Tripods

[Chris71]

I'm thinking about getting a basic tripod for my 400D - can anyone recommend one, or any particular features to look for? Has to be significantly under £100, steady enough for 30 second exposures and preferable reasonably portable for rigging up in the back of cars or perching on a mountainside somewhere. Would also be good if I could set up a degree of freedom to pan after moving objects. Is this the sort of thing I could secondhand (worth checking eBay etc for when the novelty value expired for the last hobbyist? )

edit: Either I've been mislead by my camera wielding colleagues or eBay is full of tat (probably the latter...) there seem to be a lot coming out of Hong Kong for about a tenner!

This looks a little more serious:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MANFROTTO-TRIPOD-MODEL-441-C...

To be fair, this doesn't appear to be too bad, are they usually only 1.2m tall?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PROFESSIONAL-CAMERA-TRIPOD-F...

A canon one for £40
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANON-CUSTOM-TRIPOD-100-BLAC...

Edited by Chris71 on Tuesday 27th November 11:45

[Colin RedGriff]

Things I looked for were

Legs that were not tied so they could splay out to get real low down or have one splay out further than the others on uneven ground.

Solid construction

Reasonably compact so I would take it with me when I was out and about.

Not necessary but nice - spirit level built into the head.


In the end I went for a Velbon Sherpa 435, really please with it, especially pleased with the flexibility of the head. The only thing i don't like is having to remove the horizontal handle to get it in the bag.

http://www.devoncamera.co.uk/index.cfm/photographi...

Colin

[Chris71]

Colin RedGriff said:

Things I looked for were

Legs that were not tied so they could splay out to get real low down or have one splay out further than the others on uneven ground.

Solid construction

Reasonably compact so I would take it with me when I was out and about.

Not necessary but nice - spirit level built into the head.


In the end I went for a Velbon Sherpa 435, really please with it, especially pleased with the flexibility of the head. The only thing i don't like is having to remove the horizontal handle to get it in the bag.

http://www.devoncamera.co.uk/index.cfm/photographi...

Colin

....and it's on offer too. Interesting.

Will I have to buy some sort of adaptor to fit my Canon on or is it a standard fit?

[Marc W]

I've got one of them for my 400D (You shouldn't need an adaptor.) and I can get it in the bag without removing the handle! Maybe my bag's different. Excellent tripod for the money though, definately recomended.

Edited by Marc W on Tuesday 27th November 13:01

[Chris71]

Sounds good.

I've put a bid on eBay for the Manfrotto in the first post, but if that doesn't win I think I might invest in the Sherpa.

[finnyuk]

for a lightweight tripod i would go for a manfrotto one...

http://www.warehouseexpress.co.uk/?/binsandscopes/...

[fluffnik]

Trusted Reviews did a tripod group test recently.

At 45 I'm still using the Manfrotto 055 i got as a 21st birthday present.

Benbo Trekkers are worth a look, especially if you're going to use it on uneven terrain - it's what I'd probably buy if I was in the market today - and there are heaps on ebay...

[GetCarter]

fluffnik said:

Trusted Reviews did a tripod group test recently.

At 45 I'm still using the Manfrotto 055 i got as a 21st birthday present.

Benbo Trekkers are worth a look, especially if you're going to use it on uneven terrain - it's what I'd probably buy if I was in the market today - and there are heaps on ebay...

Snap. I have both the Manfrotto 055 and the Benbo trekker. The manfrotto is rock solid, accurate but heavy. The trekker is light and will suffice most of the time.

[Marc W]

Slightly confused by the group test, the reviewer says he can't fault the Velbon and then only gives it 7 out of 10? Surely if you can't fault something it deserves 10?

[RobDickinson]

I bought an (un)used manfrotto 190B with ball head. $200nz, about half price.

It has a central column which is a bit frowned upon and doesnt go super low because of it, new ones can have a cross center column which is better.

Make sure it can take the needed weight and can get the eyepiece level with your eye.

[Chris71]

Marc W said:

Slightly confused by the group test, the reviewer says he can't fault the Velbon and then only gives it 7 out of 10? Surely if you can't fault something it deserves 10?

My thoughts too. I suppose he means relative to price though - the Giottos that came out on top was considerably more.

Interesting to see they rated the Velbon above the Manfrotto.

I think one of the main things I want is adjustability - not down to the last hundredth of a degree of a spirit level, but the ability to drop the legs right down to use it as a support on the parcel shelf of a sportscar at one extreme and then full height for general shots at the other.