Tripods

I'm new to photography and would like some advice on getting a tripod. I don't know what I should tell you about my needs, but I'll give it a try, and you can ask any questions that I haven't answered here...

1. Budget - cheap is good. This probably isn't realistic, but are there any decent tripods for under $50? If not, I could probably go up to $100 max.

2. Weight - for the most part I will not be lugging it to mountaintops and stuff like that. Most of my photography will be within an easy walking distance of a vehicle. However, there will be some times when I want to carry it around of a couple of hours. So I don't think I need to lightest possible tripod, but I also don't want a really heavy one.

3. I will be doing a lot of sports photography. Mostly youth and high school hockey games. Is there anything special that I might want in a tripod for that?

4. If possible, I would like a tripod that extends to 6 feet tall, or at least close to that.

Any recommendations would be very much appreciated. I would like recommendations on specific brands and models of tripods, and well as recommendations of things that I should be looking for in a tripod. Also, it seems that there are some tripods that come without a head and some that come with a head. From the limited searching that I have done, it looks like it's mainly the cheap tripods that come with a head. Do you recommend that I buy a tripod that does not come with a head? If so, what kinds of things should I be thinking about when choosing a head?

Thanks very much.

There is no free lunch and no good cheap tripod.Like anything else you get what you pay for.A good ball head is Manfrotto 488RC2 or 486RC2 at B&H Photo on the net. A good tripod , light and the price is good compared to an expense one like Gitzo is a Feisol www.feisol.com. Ball heads top of the line Realy right stuff,Arca Swiss (I have and a Feisol Tripod) Check other posts under accessories on this fourm
Ricko

A cheap tripod is better than no tripod when you need a tripod. I used a $70 tripod for quite a while before going bigger and it worked quite well. I checked it out at the store (Ritz) and was happy with the price versus features & stability. Yes, I ended up "giving" it away after a while - to my wife - but it was absolutely positively better than no tripod at all.

But I do agree with Ricko - you get what you pay for. Luckily *some* form of stability can be had for $50. Eventually you will most likely realize that you want a better tripod, so plan on losing it within 6-12 months, or buy one that's good enough to keep for the days you want a light tripod.

You might read through the sticky, it has good information: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=53864

I recently bought a Manfrotto 3021ProB with a 488 ball head ( I bought Reallyrightstuff's adpaters (www.reallyrightstuff.c​om). The tripod extends to about 69" without the ball head.

Sent u a private message about Amvona's Dynatran tripod earlier. It's not the best tripod but it ain't too bad either.

kohlhaas --

for your hockey photography, the best tripod is the one you leave at home. Hockey moves so fast that support devices just get in the way, and you need fast enough shutter speeds to freeze hockey motion that the tripod is irrelevant.

For most other sports the best tripod is one with two missing legs (eg, monopod).

unlike tripods (where high cost contributes rigidity and quality) I find that a cheap monopod is more than sufficient. I'm happy with my $20 cheapo monopod, but I spent a bundle on my tripod and don't regret it.

cfcRebel wrote:
Sent u a private message about Amvona's Dynatran tripod earlier. It's not the best tripod but it ain't too bad either.

I just ordered the Amvona Dynatron AT-858BL the other day. It is within the OP's original budget and from all of the reviews that I have seen, it appears to be a very well built tripod.

Amvona does make nice tripods/monopods, as evidenced by their carbon fiber series that i bought recently .

I was hoping to get mine in this week before leaving for my trip to the mountains this weekend, but that does not look like the case. I will have to make due with my monopod and the lower end Velbon that I have. It is OK, but it is a little on the unstable side, especially when I crank up the neck to raise the camera that extra 18 inches or so.

That was my case too last month. I ordered the carbon fiber series but didn't receive it until after my 10-day Yellowstone trip. So i had to lug around an 8lb AT-663S during the trip. Oh well.....