# tripods,tripods,oh tripods



## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

hello the people in the know :thumb:

don't know the first thing about dslr,never mind tripod's
so i am wanting some help in where to buy a tripod for my dslr please
not to expensive tho,will not get used that much,i think!


----------



## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

You can pay from £15 to £hundreds for a tripod.

I got a jessops own brand one for about £40 in the summer and seems ok. I think it was a SLIK one re badged.


----------



## spitfire (Feb 10, 2007)

M4D YN said:


> hello the people in the know :thumb:
> 
> don't know the first thing about dslr,never mind tripod's
> so i am wanting some help in where to buy a tripod for my dslr please
> not to expensive tho,will not get used that much,i think!


Think I may have one of those in the garage:lol: Only kidding, well I did have but it was broken so I threw it out. I think?:lol:


----------



## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

had a look on ebay,but dont no what i am looking for,i no it has to be tall and if i had the cash,i would buy a good one,but its like anything,you get what you pay for :thumb:

cant afford the price of some of them :tumbleweed:


----------



## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

spitfire said:


> Think I may have one of those in the garage:lol: Only kidding, well I did have but it was broken so I threw it out. I think?:lol:


what have you not got :wall:

:thumb::thumb: :lol::lol:


----------



## spitfire (Feb 10, 2007)

I've got one similar to this but I bought it about 25 years ago. Still going strong. http://www.jessops.com/online.store...products/Jessops/Tripod TP323-17694/Show.html


----------



## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

spitfire said:


> I've got one similar to this but I bought it about 25 years ago. Still going strong. http://www.jessops.com/online.store...products/Jessops/Tripod TP323-17694/Show.html


it looks good,must be good quality if it lasted that long :thumb:

showing your age now :lol::lol:

was it from jessops??


----------



## spitfire (Feb 10, 2007)

One thing to remember is that when you get older you can't remember where you bought things five minutes ago, never mind 25 years ago.:wall: It probably was Jessops. We didn't have internet shopping then  It's a Bilora make and it's lasted well cause it doesn't get used that often.:lol:


----------



## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

What, from where. Who are Jessops!!!!!!


----------



## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

spitfire said:


> One thing to remember is that when you get older you can't remember where you bought things five minutes ago, never mind 25 years ago.:wall: It probably was Jessops. We didn't have internet shopping then  It's a Bilora make and it's lasted well cause it doesn't get used that often.:lol:


we all come of age :tumbleweed: 

i will have a look about again,its good to get some help from people that know
:thumb:


----------



## spitfire (Feb 10, 2007)

plankton said:


> What, from where. Who are Jessops!!!!!!


Reaching retirement are we????:lol:


----------



## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

morris photo.

Depends what you have, what you need.

DSLR, basic tripod: 190XPRO + head (lots available). Should be around £120.

Red snapper do some cool stuff (if you like ball heads).

I was looking at this: http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetails~man~Manfrotto~productID~6352~categoryid~158.html

and manfrotto do a "guide" - configurator is here: http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/pid/4482/lang/en

Bret


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

tripod needs to be solid, heavy enough to be properly stable and have a quality head that can be adjusted easily but stay tightly done up and stable.

brands like Manfrotto are superb quality, and watch for end of line clearance stuff - I got a v nice CF Manfrotto for silly money a few years ago 

The other thing to think about is the height it extends to. The more you extend the legs, the less stable it becomes. If you get one with a centre column, then that is the least stable element, and should be used as a last resort only, so think about the ultimate height eg can it be extended to eye level WITHOUT using the single centre column, as crouching over a tripod all the time quickly gets annoying?

The other thing that should be thought about is how LOW to the ground can it go, and what is involved. Depending on the type of photography you want to do, it may be useful to get within a few inches of the ground. Many tripods cannot do this and some have a few clever tricks to help you do it. My Manfrotto needs a bit of disassembly and have the centre column removed, but will then go extremely low - not great if you do a lot of macro close to the ground, but it can be done if needed.

Tripod heads are another world by themselves and might cost as much as the legs themselves. Its worth investing in a tripod that has interchangeable heads. That way you can use it for photo and perhaps video work as well. You want one that is easy to adjust to a wide range of angles, perhaps with a decent level indicator and has a fluid movement. You can get ball joints of tilt styles, that use different mechanisms for the adjustments, so its worth trying both types in a store and deciding which you prefer. Its VERY helpful to get one with a quick release mechanism so you can very quickly mount or dismount your camera. Otherwise its very frustrating taking 5 mins to put it on or take it off 

Finally think about how you will carry your tripod? Is it going to sit in the house/car and get pulled out occasionally, in which case solid and heavy is fine, or do you plan to carry it/hike etc in which case you will ant to spend more on a lighter weight but still sturdy item, perhaps like a CF tripod that does both, at a price.

Just remember that a cheap flimsy tripod is a waste of time so spend more time and £ and get one that will last you 20+ years of quality images. There are usually plenty of bargains on the bay as well, once you get an idea of the model you are after :thumb:


----------



## Jakedoodles (Jan 16, 2006)

I've only ever had one tripod, and that was a manfrotto. Ace in every way. Quality, weight, look; they are all top.


----------



## rallyeS2 (Oct 15, 2008)

I got this Tripod 
http://www.jessops.com/online.store...Manfrotto/190XPROB Pro Tripod-49003/Show.html

and this head
http://www.jessops.com/online.store...anfrotto/460MG Magnesium Head-22710/Show.html

They do all I will ever need and probably more. Really easy to use and you can leave the quick release plate on the camera without adding tons of weight. Oh, and the head is magnesium which is cool!


----------



## spitfire (Feb 10, 2007)

Unless your a very keen amateur, and I know we're all meaning well, and it's not going to be used that often, then probably something cheap but functionable is all that he needs. No need to spend big on something that only gets used occassionally.


----------



## bretti_kivi (Apr 22, 2008)

... thing is, I picked up a Hama Star somethingorother a few years back. It was OK whilst I was still using my Dimage7. Then I upgraded.... my present K10 is too heavy. It vibrates, it's too low and it's not stable enough any more. That's why I'm going Manfrotto just as soon as I can justify it.

Yes, there are £5 tripods out there that represent value for money, but I'll subscribe to this:


> Just remember that a cheap flimsy tripod is a waste of time so spend more time and £ and get one that will last you 20+ years of quality images.


every time.

Bret


----------



## rallyeS2 (Oct 15, 2008)

That's why I went for the setup I did. ^^^

Have probably only used it a handful of times but in my mind if you're going to spend a lot of money on a decent SLR and possibly a macro lens (if that's what you intend to use it for?) then I don't see the point in spending very little on the thing that it's strapped to! 

I don't doubt that there are some good value tripods out there which still do the job but I want mine to well and truly outlast my current SLR and had some specific criteria which the Manfrotto met. 

To me buying a cheap tripod is a bit like putting cheap remoulds on a 911 turbo!

TBH, I'd say as with most things, spend as much as you can reasonably afford / justify but do a bit of research first so you don't end up paying over the odds! Digital Photo magazine normally have some good reviews. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## lee. (Jan 16, 2008)

Bigpikle said:


> tripod needs to be solid, heavy enough to be properly stable and have a quality head that can be adjusted easily but stay tightly done up and stable.
> 
> brands like Manfrotto are superb quality, and watch for end of line clearance stuff - I got a v nice CF Manfrotto for silly money a few years ago
> 
> ...


Great advice chap.

You have just made me purchase a 190X proB this very second.

Been swindering about it for some time but certain things you just said made perfect sense and it's the tripod for me.

Fancy explaining heads now as I need to decide on that now.

Thanks for your help.

P.S. Sorry to hijack.


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

I bought a Manfrotto CF tripod, partly as I wanted lightest possible weight for carrying it, so my choice of head was also driven by light weight...

I ended up with this one - small, made of magnesium and very light

there are really 2 options for photo heads:

1. ball head - a ball joint that has adjustment range and is quite quick and easy to use. Usually loosen it, adjust the angle through any range of the ball head, and re-tighten it

2. 3 way - these have a separate control for each axis of movement - up/down, left /right & side/side.

I prefer the 3-way head but is personal choice. Then you just need to choose the model, which will depend partly on how heavy your camera and lens combo will be etc. Even the small hea dlike mine will support a typical DSLR lens setup, but if you're into super tele lenses etc its worth getting a bigger stronger head.


----------



## swiftshine (Apr 17, 2008)

055xprob + 804rc 2 head user here.
Can't beat it:thumb:
Had a cheapo tripod first to see if I needed one, and it was a false economy as I ended up having to buy something semi-decent anyway. £30 wasted.
Cheap jobs are ok if you have a small compact and don't want much more from it than somewhere to put your camera while you take an indoor pic of you and the missus. But if you have a dslr (even a consumer job, not just pro models) and want to use it outside and at different levels then it is worth spending a buck or two more.


----------

