Cheap Tripod ?

Im pretty new to photography. Im just a dad with a camera and a hobby. Im not a professional by any means. That being said, I have never had a tripod and I want to take some of those cool firework, waterfall, car lights, etc pictures and need a tripod.

Heres the thing, I only have 1 lens (well a 50mm prime also). Its a 24-70L. So I dont think I need anything real crazy. I do think one day down the road I may want something like a 70-200 F4, but for now those are only 2 lenses I have and will be using.

I also dont really care about weight (say this now). Because i dont plan to carry it around with me everywhere. I figure Ill only be using it on planned ahead trips like fireworks, etc.

whats a good tripod but cheap. I really dont want to spend $500-$1000 for a tripod.

Manfrotto aluminum tripods. Check past threads by searching Manfrotto. Heavy, but cheap, stable and will last a lifetime. Look at the lineup at B&H's website.

Induro are great tripods. I love the heck out of mine. A lot of other shooters I know are switching to them as well. Very stable and fairly priced.

Keep in mind the saying "you get what you pay for" is very much true in tripods. The cheaper you go the cheaper they are. You dont have to go to a $500 tripod to get something good. But I would not go below $150 or you will end up buying again.

The most-often recommended tripod for general-purpose work here is the Manfrotto 055XProB topped off with the Manfrotto 498RC2 ball head.

What I have is the predecessor to this rig and, though it is a little heavy, it works extremely well for me. A good shoulder strap makes the rig easy to haul in the field.

A couple of websites have closeout model Benro and Induro (same company) tripods for sale. I know Keh.com has some closeout Induro's and I recently purchased a Benro C-297ex tripod from Amazon. I had a chance to play with one of the Manfrotto's before I bought the Benro, and can say after receiving that I'm glad I went with the Benro instead of the Manfrotto.

how tall are you?

I have a Manfrotto 055XPROB. I previously had a Benro Travel Angel, but got to be a pain since it wans't tall enough for me (was great for travel though).

although heavy, I prefer the Manfrotto to the Benro. I'm 6' and can have the Manfrotto at eye-level without raising the center column.

I had a cheap $30 tripod that I used to get some fireworks & waterfall shots. I had it for 2 years. I used it extensively during my India trip. I left it as a gift for my nephew who is starting out.

I just bought this Sunpak at best Buy. It is $50 and is quite good fo my use.

http://www.bestbuy.com …18246670488&sku​Id=1205204

I love the pistol grip.

The limiting factor may come when I decide to use this with extra heavy zooms, but I have not hit that level yet.

How about the Benro C-358M8 tripod? It is on clearance now at Amazon for 229, originally almost 700. I just ordered one for myself!

about a month ago Amazon had a sale on one where it came out to like $12 shipped, was aluminum legs, 60 inch height, hell for that price you could cut it apart and still not be sad.

Define "cheap". You can probably get one of those at your local Wal*Mart.

my first one was from best buy. it wasn't great.

SkipD wrote in post #11892695
The most-often recommended tripod for general-purpose work here is the Manfrotto 055XProB topped off with the Manfrotto 498RC2 ball head.

What I have is the predecessor to this rig and, though it is a little heavy, it works extremely well for me. A good shoulder strap makes the rig easy to haul in the field.

+1 The 055XProB is quite heavy, but real solid.