looking to buy a basic tripod

Hi All,

I have a canon 60d with a 70-200 f/4. Wondering if the following tripod will be stable enough for my arrangement.

http://www.amazon.com …&sr=8-1&keywords=MK393-HM


Thanks in advance,

smallick wrote in post #17472048
I have a canon 60d with a 70-200 f/4. Wondering if the following tripod will be stable enough for my arrangement.

I don't have any experience with that tripod, but I seriously doubt that it would hold your rig stable enough to do much good. Bear in mind that the "load capacity" figure for any tripod is a rather useless number. The number does not say anything about rigidity. In addition, there is no standard test that manufacturers use to arrive at that number.

As a rule of thumb, a tripod/head combination MIGHT be stable enough if the "load capacity" number is about three to five times the weight of the heaviest equipment you want to use on it. I stress the MIGHT part, though.

A lightweight tripod that would be truly stable with the kind of load you have would probably be very expensive.

I was afraid of that. Do you have any suggestions of what would be a good and relatively low-cost tripod that I could use?

Thank you very much

MeFoto makes nice ones, I have the road trip as hiking/travel pod, very happy with it.

smallick wrote in post #17472168
I was afraid of that. Do you have any suggestions of what would be a good and relatively low-cost tripod that I could use?

What is your budget?

The Feisol Tournament tripods would do a nice job. They are not cheap but I would advise against going for lesser tripods as it's more expensive in the long run. I have used both models and prefer the 3 leg section version (CT3342) but they are both good.

That looks like my first tripod. It will work for your combo. I hated the head on it and eventually sold it.

Look for one that has a ball head. Arca-Swiss compatible even better.

SkipD wrote in post #17472200
What is your budget?

I was hoping not to have to spend more than $100.

johnf3f wrote in post #17472435
The Feisol Tournament tripods would do a nice job. They are not cheap but I would advise against going for lesser tripods as it's more expensive in the long run. I have used both models and prefer the 3 leg section version (CT3342) but they are both good.

That completely rules out these beautiful tripods

crbinson wrote in post #17472515
That looks like my first tripod. It will work for your combo. I hated the head on it and eventually sold it.

Look for one that has a ball head. Arca-Swiss compatible even better.

Maybe, I should look for a tripod which comes with a ball head. I did want to get a name brand one. But, I have no idea what are the other name brands out there, other than Manfrotto.

Thanks once again.

Your budget is way too low to buy you anything decent. I paid ~$100 for my ball head alone, and it wasn't even the top Manfrotto model.

I've tried to avoid spending more than $100 on a tripod for almost 5 years between my daughter and myself. In that period I've tried 6 different "well reviewed" budget models. Depending on your needs they run from acceptable to junk. But if you are unable to spend any more, I suggest you avoid cheap ballheads and go with a traditional pan head. It seems it's much more difficult (and expensive) to make a decent ballhead than a decent pan head. All the cheap ballheads I've tried flex when tightening the ball, and most of them droop.

I'd also suggest that, if possible, you should go to a camera store with a wide selection of tripods in your price range and spend time testing them all out.

Alveric wrote in post #17472787
Your budget is way too low to buy you anything decent. I paid ~$100 for my ball head alone, and it wasn't even the top Manfrotto model.

I have to sadly admit the truth in your statement.

bumpintheroad wrote in post #17472790
I've tried to avoid spending more than $100 on a tripod for almost 5 years between my daughter and myself. In that period I've tried 6 different "well reviewed" budget models. Depending on your needs they run from acceptable to junk. But if you are unable to spend any more, I suggest you avoid cheap ballheads and go with a traditional pan head. It seems it's much more difficult (and expensive) to make a decent ballhead than a decent pan head. All the cheap ballheads I've tried flex when tightening the ball, and most of them droop.

I'd also suggest that, if possible, you should go to a camera store with a wide selection of tripods in your price range and spend time testing them all out.

This is a great idea. Let me look around and see if i can find a good camera store around here.

Thanks everyone for your input

Start looking for used gear as well. I don't use the tripod a ton, since most of my shots are candid shots of the family, but I wanted something decent for when I needed it. I got a manfrotto 3021 with a bogen pan head for $80 on ebay.

Take a look at POTN's tripod FAQ. Check out the reviews section where you should be able to look at details of construction. Strongly consider buying a good used tripod, also read Thom Hogan's classic article; the equipment is a bit out of date now but the principle remains. If you follow Thom's advice you'll save yourself a lot of money.

Qlayer2 wrote in post #17472965
Start looking for used gear as well. I don't use the tripod a ton, since most of my shots are candid shots of the family, but I wanted something decent for when I needed it. I got a manfrotto 3021 with a bogen pan head for $80 on ebay.

peter_n wrote in post #17473045
Take a look at POTN's tripod FAQ. Check out the reviews section where you should be able to look at details of construction. Strongly consider buying a good used tripod, also read Thom Hogan's classic article; the equipment is a bit out of date now but the principle remains. If you follow Thom's advice you'll save yourself a lot of money.

This article is great. Thanks for sharing it. I shall look for a used tripod, to start.