. You put a 410 head and any tiny weight saving is lost already. And you really want to put that head on. At the same time they will a lot more flimsy than cheapo aluminium manfrotto at full extension while price tag is easily doable or tripple. The ones I'd like cost as much as my future 5DIII upgrade so that makes it very much pointless.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
I actually did. And here is why. You put a 410 head and any tiny weight saving is lost already. And you really want to put that head on. At the same time they will a lot more flimsy than cheapo aluminium manfrotto at full extension while price tag is easily doable or tripple. The ones I'd like cost as much as my future 5DIII upgrade so that makes it very much pointless.
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It may make it more expensive but never pointless, CF is generally lighter to carry, won't twist or bend and is impervious to salt water to mention just a few benefits.
I do agree that good large diameter section is necessary but you don't have to pay high Gitzo prices to get a really good CF tripod. :)
 
gramps said:
It may make it more expensive but never pointless, CF is generally lighter to carry, won't twist or bend and is impervious to salt water to mention just a few benefits.
I do agree that good large diameter section is necessary but you don't have to pay high Gitzo prices to get a really good CF tripod. :)
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Like I said 410 head is around 2kg alone. How much weight saving am I looking at by switching tripod legs? 200-300g max? Why bother then?

I appreciate there are benefits like salt resistance but what about these rock scratches and scuffs? Don't they just kill it unless you basically reapply the top coat immediately?

What sort of prices are you looking at for Gitzo look a like?
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Like I said 410 head is around 2kg alone. How much weight saving am I looking at by switching tripod legs? 200-300g max? Why bother then?

I appreciate there are benefits like salt resistance but what about these rock scratches and scuffs? Don't they just kill it unless you basically reapply the top coat immediately?

What sort of prices are you looking at for Gitzo look a like?
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Carbon fibre is naturally better at killing vibration and is also much nicer to use in cold weather but it's not the be all and end all. I'd much rather have a good aluminium tripod over an average carbon fibre one.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
What sort of prices are you looking at for Gitzo look a like?
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Gitzo can very easily set you back £1000+
My Feisol, which was absolutely fantastic, with a bottom section of 28mm dia was under £400 and my current Benro with a bottom section of 20mm dia was £150 (used) and both are really solid stable platforms for any camera kit, (typically D810/D850 with 500mm f4/200-500 f5.6).
 
As someone already said the manfrottos are pretty well bulletproof, and reasonably cheap, yes the head is extra (or was last time I looked) but second hand ones may well have a head on it.
Is carbon fibre warmer... yes, but a bit of duct tape arond one leg of any other tripod and jobs a good-un, my manfrotto monopod is wrapped all the way up from shooting footie in the cold, works a treat. Is carbon lighter, yes, but while that makes it easier to carry weight damps out movement and theres less chance of a heavy tripod being blown over.
One test put the tripod all the way and tap the top, if it wobbles walk away.
 
gramps said:
Gitzo can very easily set you back £1000+
My Feisol, which was absolutely fantastic, with a bottom section of 28mm dia was under £400 and my current Benro with a bottom section of 20mm dia was £150 (used) and both are really solid stable platforms for any camera kit, (typically D810/D850 with 500mm f4/200-500 f5.6).
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£150 - I could agree with that. Not much more.

I bet a lot of it is just marketing hype. The manufacturers can't really sell aluminum ones for any more than they are, but CF gets ridiculous markups because it is the trend now.

gad-westy said:
Carbon fibre is naturally better at killing vibration and is also much nicer to use in cold weather but it's not the be all and end all. I'd much rather have a good aluminium tripod over an average carbon fibre one.
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My alu manfrotto has these foam bits around the top section of the legs so you don't handle the bare metal most of the time. I would expect most to have similar.
The locks are plastic / metal but normally you wear gloves out in the cold. I never had a problem really arising from that. The camera and lenses are all metal at the end of the day.

One area where my 190 totally fails is when I want some ludicrous height. There are times when you want camera to be at 2m or above over the ground and it just can't get even close.
 
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I use an old Manfrotto 190 with ballhead I picked up 2nd hand in a really big secondhand camera shop in Prague while I was there for work a while ago.

£68 it worked out to including the head.

Not as light as CF but solid.
 
swanseamale47 said:
As someone already said the manfrottos are pretty well bulletproof,
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Not in my experience, a 3 month old 055 completely fell apart on me in the field. luckily I managed to pick up most of the bits and the camera survived but Manfrotto wouldn't send me the missing parts because I couldn't find the original receipt. I did repair it myself in the end but in all honesty I've had cheapy made in China tripods that have lasted a lot longer.
 
Thanks all for the info much appreciated I think I'm going to go for one of the Manfrotto tripods in Ali,one as there are plenty on eBay and two I'm not keen on CF having seen some good ( or bad! ) MTB accidents due to CF parts snapping off , I know this is not related to tripods but they have put me off. I just have to work out which one now !
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Like I said 410 head is around 2kg alone. How much weight saving am I looking at by switching tripod legs? 200-300g max? Why bother then?

I appreciate there are benefits like salt resistance but what about these rock scratches and scuffs? Don't they just kill it unless you basically reapply the top coat immediately?

What sort of prices are you looking at for Gitzo look a like?
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Check your figures.

Manfrotto 055
Aluminium = 2.5 kg
CF = 2.0 kg

Manfrotto 410 head 1.22 kg
Manfrotto 3 way (non geared) head Mk II = 750g

So you can have a CF 055 + geared head = 3.22kg
or an Aluminium 055 + 3 way head = 3.25 kg

CF + geared head wins every time!
 
sirch said:
Not in my experience, a 3 month old 055 completely fell apart on me in the field. luckily I managed to pick up most of the bits and the camera survived but Manfrotto wouldn't send me the missing parts because I couldn't find the original receipt. I did repair it myself in the end but in all honesty I've had cheapy made in China tripods that have lasted a lot longer.
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Supprised by that, mines about 10 years old and had a pasting and still going strong and most of my mates have one model or the other, pretty sure none have had any issues at all. Ok not the lightest tripods going but personally I wouldn't risk a decent DSLR on a cheap lightweight tripod. I have seen too many fall over when a leg just goes.
 
gramps said:
Gitzo can very easily set you back £1000+
My Feisol, which was absolutely fantastic, with a bottom section of 28mm dia was under £400 and my current Benro with a bottom section of 20mm dia was £150 (used) and both are really solid stable platforms for any camera kit, (typically D810/D850 with 500mm f4/200-500 f5.6).
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I agree with you that Feisol make some excellent tripods - I especially like their Tournament models as they are adequately stiff yet weigh next to nothing! Great for hikes etc.

My problem is that with brands like Feisol/Benro/Induro etc is that they make some very good products but are so expensive. I shop carefully for my tripods and have found that Gitzo are quite reasonable if you are patient. For example none of my Gitzo equipment cost me £400 or more. Yes you can spend over £1000 - I did, but that was for 3 tripods, one mono pod (all new) and a used Traveller. All were UK purchases (not grey).
 
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