But which one??

[LazyPhotographer]

OK... got the camera, got the lenses, and spent a "tad" bit more money on camera equipment in the last few months than I have in the last 3 years - and am loving every minute of it.

Now I need to get a better tripod or a monopod - but which one, what kind? And what about ballheads and quick release plates? Omigawd, the choices are endless and could be very expensive, or really dumb if I don't know what I really need.

Help a sister out please... could you offer some advice and the what & why for your choices? The heaviest lens I'll have is the Canon 100-400 and I have the shakiest hands in the country (by genetics, not choice).

Thanks in advance!

[robertwgross]

Lazy, you'll probably get some good advice from others. Sometimes it helps if you can describe the kind of shooting you intend to do.

For example, if you say "general everything", then that means something.

If you say water birds, at a distance, moving, then that means something different in a tripod.

If you have a single camera, then sometimes that means something in a quick release mount. If you have multiple cameras that you swap around on the tripod quickly, then that means something else.

If you shoot only extreme closeups of flowers on the ground, then that suggests something different.

---Bob Gross---

[LazyPhotographer]

Sorry...

Mostly nature shots... some scenic , but primarily birds. Sitting, flying, close, and distant. - pretty much all of it.

I also photograph a lot of hummingbirds - a small, fast target half the time and zooming around the other half.

I like the quick release because the camera is in my hands all the time and am too chicken to leave it unattended even for a few minutes. Also, its a pain to move or carry the tripod if I need to zip to the other side of the yard.

[robertwgross]

For my area, the time for hummingbirds at my feeder is late winter and early springtime. I leave one of my tripods set up in the living room, aimed out through the patio door at the feeder outside on the patio. So, whenever I am at home with my camera, I park it on the tripod and keep it halfway ready for the little birds.

---Bob Gross---