[newbie] tripod: suggestion what/where to buy

G2 masters, please advise

Which tripod to get, why, and where?


Thx,
Bigpow

if only it were that easy!

you have to tell us how you plan to use it and what your budget is. what are your priorities and in what order: weight, compactness, stability? is this for backpacking? indoor or outdoor? do you plan to do panoramas? is this also for a camcorder? will this be your only tripod? do you mostly use the viewfinder or the LCD to compose your shots? if the viewfinder, how tall are you? is quick setup and takedown important or do you usually have plenty of time?

wow...

- budget is under 50$
- I usually take pictures while hiking outdoors.
- priority: stability
- it will only be used with G2
- using LCD when shooting pictures
- time not not really a constraint

note:
so far I've narrowed down tripods under $50:
- vivitar
- ambico
- tiffen

Let me be the one to act like I'm ignoring your constraints and suggest a more flexible budget, just so you can get a *real* tripod. I have one of the smaller Bogen/Manfrotto units, and it's built very well, and has lasted me for over 15 years. Great for the G1/2, and I carry it over my shoulder with the strap without much discomfort (eg I've walked for 4 hours in Washington DC with it, no worries!)

Good luck,

i have to agree with gandini...if you spend just a little more, you could get the bogen 3405 (a.k.a., the "bogen jr.") for $81 and have something that will meet your needs for a long time while offering superb build quality and stability. this bogen comes with a pan/tilt head with a metal quick release plate. the center column reverses for low-angle shots. it has twist locks on the legs that can be loosened or tightened with only 1/3 rotation of one hand. it's not really light at 4 pounds but the stability is great.

I tried out the bogen 3405 and loved it, but was given one of the "cheaper" models you've listed as your choices under $50. The bogen was superior in all ways, but since I was gifted a tripod... I'll save up for when this one breaks down.

It doesn't seem bad right now because it's fairly new, but if it's like most of the other tripods I've seen... with use it'll get more and more irritating. When I start getting frustrated with the setup and breakdown, it'll be time to upgrade and by then I *should* be able to get a nice Bogen.

Budget is a bit tight for a stable tripod. For $89 you could get the Velbon MAXi 343E from B&H. This tripod is light (2 lbs) and small (good for carrying around) but extends up to 62.4 inches. It's stable enough to hold the G2 and includes a carrying case.

Certainly given the hiking aspect, I would take a look at one of the monopods available. No, it will not hold the camera unattended like a tripod will, but it is significantly less weight and mass to carry on a hike and will provide added camera stability for slower shots.

If you are looking at low-light, very long exposures, this will not be the choice for you.

Might I also suggest the Bogen DIGI 719B tripod? It's $100 at bhphotovideo.com including a case and BALL head... compact, sturdy, and the ball head may be more to your liking - very fast and easy shot composition (but if you want to stitch panoramas a lot, get a pan-swivel head tripod instead).

Martin

Thanks for all replies.

All of you have managed to bumped up my budget for the tripod, to the $80s level.

I'm 90% sure will get the smaller Bogen.

Thanks again,
Bigpow

A very specific criteria of mine was to be able to attach the tripod horizontally to my backpack and be small enough so that i could go backpacking (with a normal school size backpack) around the city or wherver, without hitting people on the streets.

so my tripod is around 2 feet tall (folded); so it is about the width of my arms and torso when it is horizontal

>> do you plan to do panoramas?

Suppose the answer to this had been "yes". What would you recommend?

Thanks,

Photogrpahers have different priorites in tripods:
For hiking I think short and light is the key, or you will be dicouraged from even taking it along, then it is worthless. Among the smallest/lightest is the Hakuba Branner (look it up in the B&H on line catalogue) for $45. Its is quite compact (15" folded) and with a 3 way pan head and only 1.7 lb, but on the flimsy side. I use the Cullman Magic II for this application, it folds up to a very short 14" but takes a bit longer to set up than the Hakuba but is a lot sturdier. It comes with a ball head, 2 1/2 lb at $120.
The next step up in size might be something like the Velbon DH-20/4 which comes with a 3 way pan head and at 18.5" folded length and 2.3 lb is just a bit bigger ($50). I had one for many years and had the plastic shoulders break and another time lost one of the knobs, but Velbon sent me a replacement parts free. Great service!
Another consideration is flexiblity (over size) particularily for macros. Here the independent leg angles and articulating center columns allow moving the camera away from the tripod center if necessary to get the shot. These are considerably more expensive; Glitzo G2220, G2228 Bogen 3443, 3444 etc. There are also many hundreds of good tripods that are of the more conventional build, some at reasonable prices, ie less than $100.
Panheads are usually much better than ball heads for shooting panoramics, as they can keep 2 axes stable while just rotating one. Make sure it is a 3 way pan head, not 2 way, which are built for video cams, as you will want to tilt sideways to put your camera into portrait orientation (vertical). Ballheads are a bit quicker to line up.
Mike K

if that were the case, a pan head would be much preferable to a ball head. and a bubble level would help too. however, the $50 price limit is tough and i can't think of any at price. some people are quite high on the slik pro 330DX ($90) which otherwise meets some of the requirements (personally, i don't like it too much).

Ignore the price limitation, then. I have a conventional tripod (Slik 8000) that does the job most of the time, but I haven't been satisfied with panaromas. What would be a good choice for that?

Thanks,