what is your suggestion for a sturdy tripod?

[bnnrcn]

I have decided to buy a new tripod because my old cheap one doesn't help me at all.There are some brands like Slik,Fancier,Weifeng....in Turkey but I don't know which one is more suitable for me.I want to buy an averega one but I want it to work better than the old one.There are some tripods which can be used for macro aswell and I can go for one of them in case I buy a macro lens in the future.But my main interest is shooting landscapes at the moment.I am planing to order an UWA lens next week and I can order a tripod too at the same time if I can decide what to buy.

[xpatUSA]

I've been thinking about carbon fiber, tall to use with column down, ball head, quick-detachable Arca-Swiss compatible plate thingy and later a macro adjustable rack.

Have a look here:

Carbon Fiber vs Aluminum

Or put "carbon" in the search box at top of page.

[Geoff F]

There are quite a few reliable makes and not a lot to choose between them. Just look for some specifications which will suit you.

But be careful about any that seem 'too cheap'.

I use the Manfrotto 055 range and have switched to carbon fibre to reduce carrying weight. But these are quite expensive and rather cumbersome to carry around; and even the carbon fibre option can be quite heavy once you add a suitable head to the basic unit.

For general wildlife work I prefer a quick release ball head of some form, but for landscapes etc when you have more time there are other possibly cheaper options.

Because this tripod model is awkward to transport (30 ins long in the folded state) I also have a lightweight Velbon tripod which has more leg joints so it folds up to only 14 ins which fits inside my backpack for occasional use.

This is sufficient for most needs, but for serious work I always return to my Manfrotto. This one is completely stable even at full working height but will also go low for macro work; but you do need sufficient space to spread the legs.

[Polar01]

Binnur: I am adding a link to a site that makes some interesting camera equipment, I have some of their stuff, not that I am pushing their products which are very well made. Once you go there to the pull down "Be an Expert", and read choosing a tripod, some very good info on what you should be looking for.

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl...code=46&key=fr

Cheers: Allan

[chauncey]

My favorite tripod for indoor work is an old metal video tripod complete with video head...cheap and heavy.
Outdoors I have that same video head that can be mounted on anything within reach



Or a car window for that matter.

[mknittle]

Binnur: I am adding a link to a site that makes some interesting camera equipment, I have some of their stuff, not that I am pushing their products which are very well made. Once you go there to the pull down "Be an Expert", and read choosing a tripod, some very good info on what you should be looking for.

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl...code=46&key=fr

Cheers: Allan

They are pricey but really nice.

[Glenn NK]

Binnur:

This is fairly long article (fifteen pages), and may seem far-fetched, but it's not.

https://app.box.com/s/q1yj0jxecmudpd9i4vbc

I'm on my fifth tripod, so I can attest to the reality of this dissertation.

The good tripods are pricey - and there is a reason why.

Glenn

[bnnrcn]

Thank you Mark,I don't know very much about tripods,so this will help..

They are pricey but really nice.

[bnnrcn]

Thank you Allan,I realy need such a website..

Binnur: I am adding a link to a site that makes s

ome interesting camera equipment, I have some of their stuff, not that I am pushing their products which are very well made. Once you go there to the pull down "Be an Expert", and read choosing a tripod, some very good info on what you should be looking for.

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl...code=46&key=fr

Cheers: Allan

[bnnrcn]

Thank you Glenn ,I will study my lesson:-)

Binnur:

This is fairly long article (fifteen pages), and may seem far-fetched, but it's not.

https://app.box.com/s/q1yj0jxecmudpd9i4vbc

I'm on my fifth tripod, so I can attest to the reality of this dissertation.

The good tripods are pricey - and there is a reason why.

Glenn

[Manfred M]

Carefully said; just like anything else in the world, there is no "one-size fits all" solution to anything, and that includes tripods (and heads). The other thing that is also true is that you end up getting what you pay for, and something higher end is likely to perform better than something lower end.

I own four tripods, and I used each one for a different purpose. None of my setups could be described as being "inexpensive"; three are firmly mod-range tripods and one is higher end.

My first tripod was a light-weight Benro carbon fiber unit and I bought it specifically for travel by airplane. It works relatively well with my crop-frame D90, so long as I do not go for very long exposures.

My second tripod was a larger, heftier Benro that I purchased when I bought the full-frame D800. Again I was looking for a light-weight, collapsable tripod to take along when I fly somewhere. Really similar advantages and disadvantages as with the smaller Benro, put it will handle a heavier camera and lens combination and is not a small and light as my first tripod.

My third tripod is a video Libec tripod, with fluid head. it has a completely different build (and use), as shooting video is a lot different than shooting stills. Large, a bit heavy (aluminum, rather than carbon fiber), but it does the job when I shoot video.

My fourth tripod is relatively new, and I bought it when I started taking shots with much longer exposures; so it with its ball head cost about the same as the other three tripods did in total (a Feisol with a heavy duty RRS ball head). It is very rigid, I can shoot it with and without a centre column, but it is not very portable and will generally not be used when I travel by air.

So budget does come into play, but over and above budget you have to know what you are planning to do with the tripod. If you are looking at shooting long exposures; then your should be looking at a very rigid tripod that does not have a centre column. These are not cheap. You can save some money going with aluminum, rather than carbon fibre, but that will result in a weight penalty.

[Glenn NK]

Thank you Glenn ,I will study my lesson:-)

I had the lesson before I bought two of them, but didn't learn.

I posted the link so you'd be smarter than I was.

[Colin Southern]

This thread might (or might not) contain some useful info (if nothing else, you can see me swinging from my Gitzo 1548!)

Best Tripod and head for stability

[rpcrowe]

Gitzo tripods are great. You cannot go wrong with one of these! They are expensive but, worth the money if you can afford it.

I cannot make do with a single tripod. I use a Giottos MT8180 with a Giottos 1300 ball head. I like the tripod well enough but, if I were to purchase again, I'd put an RRS head on those legs.

I use a smaller and lighter weight modified Slik Pro 330DX which with a shorter center column and Flashpoint F-1 head. The rig weighs just a bit over one kilo, fits in my checked on suitcase and supports my 7D with up to a 70-200mm f/4L IS lens. It is fairly short (one of the reasons that it is so light) and doesn't articulate. I would certainly not recommend this rig as an all-around pod but, it is great for traveling...

Both my tripods as well as my monopod are equipped with Arca Compatible quick release clamps and my two 7D cameras wear the RRS L brackets.

[Manfred M]

Colin - that image is a great tribute to your Gitzo.

From a pure technical standpoint, I read a writeup by Gitzo USA's marketing manager extolling the production methods that Gitzo uses in their carbon fibre tripod manufacture. As marketing folks tend to do, they will spin anything into a positive attribute. In the article, he was comparing Gitzo's manufacturing techniques against those used by the Asian competitors. I wish I had copied down the link.

1. Gitzo uses a gravity fed casting technique to make the tripod main frame, versus the techniques used by others. I'm sorry, but gravity casting is the oldest, most low-tech, problematic way of casting any metal. Flow and cooling are problematic and can cause flaws like cracks or trapped bubbles as well as inconsistencies from piece to piece (warping, shrinkage, etc). High pressure casting techniques are far more precise, robust, and machined pieces are even stronger.

2. Gitzo uses pulltrusion to make its carbon fibre versus the manually rolled sheets used by the Asians. Pulltrusion is a very low cost technique that is used purely because hand layup techniques are more labour intensive. He points out that the hand layup techniques can have seam failures (which is true), but neglects to mention that one common problem of pulltrusion is consistency in the final product (positioning of the carbon fibre material within the resin), which can lead to uneven strength throughout the tube. Both work, when done properly, but I certainly would not suggest one production method is neccessarily going to result in a superiour product over the other.

[Colin Southern]

Colin - that image is a great tribute to your Gitzo.

From a pure technical standpoint, I read a writeup by Gitzo USA's marketing manager extolling the production methods that Gitzo uses in their carbon fibre tripod manufacture. As marketing folks tend to do, they will spin anything into a positive attribute. In the article, he was comparing Gitzo's manufacturing techniques against those used by the Asian competitors. I wish I had copied down the link.

1. Gitzo uses a gravity fed casting technique to make the tripod main frame, versus the techniques used by others. I'm sorry, but gravity casting is the oldest, most low-tech, problematic way of casting any metal. Flow and cooling are problematic and can cause flaws like cracks or trapped bubbles as well as inconsistencies from piece to piece (warping, shrinkage, etc). High pressure casting techniques are far more precise, robust, and machined pieces are even stronger.

2. Gitzo uses pulltrusion to make its carbon fibre versus the manually rolled sheets used by the Asians. Pulltrusion is a very low cost technique that is used purely because hand layup techniques are more labour intensive. He points out that the hand layup techniques can have seam failures (which is true), but neglects to mention that one common problem of pulltrusion is consistency in the final product (positioning of the carbon fibre material within the resin), which can lead to uneven strength throughout the tube. Both work, when done properly, but I certainly would not suggest one production method is neccessarily going to result in a superiour product over the other.

Well what more can I say other than the gravity-fed casting and pulltrusion CF legs had no problem supporting my "svelte" figure (holds the camera pretty good too!) (this was shot in very strong & blustery wind) ...
it didn't move AT ALL. Try that with your average Velbon!

[Inkanyezi]

I bought my first Gitzo second hand about 1971. Still have it, still use it. If I had known how good it was, I wouldn't have bought my first tripod, a Linhof that was crap.

[bnnrcn]

Thanks all of you,I think choosing a tripod is more difficult than choosing a lens I will have to read some more about tripods before I buy one:-)

[Manfred M]

Well what more can I say other than the gravity-fed casting and pulltrusion CF legs had no problem supporting my "svelte" figure (holds the camera pretty good too!) (this was shot in very strong & blustery wind) ...
it didn't move AT ALL. Try that with your average Velbon!

I'm not saying that they don't make great tripods, Colin. What I am saying is that they do have the manufacturing know how to do so, but suspect that some of their calls have more to do with differentiating this premium product from the Manfrotto line, which is made in the same facility.

[RustBeltRaw]

From a pure technical standpoint, I read a writeup by Gitzo USA's marketing manager extolling the production methods that Gitzo uses in their carbon fibre tripod manufacture. As marketing folks tend to do, they will spin anything into a positive attribute.

But "gravity casting" sure sounds high-tech, don't it? It's worth noting that tripod heads are not particularly demanding applications. Yes, a high-pressure die casting or, better yet, forged aluminum components would be kickass, But the stress involved in using a tripod simply doesn't call for advanced processes. A cheap process, done well, is quite sufficient, as you pointed out by noting that Gitzo remains the creme de la creme.

...you can see me swinging from my Gitzo 1548!

At 260lb, I don't think I'd try that with my $300 magnesium 3LT Jack. Impressive.