Tripod tips

I am possibly looking at getting a new tripod as the one I have now is a cheap one and the head can't really take the weight of the new Tamron 70-300mm and doesnt hold still. so cant change settings and get exactly the same pic without it moving slightly

Seeing as it xmas soon I will be getting money as nobody ever knows what to get me so might as well spend some of it on a new tripod.

So my questions are anybody got a suggestions and things I should look out for and avoid? Possibly have about £80 to spend.

Use the tripod for night photography and would like a lighter and smaller when not in use than mine (cheap one from 7dayshop.com)

Anybody?

Phil

Light, small, sturdy and cheap don't come together...
Have a look at Manfrottos offerings.

I HAVE a 7dayshop one and its a nice little tripod even has quick release its a Hama Gamma 74 it was around £17 and it has air cusion colum and the lower legs are brased.
well worth the money BUT it is just a small lightweight tripod it works well and does what its made to do .
HOWEVER a decent tripod has far more strenth and is far more sturdy but also cost £100 and that wont include the head .
Rob.
EDDIT i miss read i thought you were looking for a cheap one /SORRY .
one thats said to be good and sturdy is the manfroto 055PROB around £100 /£125 - NO HEAD though
Rob

bogen 3001

Look on Amvona.com and find what you want then do a search for it on ebay. That's where I got mine and I paid a fraction of the price that they wanted on their own website.

Read these:
http://bythom.com/supp​ort.htm
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/t​ripods_&_heads.shtml
http://markins.com/cha​rlie/report4e6.pdf


I think you have discovered part of what Hogan is trying to tell you. It doesn't pay to do this on the cheap. Get good stuff, suffer the pain of buying it and then enjoy it. There is a big difference from good to bad in tripods. Using any tripod is a hassle but the good ones are so much less so. You will save money in the long run if you consider a tripod to be at least as important as your second or third lens - and you should plan on spending about the same money.

The other thing that is important is that it is the little things that matter in tripods. If you consider that a vibration amplitude as small as 5 microns (.000005 meters) over the time the shutter is open will induce one pixel of blur. In reality, handholding is from 100um to 350um amplitude peak to peak. So, there are about 2 orders of sharpness difference between handheld and on a good tripod.

cheap tripods will be more affected by wind, by vibration underfoot, etc... Top end ones will be really amazing and you will really enjoy looking at these and see the amount of sharpness you can achieve right out of the camera.

J.

Check for a Slik 340DX PRO on bristolcameras.co.uk. It's about £70 delivered, os 49cm closed, comes with head and has a 5kg max load. Does the job pretty well for me as I needed something under 50cm.

All I can say is dont buy a crap pod.

I highly recommend the 3021 Pro Bogen pods.

manfroto 190 series are worth a look, but with a head will bump your price up to about £100. as other posters have mentioned a good pod is worth it's weight in gold.