Tripod question for XSi

[jackirons]

Okay so I'm going to buy a tripod for my XSi. I have no idea what a ball head is or any of that stuff. Basically I just need a tripod that I can use for some night shots. What would you recommend if I want to spend under $100.

What's the difference between this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/240474-REG/Canon_6195A003_Deluxe_Tripod.html


and this:
http://www.adorama.com/BATPDX.html



http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/197149-REG/Giottos_VT808_VT808_Tripod_with_3.html


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/113835-REG/Cullmann_CU_52013_Jet_Set_Tripod.html


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/324649-REG/Cullmann_CU_50012_Universal_Maximo_Tripod_with.htm l

What would you recommend out of these? I know they probably all suck and are cheap, but I can't spend a lot of money and just need a tripod.

[greygoose]

hi
2 way vs 3 way panhead: i think with a 2 way panhead you can only go left right and up-down. with a 3 way panhead you can go left right and up down but you also have the option to put your camera in vertical mode while on the tripod. like portrait position..... i suck at explaining anything so i hope im making sense. trust me i had the same problem and i walked over to b&h and just tried out the tripods. are you in new york? if so, walk to b&h and check out the tripods.

the one i ended up buying was this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/366410-REG/Sunpak_620510_DigiPro_XLT_Tripod_with.html

that picture doesn't show the other handle but it has two handles exactly similar to this one
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/366411-REG/Sunpak_620520_DigiPro_XLF_Tripod_with.html
except the legs are different and maybe other features. i like the old skool feel of having two levers to control the tripod instead of having just one lever to control the movement of the tripod.

as for the tripods that you posted, i cant help you. iv'e never used them. with $100 you can really get a good tripod. the one i have works just fine for waht i need it for. when i get more advanced and need something better i'll get a seperate head and tripod set.

good luck.

i hope you get more help

[Jon]

I'd say "None of the above". Really, for still photography a ball head is probably better; a "pan head" with the arm is really more a video head. And unfortunately a cheap tripod will be something that sooner, rather than later, you'll need to replace because it doesn't provide very good support.

Depending on where you are when you're shooting, you may be able to use a bean bag or a mini/tabletop tripod resting on a table, fence rail, rock, or other object to give you a little more height. But if you're sure you need an inexpensive tripod, I'd say buy locally, so you can try it out in the store. Fewer leg segments is better; the more sections you have, the thinner the bottom one will be, and the less rigid it'll be. For best stability you don't want to rely on the center column for your height, either.

Looking at the sub-$100 tripods at B&H, I've used this one (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/48712-REG/Slik_612_212_U212_Tripod.html) and it was pretty good. It's heavy, and the rated capacity isn't all that great but I'd feel reasonably comfortable using it up to that rating; many other inexpensive tripods I'd divide the rating by 2 or more. The problem is that there's no such thing as a good, cheap, light tripod. You can have any 2 of the 3, but not all 3.

[René Damkot]

For under $100, I'd recommend getting one used.

[SpeedkingXSi]

this is what I picked up from Amazon Sunpak 620-092 9002DX Tripod (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CP4JMS) it works great and it's steady with it's weight hook, 3 way pan with bubble level and quick release

[alexleblanc]

i've been using this one with good results. Has a load rating of 5KG and its built quite sturdy. Keeping that in mind, it's not the lightest tripod but it works great and for the money i think worth it.

Velbon Sherpa 200R

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10096086&catid=

http://www.futureshop.ca/multimedia/products/large/10096086.jpg

[jhkphoto]

a quality tripod is a great thing... i would take a good look at used tripods you'll probibly get more bang for your buck that way.
a ball head is what i use most of the time in the field it gives you quick and complete control