Tripod Quality?

[HKMonkey]

I am looking at buying a 35mm camera for some landscape photos in Hong Kong and China (probably the Canon 300V, I currently use a Canon G2). I read all over that it is important to have a good tripod. Most places I've read, state that they have ones costing about US$300! Is it really that important to get such an expensive tripod? It is my first 35mm SLR, so the camera won't even cost that much. Really, what is the difference between a US$50 tripod and one for US$300? Thanks for your input!

[G3]

Any tripod is better than no tripod. A $300.00 tripod will presumably give you more stability than a $50.00 tripod, or lighter weight in the case of a carbon fiber tripod. If you are using a 300v and shooting landscapes that means you will be using a wider lens as opposed to a long, heavy telephoto. Your rig is not going to weigh very much, so just about any tripod should give you a definite improvement over hand-held.

I use Bogen tripods and Bogen and Arca Swiss heads, but I use them professionally so I can easily justify the cost. Some of my equipment is quite heavy so I have to have a tripod that will provide a stable platform for the heavy gear. When the mirror flops up on a medium-format camera it's like an earthquake. A compact, light tripod just won't stop the vibrations. Likewise, if I'm using a 35mm or digital SLR and a 500mm lens, I have to have something substantial to support the weight and not tip over.

One other major difference between cheap and expensive units is how smooth and positive the action of the head will be. Cheap made stuff tends to be difficult to precisely change head position and orientation and tends not to lock as positively in place.

[Digital Prophet]

I have a relatively cheap tripod (http://www.wolfcamera.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10001&langI d=-1&productId=13098401&topCategory=1004&cat1=5849816 ). It has a pretty good footprint and weight and I really think that is what counts at least for stability. Plus you can thread a hook on the bottom to hang a sandbag or weight. If you want to get a light tripod for travel purposes then carbon fiber would be good. And of course there are better heads, like ball heads. But this cost more.

All I know is that when I was taking pictures of two Chinook helicopters while they took off I almost got knocked over by rotor wash when I was caught off guard. But my tripod stayed put. So even if it is a $99 tripod it did a good job.

Hope that little bit of this and that helps you make a choice.

Prophet out.

[Andy_T]

Just one question ... why do you want to buy a *film* camera?

Anyway ... if you get one, be sure to look at the used offers.
They can be had for a song, nowadays.

Best regards,
Andy

[HKMonkey]

Well Andy, I would like to be able to make larger reprints with very crisp quality than my G2 can handle. I would love to go high end digital, but right now my wallet would not be able to handle that kind of spending, so I thought the next best thing for quality enlargements would be to go with film. Maybe i'm completely off base here, but that's my reasoning. Then when I have more money saved up, I would love to go top of the line Canon digital. Actually, that's one reason I'm going to get a Canon 35mm camera. That way, when I get a better Canon digital camera, I can just use the same lenses. :wink:

[Tom W]

Well Andy, I would like to be able to make larger reprints with very crisp quality than my G2 can handle. I would love to go high end digital, but right now my wallet would not be able to handle that kind of spending, so I thought the next best thing for quality enlargements would be to go with film. Maybe i'm completely off base here, but that's my reasoning. Then when I have more money saved up, I would love to go top of the line Canon digital. Actually, that's one reason I'm going to get a Canon 35mm camera. That way, when I get a better Canon digital camera, I can just use the same lenses. :wink:

I took a similar route - when I upgraded to EOS, I bought a used Elan II, with the full intention of upgrading to digital when the time was right. That time came and I've hardly touched the Elan since, though I won't sell it any time soon. Its a good backup camera.

[BoySpot]

Just because digital is great, film has not suddenly become a drag. Buy your film camera and enjoy it. I have had many years of fun with my old EOS600 and I wouldn't get rid of it, even though I have gone digital. Film scanning worked well for me for a few years before I could afford a digital SLR.