Which Tripod to choose?

I wonder if somebody can help me to get a new tripod for my canon 20d.
The one I had is not good anymore, I want to get somenthing that last longer than the regular tripods.

Also I wonder which is better.. the Tripod or Unipod?


Thanks

A quality tripod is a good investment. They are spendy $300. and up. The best ones will last longer than most of your equipment.

I really love my Tiffen Magnum XL. Its really study but a bit heavy. I got lucky and only paid $30 for it from Ebay. They cost around $120 in stores

tripod for getting rid of any camera shake. monopod for tight quarters needing some extra steadiness. I have a Manfrotto 3021BPRO and a 488RC2 ballhead, and I love it. kinda heavy though.

look up amvona.com and see what they got. then head over to ebay and search amvona.com as the member name and bid from there. dirt cheap. great quailty vs price.

a tripod is not better than a monopod or visa versa, its what you need it for

if you want something a little more expensive i suggest the manfrotto 3021 with something like a 466 head. but you gotta state what you shoot

what do you plan on doning with tripod/monopod?

i plan on hiking etc, so i got a light weight CF Feisol 3402N and a Manfrotto 488rc2 on the way. the feisol is quite nice. seems to be great quality.

This is the one I'm drooling over: 190MF4 Magfiber Carbon Fiber 4-Section Tripod Legs - Supports 8.8 lb (4 kg) -- from Bogen/Manfrotto $275 from B&H Photo

It's very light and folds very short... so it's good for traveling. I just got an aluminum monopod from Bogen/Manfrotto. I got it for hikes and such. I also got a cheap head that only pivots on one angle...not my smartest move. I think I'll upgrade to the 488RC2 ball head by Bogen Manfrotto. I found the weight differnce between the aluminum / magfiber monopod wasn't that big, so I saved $150 and went with the aluminum. HTH.

I just want fast movement when I take pics, usually I take pics from birds or plants

I was checking some tripods and monopods, but seems to be a lot out there, which specs or brand I have to look for?

To be honest I wonder if there is some tripod that has some kind of ball where you put the camera and you can rotate to wheathever angle you want.

I personally have the Manfrotto 055MF4which is one of the lightest. I carry my tripod everywhere, because I learned from early that you never know when you'll need it.

It is 2kg (4.4lb)

For head I use the Manfrotto 486MGRC2. It uses hydrostatic to lock the ball, this head has a magnesium die cast body, a 2” Teflon coated aluminium ball which combined with specially designed tension surfaces provides movement as smooth as silk.

It has the best weight to Max weight ratio for heavy lens.

The ball head is about .6kg (1.3lbs)

As you can see my setup is only 5.8lbs, but can hold up to 23lbs which is plenty for up to 600mm f/4 IS (11.8lbs) or 400mm f/2.8 IS (11.8lbs)

Buying the Tripod is the easy bit, getting the right head is the hard part.

I have the Bogen Manfrotto 3001BD and 488RC2 ballhead. Good tripod, very steady and sets up in seconds. I got the 488RC2 because it had a separate pan lever, which comes in very handy.

I primarily use my monopod when hiking or walking about, and have a Manfrotto 322RC grip-style ball head on it, which I have found to be quite an effective combination.

I just got a good tripod, a Feisol 3401N, which I have been very pleased with so far. It's light--just over 3lbs with the center column--and collapses down to under 22 inches (smaller than my monopod!), yet still is tall enough for me to use without hunching over (56 inches without extending the center column--so add the tripod head, battery grip or lens mounting ring, and camera, and it's just about right for me at 6'4"). Best, it cost $250, which gives me $150-$300 more to spend on other camera equipment than if I'd bought a different brand.

I have found, though, that I prefer a more traditional ball head on the tripod to the grip-style head I have and love on my monpod.

I just got from ebay a AT 858 Professional Tripod by DynaTran for $78.00 whit the grip action ball head, I don't know if I make the righ choice but thats all I can expend for now.