tripod on low budget

Hello there,

I have a 60D + a 17-55 f/2.8 and a 50 f/1.8. I would love to buy a tripod so I can start shooting landscapes especially in low light and without having a blurred image as the final result. What kind of tripod do you recommend me. I'd like it to be easily transportable so I can bring it with me on hikes and even during winter times. I have been told to buy manfrotto, but they are pretty expensive right now. Let me also tell you guys that I don't know much about tripod ball heads too. My budget would be CAN$150 max.

Thank you

You will probably get lots of help here, but I'll chip in with my limited experience. You are looking for a portable tripod for $150, you will likely have to buy used to get a good, stable one. That said, neither of your lenses are very heavy, so you won't need to go overboard either.

There are many used Manfrotto's for under $150, particularly if you're a deal hunter

what about Dolica? I heard the Ax620B100 is a good model for the price.

Buy a cheap tripod, and you'll have to spend more money later on to replace it, and maybe even replace broken gear after it falls over (worst case scenario). Up your budget to $250-300 and you'll have a lot more, better, options.

About 30 years ago a friend of mine that worked with the Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser newspaper gave me a pan/tilt-head aluminum tripod that the paper was going to scrap. It was scratched up and not pretty at all, but I was thankful for it and used it. Well, I have no idea what the weight limit is for that tripod but it handled several 35mm and some 200mm to 500mm lenses. Just this morning I used it for my 6d and a 28-75 2.8 I was using. As best as I recall it has never dumped anything...but I try to be careful. I have a heavier Manfrotto, also, but I've got an issue with the ball head at the moment so I used the old freebie.

I looked at the Dolica on Amazon and it looked pretty good, though I think I would go for the next size up to get the heavier payload handling that it has...it must be a little heavier built (besides being taller). I think it has a pan/tilt head rather than a ball-head. Just use some common sense with it, set it up firmly, watch your feet, don't overload it or set it up tilted, beware of kids running around and you should be ok.

You said that your budget was around $150...if you can spend that much I'd see what else is available, though. Better is...better. Quality clamps, quick-releases, etc., are worth the extra...that's where most problems arise.

Best wishes,
Ed

...I use a Benro Travel Angel and very satisfied with it. I've put on 15lbs of gear on it and it supported my gear firmly with no shake, even at full extension of all the legs. It should support your gear as well with no problem.

good luck

Zeiterphoto wrote in post #17323807
Hello there,

I have a 60D + a 17-55 f/2.8 and a 50 f/1.8. I would love to buy a tripod so I can start shooting landscapes especially in low light and without having a blurred image as the final result. What kind of tripod do you recommend me. I'd like it to be easily transportable so I can bring it with me on hikes and even during winter times. I have been told to buy manfrotto, but they are pretty expensive right now. Let me also tell you guys that I don't know much about tripod ball heads too. My budget would be CAN$150 max.

Thank you

Heya,

Benro makes really great tripods on a dime.

I will stress that buying a cheap tripod due to budget, will really just cost you more in the long run when you end up buying something better that is truly sturdy later on. Cheap entry tripods are hardly sturdy. I did that. Bought three cheap ones. They can be sturdy in some situations, but they're just not that great and I've re-gifted them to other people and finally just went for something made to do real work and last. Best move I made. Wish I just spent the little bit more early on and skipped the crawl.

Dolcia makes ok stuff, but they're flimsy unless you get their higher models. I bought two of their entry ones with ballheads. They were ok. But they're flimsy and sag easy under a load.

You can get a Benro 2970 there on Amazon.ca for like $200. Yes, it's over your budget. But it would be the last tripod you ever needed to buy in that budget range. It's built like a tank, very versatile, yet not $400+. Great tripod. The catch is, you still have to buy a ballhead. You can get a nice one under $50 probably (like Fancier; or Smith Victor).

Very best,

I picked up a set of Manfrotto legs (055proxb) on closeout for about $120 shipped. They are not light though, no way no how, so I'm not sure if they would meet your hiking requirement. As a stopgap I am using my old slik ballhead ii on them, but am looking for something which is a little more flexible so I can pan without having to futz around with alignment (leaning toward the sirui k-20x or k-30x which seem to get reasonably good reviews).

If you enjoy bargain hunting, then garage sales can be your friend. My neighbor managed to pick up a Gitzo mountaineer for about $100 (!!!), so there are deals out there.

Good luck.

Depends on your intended usage and expectations.
I also have a 60D and I wanted a tripod easy to carry around. I know myself: if it's too big, it'll stay home.
Like the old adage says: the best tripod / camera is the one you have with you when you need it.
The one I choose is this one:
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …luminum_tripod_​black.html

It's cheap, it's light, it's super compact (pretty much the smallest I could find beside toy, table tripods for P&S).
Will it securely hold a 1D body and a 600mm lens in a hurricane? Of course it won't.

But it has served me really well. I did super long exposure with it, light painting, etc. I even used it upside down to do some macro.
Just make sure you use a remote shutter. Being light means it can more easily vibrate when you manually press the shutter.
By MY standards, it's well built (I don't know how a regular hobbyist would abuse it enough to break it).

It also has a hook under the central post so you can hang some weight to secure it better.

And it fits your budget

MalVeauX wrote in post #17324477
Heya,

Benro makes really great tripods on a dime.

I will stress that buying a cheap tripod due to budget, will really just cost you more in the long run when you end up buying something better that is truly sturdy later on. Cheap entry tripods are hardly sturdy. I did that. Bought three cheap ones. They can be sturdy in some situations, but they're just not that great and I've re-gifted them to other people and finally just went for something made to do real work and last. Best move I made. Wish I just spent the little bit more early on and skipped the crawl.

Dolcia makes ok stuff, but they're flimsy unless you get their higher models. I bought two of their entry ones with ballheads. They were ok. But they're flimsy and sag easy under a load.

You can get a Benro 2970 there on Amazon.ca for like $200. Yes, it's over your budget. But it would be the last tripod you ever needed to buy in that budget range. It's built like a tank, very versatile, yet not $400+. Great tripod. The catch is, you still have to buy a ballhead. You can get a nice one under $50 probably (like Fancier; or Smith Victor).

Very best,

they should make this a sticky'' do not buy cheep tripods for under $150.save up your cash and buy the best you can,saves you time &money in the long run,maybe a induro or one of the manfrotto CF like the 550 lots of people seem to have them,good luck.

Sirrith wrote in post #17323983
Buy a cheap tripod, and you'll have to spend more money later on to replace it, and maybe even replace broken gear after it falls over (worst case scenario). Up your budget to $250-300 and you'll have a lot more, better, options.

Sad but true. You can have only two of these three things in a tripod: light weight, low price, high stability.

Manfrotto makes some very stable, very heavy aluminum tripods and basic ballheads for about $175 or so. Check them at B&H website. These are bulletproof and will last a lifetime and you can sell them for a good price used when you want to move up. Or, get a carbon fiber tripod used in the Selling Forum here (better than eBay where you may not be able to trust the seller as much).

And I'm serious when I say to get a beanbag instead. They're from $20-30, prefilled with polystyrene beads and are rock solid...if you put them on a rock. Or a fencepost, or the hood of your car. Then save your money for a better tripod.

I personally don't agree with the notion that $150 isn't enough for a tripod. If OP has $150 now, I think OP might as well get a $150 tripod now so he can enjoy it instead of going out without one. See this for the reasons I personally own a cheap tripod: http://dslrvideoshoote​r.com …hould-buy-a-cheap-tripod/

I have an 055XPROB (paid less than $150 for it and a head). It's sturdy enough for anything I have to put on it. When going out, I like my $40 Opus piece of crap tripod (much lighter and more portable than the Manfrotto). It's limitations are obvious, but I'm not a professional and I don't need a professional tripod.

Everybody has a different take on tripods, but if the OP wants a tripod for $150, he might as well go out and get a tripod for $150. If he hates it, he can sell it. By then, he will know what's important for him in a tripod.

have you checked out Henry's? they have some pretty good deals on Manfrotto's right now...

Thisis apparently the new model of the 055XPRO Manfrotto. A bit more expensive. Check out the video, pretty impressive.

Thanks a lot guys.
What do you think of this one, it's on special at 149.99 right now:

http://gosselinphoto.c​a …[product_guids]​[0]=683039