camera tripod

[Jason Foster]

Don't forget to check craigslist. A buddy found a huge TV studio type camera tripod in working order that was a give-away. Someone who had it didn't even know what they had. I missed that one, but check regularly. Don't be in a rush though, and be sure to check often and in different places.

I'm sure ebay also has some, but if I remember right, tripods tend not to have much depreciation, and if you can't test it, the used vs. new price may get you a tripod like mine (functionally, but after numerous hurricanes in driving salt water...isn't easy to operate).

To be honest I bought a cheapo $20 tripod at bestbuy and it has been a trooper to say the least. I've had it in streams, snow, flood water, mud etc and it still looks brand spankin new. You might have bought a different one though.

Show us which one...any cheap tripod from there is always prone to tip...even in light winds, in my observations. Makes for a funny as hell shot when the video camera survives....of course only expendable cameras go on those for me.

 

[D. Hayes]

I've got a couple Slik 700DX and I think they are great. Only downside is there is a quick release button that has a spring in it that rust if you don't take care of it. I've used mine outdoors in down pours and high speed winds for the last couple years. Price is $139 at b&h for a complete head and tripod setup.

 

[Mike Deep]

D. Hayes - Where is this button? Is it on that particular head?

 

[Brandon Goforth]

IMO, you don't need a great tripod for photography...only video and that's mainly for smooth panning. I have a cheap $35 tripod I bought from BH and have had absolutely no issues with it being unstable or anything with my Canon Rebel XTi.

 

[D. Hayes]

D. Hayes - Where is this button? Is it on that particular head?

It's on the quick release head for the "puck" for the camerae that comes with the tripod and head combo. There's a tension release lever you can see on photo in the link above that lets you rotate the puck and then a button that releases the puck from the head.

Dory

 

[Greg Campbell]

The small thumb lever/button on the right releases the puck. The larger lever on the left cinches it in place. FWLIW, I've not had any obvious rusting issues with the springs and other steel parts.

This head, part of the 700DX 'standard kit,' is a brick of solid aluminum. It's sturdy, rigid and bomb proof, but weighs half a ton and is somewhat awkward to operate. Neither tilt axis aims 'up' very well. The upper tilt join has only a few degrees travel. The lower joint is offset from the central shaft so will tilt back as far as you like - but the control lever soon hits the tripod triple clamp unless the post is extended 8 inches or so. Raising the post isn't a big deal, but it's just one more step between setting up and shooting.

-Greg

 

[D. Hayes]

I normally just put the camera facing backwards to get that good angle up. But yea I normally have the post raised up when I do that. Thing I really like is that you can spread the legs out really wide and get it very close to the ground. When I know high winds are coming I can set the camera on auto and go inside while it snaps away.

 

[Mike Deep]

Thanks for the info. I didn't buy the tripod with that head but I have a friend who will be looking at it and might need a pan/tilt.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

IMO, you don't need a great tripod for photography...only video and that's mainly for smooth panning. I have a cheap $35 tripod I bought from BH and have had absolutely no issues with it being unstable or anything with my Canon Rebel XTi.

It depends on what kind of photography you do and what kind of camera you use and what the output destination of your image is. For your application, it's quite likely that a lightweight, inexpensive tripod may fit the bill. However, attempting to put a 5DMkII with a 300mm 2.8 lens on a cheap tripod and then shoot a 3 second exposure at dusk in wind would be an exercise in futility.

Ultimately, tripods are some of the best "value for money" items you can buy in photography. With cameras and lenses, rarely will another $150 be the difference between "unusable crap" and "lifelong tool". But with tripods, spending $150 more than a Wal-mart brand can net you something that will work sturdily in most situations and will likely never need replacing.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

I have a manfrotto but it's a really cheap one. I think I got it for christmas one year. Not sure where it came from but the thing is cheap. Even putting the 100-400L on there this past spring trying to shoot geese before sunrise was a lost cause, in just light wind. I then tried the rented 300mm F2.8.....lol. That was a lost cause times 10. One way to see how big of an issue it is(if you have it) is to zoom in 10x on live view and leave it alone for a minute and watch. That is near pixel level and one can see just how much things are moving around.

I've never understood if it is just the lightweight fact of the thing, or if it is a rigid issue and one could get by with a good lightweight rigid one. I mean mine feels fairly rigid but at the same time I don't think it is any heavier than the more expensive ones(other than the heavy versions). It must be how they make the legs not move on those as I can tighten down everything else on mine so it's tight there.

Anyway I was always in that whole "lightweight cheapo tripod will work" camp. I figured mine was plenty sturdy. But now I'm in the "I need a real tripod" camp.

I'm likely to rent the 600mm or even the newer 800mm canon this fall. I wonder what tripod it will require to mount either of those things. Something else probably not cheap to rent.

 

[JeffGonzales]

What I have been using is a mount from stickypod.com I have really enjoyed using this. I can use it for my dash mount in my car, and when I get out of the car I can stick it to the roof. This is what i use instead of a tripod and works great for me. I have also used this when i am driving away from the storm, i can leave the camara mount on my roof facing the storm and it sticks really well.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

I just ordered a tripod and ballhead, so I guess posting now ain't going to change anything here. I'm just wondering one thing and noticed another.

I needed something that would support something decently past the 12lbs of a 600mm F4 canon and camera. Looking at BH I figured might as well go the 22 or 25lb support route and browse that way. They have that $99 Slik tripod legs, 700DX or something, that is listed in here by a few of you. It says 22lb support in the specs, but if you browse by 22lb it doesn't show the tripod. Something like that happened and got me wondering, since I've noticed BH spec listings off in the past. Sure enough, other places list it at 15lbs. The Slik site leaves a lot to be desired. So I thought, well so much for that idea. Probably would have worked as well anyway, but not being able to hold the things sort of stuck myself on the load numbers.

So fwiw I'm not sure I'd trust BH specs very far. I know I've noticed this in the past at least a couple times on things.

What I'm wondering is this. I ordered this set of legs: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/591774-REG/Giottos_MTL9371B_MTL_Series_9371B_Aluminum.html

It had the thicker(31mm) legs which helped pick it in the under an arm and a leg priced set of legs. That and lever lock legs. In the features it says this:

With 31mm diameter upper segments and smallest segments of a respectable 25mm, this 3-section tripod is appropriate for all but the most extreme of telephoto lens applications-pretty much anything smaller than a 400mm f/2.8 or 600mm f/4 can be used with confidence on the MTL9371B.

Why does something with a support rating of 22lbs then list that in the features? Those are 12lb lenses. It had the larger leg type and the heavier rating, and everything else I wanted, so I just said screw it anyway and ordered it. It'll have to hold a 600mm. I plan to rent those big lenses probably a few times, so figured rather than having to rent the legs each time might as well put that money towards something I needed anyway...a good tripod.

Then got a heavy duty type large ballhead that supports 22lbs as well, with an arca swiss type quick release....which will also have to support a huge lens a few times, saving the rental price of an expensive gimbal head.

What a cluster-f of options there are to tripod setups, jeesh. Then you find one only to notice the "accepting orders" or "discontinued" stuff.

I'm just confused on why it says that on those lenses when they are half the max load weight. Must be stability? Or they want you to think you need a $400 set of carbon fiber tripod legs to accomplish it. I've never owned or even really touched a good tripod or used a massive lens, so just wondered I guess. Wondering just how hard it will be to use that and a good large ball head with a 600mm or 800mm lens. Having bought the ball head too I'm really unlikely to rent the gimbal deal.

 

[Mike Deep]

POTN has some knowledgeable folks to ask about tripods, you might try asking around there.

I've noticed tripod weight ratings are pretty optimistic if not outright fishy. The rule of thumb I adopted was to go for something rated well over the max load I intended for it. In my case that wound up being just a Slik 700DX and a Smith-Victor 40lb Arca-type ballhead to support a 300/2.8 (~8lb w/ body IIRC, so pretty big margins). I'm sure the 700DX would probably support the claimed 22lbs, but I somehow doubt it would be much fun to use.

I can't speak from experience, but from what I understand a gimbal is pretty much a necessity for the 600L or 800L. I'm imagining framing being very, very frustrating with a ballhead.

 

[Richard Dickson]

I did some serious looking at the Slik 700DX Pro and found some interesting comments on the B&H web site, particularly when looking at the 'Lowest ratings first'. Here is one paragraph of one response.

"The round quick release plate was a deal breaker for me. Slik makes a big thing about how you can mount it in any direction, but I want my camera aligned with the V and H tilt axes. Although the round plate has a big slot, it is not held in by this except for a flimsy safety catch. The plate is only held by a 3/8" square metal piece that presses on the smooth side. I was very uncomfortable with only that amount of friction holding in my expensive camera. The final straw was when I put the camera in the vertical position the round plate would rotate and allow my lens to sag. It just didn't feel safe. I exchanged the 700DX for a 500DX which is almost identical (except only 64" high) with a more reasonable sized head and a good square, beveled quick release plate (which I am very pleased with). If you want the 74" height, I would suggest pairing the 700DX legs with a different head."

This got me to looking more at purchasing the Slik 500 DX Pro after reading the reviews associated with that tripod and head.

Has anyone tried this model?

 

[Greg Campbell]

Yea, Richard, the DX700's stock head a kinda crude. If you look at the accessories details on B&H, you can see that the 500's head is different. Whether or not it's better...?
Remember, you can always buy the legs alone, and add the head of your choice. FWIW, the 700's clamping mechanism seems fairly robust, and I've never had any sign of the puck wanting to fall out. However, after taking a close look at the flimsy plastic safety latch, you've got me a little worried! It would be easy to drill/tap a hole in the side of the head and install a small thumb tightened steel bolt that would engage the puck groove. Or maybe I'll just break down and buy a proper ball head for that tripod....

IMO, tripod load ratings are like megapixels - meaningless! Mechanically, my 700s will 'hold' 100 pounds without trying, even when fully extended. It's the rigidity that really matters. Mike probably did the right thing in going for leg diameter. The manufacturers need to come up with a spec that corresponds to the modulus of elasticity used to rate building materials. Also, different pods have differing damping values. This needs to be standardized and published as well.

Mike, please post a review when you get your Giottos.