[Closed] What tripod for my DSLR?

Have a look at redsnapper stuff if it's your first tripod. Don't be tempted - as I was - to get a ten quid tripod from Aldi. They're rubbish

Budget?

A good solid tripod is worth it's weight in, well whatever the tripod is made of!

Don't get one of those combined head / legs cheap tripods. Get one by a specialist manufacturer, they are miles better.

Personally use Manfrotto 055 legs with a 3265 head, which I find solid, yet very quick and easy to adjust

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Also got a Manfrotto monopod too, also very useful!

Be prepared to spend a few quid though!

Manfrotto

Mine has out lasted every other bit of photographic kit I have ever bought, nearly 25 years old but still doing its job 😉

I've now gone for a Manfrotto tripod with a redsnapper head

Thanks, good advice. As for budget, I'm not rolling in cash but subscribe to the buy right, buy once school so would save for something quality...

Vague but hopefully you get it.

Cheers
Scott

Worth checking eBay as you can get some real Manfrotto bargains, buy a base, then pick a head that matches your use

+1 for red snapper.

Another vote for redsnapper

Redsnapper.

The cheapest tripod worth owning is probably the Manfrotto 055 as already said. Do yourself a favour and don't use the centre column extended though, it's like balancing a monopod on a tripod - pointless.

For heads, I'd recommend the Giottos MH1300-652 Series II Ball Head. ball heads are the most versatile of heads, and this Giottos is probably the cheapest decent head.

Good article on tripods by [url= http://www.bythom.com/support.htm ]Thom Hogan.[/url]

Looking at the Red Snapper site. Struggling to see the benefits of the RSH-12 ball head over the RSH-61 for the large price hike, beyond load rating and marketing. Anyone help?

We used to use Gitzo's, pretty much the definition of indestructible. We did break one leg of one once but that was only when it was hit by a Milan anti tank missile.

Manfrotto 55 legs

I have a 488 head. May be discontinued but something similar will have replaced it

The Thom Hogen article is wrong to suggest that A set up like mine isn't stable enough. Unless your using long lenses, with no lens collar, in portrait orientation. A better ball head would be nicer to adjust though...

I have a Red Snapper too and whilst I'm not much of a tripod kinda guy it's pretty solid. And they're cheaper than most. So + another.

Manfrotto 190 is a pretty good starting point - cheap but not too shabby. I used one for a few years with a Junior head on it, picked up for buttons used.

Now on a Gitzo Explorer made from Basalt (for I am just that ROCK) with an offset Gitzo ball head. Cost a wee bit, but it was paid for by a calendar gig I did for Johnson & Johnson a few years back.

This is a difficult subject to answer as it usually comes from folk who are new to photography and are testing the water with their spending.

Tripods aren't at all sexy and sinking £££ in to them doesn't initially sound like a fun investment.

However as many others have said, buy right and you can still be using them many years later (when that Canon 600D is 'obsolete').

If you haven't used it already, [url= http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/tc.php?n=Tripods&tc=43-155-156-29-157 ]Camera Price Buster[/url] is a good price comparison site.

I'd personally look at the Manfrotto 190 range as a decent minimum spec

Bit like bike components really light and strong (stable) doesn't come cheap

A good head is equally important and if that doesn't hold the camera/lens steady you will have wasted your money on the tripod

Redsnapper seem to get praise, never used one so can't comment, did have an older Manfrotto 055, fairly heavy, but well built.

If you intend to carry it a fair bit weight and size when closed comes into the equation.

Personally think it's a vital piece of equipment and worth spending out what you would on a decent lens.

Have a look on google for Feisol, get good reviews from those who buy them and customer service seems reliable too. Various different Q/R systems, but the most widely used is Arca Swiss and from experience the best too

The 190 is another good choice. The main limitation is that it not as tall and the 55 isn't that tall.....

But its a good option to save a little cash and weight

Some reviews here

http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-tripods-and-camera-supports-15-tested-1046066/15#articleContent

I have a Giottos CF tripod and ball head. Reliable, lightish, but Giottos aftersales/spares is crap (I broke my tripod when I slipped on ice)

Another Gitzo user here, with Markins ball head. Basically, I was on a workshop and saw what the other folks had and got the same, after I looked at my own setup shaking in the wind and the lens sinking under its own weight. Not cheap, mind

Gitzo are the dogs but most certainly aren't cheap. My main sticks and head are north of £800 😐

No experience of Redsnapper but have a look at the likes of Feisol and Velbon.

Gitzo are the tripods to have - I use a Markins ball head on mine. It sits in the corner of a room somewhere and never ever gets used. The big advantage is that it'll do great on eBay whereas your Manfrotto/Bogens will drop value like a brick.

I'm curious as to what you were told you needed a tripod for. 95% of the time you can find something to rest the camera on - that massive backpack you lug everywhere, a wall, tree, your bike etc etc.
The other 5% of the time, you are taking one of those awful cliche long exposure shots and you should that avoid anyway 🙂
What do you plan to use it for?

My advice, don't buy one at all. Put the money towards a Nikon.

Gitzo are the tripods to have - I use a Markins ball head on mine. It sits in the corner of a room somewhere and never ever gets used.

I also have a Gitzo and Markins head, they get used a good 75% of the time and not for the nasty creamy wat er shots either.

Prefer to use a tripod whenever I can (admittedly not always possible) apart from giving nice sharp images I find it helps me go about photography at a more leisurely and careful pace.

Actually have two tripod and head combos, a lightweight one for longer treks/travelling and a larger heavier one for shorter walks or windier days. Couple these with a decent remote shutter release and you won't go far wrong

I have to disagree with ricd. If you want the best images quality you want the camera to be rock steady.

True you can rest the camera on all manner of items but as TT says, a tripod forces you to consider your shot and take your time. Of course they aren't always practical and you often can't use them in various locations.

Get one where the centre column comes out and can be placed at an angle.

They are sold as being for macro work but it's mindbogglingly useful - I'm sooo glad I went for one! Cullman Magnesit 528Q in my case. Last thing I did with it was quickly take photos of tons of baby clothes for ebay. I had the camera pointing at the floor well clear of the feet so I could just lay the clothes out, see the shot on the swivel LCD live-view on my camera and press the remote shutter button. Made the job way quicker.

I am curious as to why you think you need one though. Mine's never left the house...

Thanks for all the comments folks. Really useful.

I wanted a tripod for playing about with macro - I'm quite obsessed at the moment with tree bark, and love photographing flowers.

I had gone for the leaning on fenceposts/against things but the quality is just not as good as I hoped and having a tripod, as many have said, will force me to think about my shots more. As I'm just starting out in photography (off auto mode) this is important for me.

And the swivel LCD screen on my camera is great, I thought this was a gimmick but it's not, also allows me to cover the screen when not in use to protect it.

Thanks again

Cheers
Scott.

I wanted a tripod for playing about with macro - I'm quite obsessed at the moment with tree bark, and love photographing flowers.

That's a pretty good use for one, but definitely absolutely hands down get one with a moveable centre column. No question.

I'm not sure if you can get Cullmann in the UK but the other options are the Benbo trekker (there's also a mini trekker) and the Manfrotto 190XPROB. Whatever the make, it's the concept that's brilliant.

The legs splay all the way out so you can put the camera right down to the ground for flowers and insects etc but at the other end of the scale, on mine at least, you can extend the legs all the way up and get a full height tripod without using the centre column at all. It even comes with a little stubby one so you can leave the long one at home.

Benbo:

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Cullmann:

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