select Tripods
Posted on 6/28/2008
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 regina |
Any experience on a good tripod ? I am looking for a lightweight, easy to use/carry, versatile and reliable one. I had broken few of the heads because of unfamiliar with it or inpatient when using it.... So easy to use/carry and hard to break is very important to me. Thanks for any recommendation in advance!
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If you have trouble manipulating heads, I would recommend splurging and trying to get one with a ball-head. Those are easiest to manipulate (mine only moves independently in each direction, so not as simple to adjust). Try heading to the store and checking some out!!
Sorry for the accidental posts earlier. This is my first try at responding to a question here. D'oh!
Anyway, I wanted to suggest you don't scrimp on your tripod.
You will be using it with future cameras long after you have upgraded from the one you have now. One of my tripods is about 30 years old. It's a big, heavy and sturdy aluminum Bogen (now Manfrotto) that I call my "studio tripod" because it's heavier than I'm willing to lug around now that I'm three decades older (however, I carried it climbing down into Indian ruins at Mesa Verde, in my foolish youth).
That old tripod has seen everything from 35mm SLRs to medium format to 4x5 field cameras used on it over the years. Now it gets used with digital SLRs, too. It's still working great. It's me who has gotten older and can't carry it around the way I used to. So my "field" tripod is a Gitzo 1325 carbon fiber, for lighter weight, and is about 7 or 8 years old.
Spend the money to get a good tripod rig. It could literally last you a lifetime.
Beyond that, a tripod is all about compromises.
You want it to be as steady as possible to get sharp shots. Yet, the steadiest ones are those with the fewest leg sections and the strongest materials, so are often the bulkiest even folded and heaviest to tote around.
I settled on the three section legs with the Gitzo (and the Bogen for that matter). Two section are too bulky even folded, four section are too shaky for the lenses I use (which are larger than yours, so you might be okay with 4 sections). There are ultra compact 5 and 6 section legs out there, but they can get pretty shaky and take longer to set up.
Also try to use it without extending the center column. This is the steadiest way to use a tripod, but many tripods are not tall enough without some center column help. (The 1325 doesn't even have a center column, and goes above my head, I'm about 5'-9" tall.)
Materials are another important consideration. Aluminum is most common, but heaviest if a decent gauge (like the Manfrotto). Forget the ultra-light gauge aluminum cheapies. They have a life span of about 2 years at most.. Also, aluminum and all metal tends to "ring" with vibrations or resonances that can make images unsharp at slower shutter speeds. Wood is the best at dampening vibrations, but adds to weight and bulk. Carbon fiber is also darned good dampening vibrations, as well as weight, but adds to cost. Metal also is colder if you work outdoors in the Winter.
You can buy tripods and heads together in a single purchase. This is often the most cost effective way to buy. But, being able to buy separate head (and other accessories) is good because this allows you to customize your tripod to best fit your needs.
Personally I chose a Kirk BH-1 ballhead to use on my 1325. It needed to be able to support a Wimberley Sidekick gimbal mount and a 500mm f4 lens, flash and a heavy camera body. You don't need as large, heavy or expensive a head for your tripod with the equipment you listed, but try to consider if you ever might add a larger lens. You also don't need the gimbal mount.
Once you shop for tripod heads, you also will find several types.
Pan/tilt are the traditional type, easiest to use, but also the
bulkiest and heaviest. Ballheads are a lot more compact and often much
lighter. There are also some specialty types or hybrids. Just avoid plastic at all costs. Look for ones that can support the weight of your equipment without any concern, plus maybe a little more in case you add a larger lens later. Check manufacturer websites for weight ratings. (If the manufacturer doesn't give ratings, skip it and move on.)
But, there are plenty of other accessories to think about. Both my tripods are fitted with levelling platforms under the heads. These add weight, but really speed setting up, and let me dial it in really level in all sorts of situations. These platforms are not abvailable for all brands of tripods (both the Manfrotto and Gitzo systems are pretty extensive... actually Manfrotto and Gitzo are the same company, but they don't have interchangeable accessories for the large part).
Another useful thing are quick releases. These allow you to mount and unmount the camera and lenses quickly, but you have to buy a special plate to attach to your camera or lens, that's attached to it full time. Manfrotto makes their own proprietary quick releases, that don't fit anyone else's tripod heads. There's a more universal system of QRs known as Arca-Swiss (who originated it). Many manufacturers make parts to fit the A-S QR system now, including: Kirk, Really Right Stuff (RRS), Wimberley, Arca-Swiss of course, and others. I use this system now and have modified even my old Bogen to fit it.
There are also plenty of subtle nuances to consider. For example, the way the tripod legs lock. Many have a lever or latch mechanism. I've used that type and they are fine in the studio. But, I had a few occasions when a sleeve or pant cuff caught on them in the field, nearly causing a disaster. So, I prefer the twist grip like on the Gitzo, for outdoor work. Other people don't like the grip twist. It's a person thing I suppose.
Now, there a number of good brands of tripods. Gitzo and Manfrotto are just two of them. Also there are Induro, Benbo, Cullman, Berlebach, Tiltall, Giottos, even higher end Velbon, Hakuba and Slik..
B&H Photo in NYC have their own Impact brand. Adorama has their own tripod brand too, I see, called Flashpoint. These latter look particularly interesting to me, similar in design to the Gitzo, carbon fiber, but considerably lower cost. They also have Flashpoint magnesium ballheads at competitive prices, although they don't have any quick release as far as I know (a quick release platform could easily be semi-permanently added later, though, if you wish). Adorama's middle sized Flashpoint tripod and F-2 ballhead support up to 11 pounds and cost about $290 total. That's quite a good deal for a carbon fiber copy of a Gitzo! I'm sure both B&H and Adorama have someone else make these items for them, but I have no idea who it might be in either case.
Both Gitzo and Manfrotto have websites with tons of info. B&H is at www.bhphotovideo.com. Adorama.com is, you guessed it, Adorama's site. Wimberley is at www.tripodhead.com. Also there are www.kirkphoto.com and www.reallyrightstuff.com. Both www.rue.com and www.birdsasart.com offer a lot of accessories, especially for work with long, telephoto lenses where tripods are practically mandatory. I'm sure there are sites for all the other manufacturers mentioned above, too.
I do recommend going to a local store that has a wide selection and looking at different types of tripods and tripod heads to help make your decisions, even if you end up buying somewhere else.
Oh, and a monopod is another option. Sometimes you just can't use a tripod, and a monopod can be a good alternative.
Cheers!
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
www.printroom.com/pro/amfoto1
Thanks for sharing. I do appreciate very much of all your kind efforts to write this article. It is so valuable to me and I have read it few times. Per your suggestion, I'd like to go to some local stores to study more before choosing one. At this point I am lean to Adorama's middle sized Flashpoint tripod and F-2 ballhead. There is a lot home work for me to do:) I believe that I'll have more questions to ask you. Thanks in advance.
Bostonwolf
Thanks for your help too.