Tripods in general

[jaypie77]

I have been thinking about buying a good tripod, but it seems like there are millions of tripods out there. Since I know Manfrotto/Bogen are good tripods, I looked at their stock and they have dozens that all seem to be the same thing. Is there any way to learn about tripods and what makes some better than others or work better for different uses? Any huge tripod resources online?

[IanD]

A lot depends upon what you are going to use the tripo for. Nature? Macro? Will it be supporting a long, heavy lens? 20D or MKII?
There are a lot of factors in choosing the right support system. If you give us an idea as to the equipment you will be using and what you plan to use the tripod for it will make choosing marginally easier:) Remember to also factor in what type of head you want to use. 3 way pan or ball head. Again, a lot will depend upon the weight of the equipment it will support.

[Marvinspu36]

I just recently bought my first "real" tripod. It is due to arrive tomorrow. I owned a cheap Velbon tripod and found it horribly insufficient to hold my 20D and 70-200 f4 lens. Just the mirror actuation caused the camera to vibrate. And it took a few seconds for the oscillations to stop after moving the camera position. So I bit the bullet and bought what I hope is a good tripod. I used a lot of information from Steves Forums. Here are some links to articles in Steve's forums that you might find useful (within the articles are other links to follow). You can also do a search on these forums for Tripod. It may be confusing at first, but just filter through the verbage and try to find the useful information:

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=37403&forum_id=73&highlight=488rc2

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_forum.php?id=73

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=2203&forum_id=73

Here is a general article on tripods:

http://www.outdooreyes.com/photo11.php3

I settled on the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPRO Tripod Legs with a 488RC2 Midi Ballhead(RC2 Quick Release). Here are some of the features that I found important:

The weight it would support
Overall stability of legs and center column
The minimum and maximum height range
Independent leg spread
The center column can mount horizontally for macro shots
The weight of the tripod
The larger ball head for better gripping power and smoother movement
Seperate pan adjustment, independent of the ball tilt adjustment
Recommendation from users on the forums who have used both the tripod and the ball head
Your selection will depend a lot on your use. You will be selecting both the tripod legs and the head. Some prefer the ball head, some prefer the pan-tilt heads. I'm sure some of the pro's who visit these forums can offer you some good advice!

[Raj]

Thanks for compiling all the info Marvin. I also need a tripod for my 20D & this contribution will be helpful :-)

[MarkoPolo]

Ian D makes some good points. Some other thoughts. Velbon ChaserEFL-4 (about $80) and Giottos medium ball head (about $90) makes a good, sturdy, lightweight combo. It's what I use for travel when compactness (when folded) is important. My all around tripod is the Gitzo 2220 with the Kirk BH-3 ball head. Great combo--you can shoot in any position with the rotating arm. It apparently is much easier to activate and use than the Manfrotto. Honestly, there have been times when I really need to travel light that the Velbon 343E has worked OK. You have to hold it with downward pressure, but I have gotten some good shots with it. Hope this helps--buying a tripod is the hardest. You are never able to see them side by side in a store and you have to use other opinions to help sort through the myriad choices. Mark