Newbe Tripod Question (Which One)

Please forgive me if this has already been asked. It has and I

searched the archives for my answer, but my questions are still

unanswered. Everyone asks about "Which Camera to buy" except I

already have a good camera setup:

 

Elan 7e,

50mm,

24mm,

70-200 f4 L,

ex550

 

I have purchased a $50 walmart special tripod. I currently use this,

but my wife is in need of it more for video. I think my next

purchase will be a good tripod. My confusion lies in which one.

What are the benefits of having screw legs vs latching legs (I hope

that's clear). The single ball heads look simpler than the head with

3 screwy-varing-angle-things.

 

I plan on using a tripod for setting up the camera when we do family

portraits and landscapes. I can only imagine spending no more than

$200 on a tripod. Of course, I am willing to save to get a better

deal. I realize that a good head costs over $200, but it would be

better to spend that money on film.

 

In my research, I have marked the following tripod as a good one, but

I've forgotten why.

 

Bogen / Manfrotto 3011BN

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?

A=details&Q=&sku=216450&is=REG

 

I've bought all of my camera gear via the internet, but I don't feel

I should buy a tripod without picking it up first and looking at it.

Most camera stores seem to have a limited selection of tripods.

 

I'm also thinking I should buy the $50 special walmart tripod and buy

a better tripod later when I know the answers to my questions through

photo experience.

 

Can anyone help?

I purchased a no name tripod (suppose to be the same build quality as a Bogen)off e-bay last year for $60-$70 shipped last year and couldn't be happier. It has an adjustable ball head, a level indicator, and feels very strudy. Even came with a tripod softcase. I too was looking at all the different tripod from $100-$300 and honestly my cheap no name tripod can hold it's own with any of them. Good luck!

Tom,

 

For your equipment and intended usage, take the Bogen 3011BN, add a Bogen 486RC2 ballhead for another $60, and you have a solid reliable basic tripod setup for under $170. I know others will try to tell you that you should buy a $200 ballhead, but you do not NEED such expensive support for your gear.

 

Bogen/Manfrotto makes excellent, high quality, solid tripods and heads perfectly suited to amateur photographers (and pros). It's no coincidence that they are so well known and so popular. You are not planning to hike 10 miles into the mountains so you don't need a lightweight carbon-fibre ($$$) tripod. You don't have a 12lb 400mm f/2.8 lens, so you don't need a $400 Arca-Swiss ballhead. Spend your money on film and take pictures you will treasure years down the road.

 

But don't waste your money on another $50 Wal-Mart special. Anything that cheap will shake like a leaf in the slightest breeze.

 

My $0.02 worth.

 

Mike

Haha, I bought a trypod from Walmart , Optex. What garbage! Did I ever learn my lesson.

 

I recommend the SLIK Pro 400DX at $190.00 CAD. Great tripod!

I'm surprised you didn't find anything useful in all the Camera Equipment forum's <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-one-category?topic_id=1544&category=Tripods%2fCamera+Support">Tripod threads</a>, but be sure to skim the articles and comments found under the menu, <a href="http://www.photo.net/equipment/tripods/">Equipment/Reviews/Tripods</a>.<p/>

 

It's good that you've identified your price tolerance, but I also suggest prioritizing your feature set. For example: price, portability, max/min height, and so forth. It's also worth looking for a used tripod before buying new.<p/>

<i>It's also worth looking for a used tripod before buying new.</i><br><br>

 

Great advice from John! I bought a used Gitzo for about 1/2 the regular price and it is definitely a bit worn looking but works perfectly after I replaced all the sections bushings and gave it a lube.

If you are looking for a tripod that you can carry everywhere(including airlines overhead bin) with decent performance, I would suggest Velbon EFL-4A. With 4 section legs it looks little unstable, but I have used it on Himalayas with high wind with great results. You may hack the lower column to add a hook where you can hang some weight. Bogen 3011 is 2.9 Kgs compared to 1.45 Kgs for Velbon.

Remember that you should be able to carry the tripod everywhere.

You may dig up a link on Tripod comparison done by someone at B&H stores few months back in the archives.

If you espect to do macro work, and use the tripod on difficult terrain, the Bogen 3001 might be a better bet than the 3011 because it allows independent leg extensions. The "pro" feature for an extra price adds the ability to set the column horizontally for macro work, but you can do a lot without that if you are able to splay the legs out. You might also look at Slik tripods, which are a little cheaper than Bogens but nicely made. B&H and Adorama have them, but for some reason their lineup of models may differ, so you need to shop them both.

 

Slik's site is here: http://www.thkphoto.com/products/slik/index.html

 

I have a Slik pro400DX, which I find very comfortable to use. It has independent legs and a two-piece column, making it pretty handy for macro shots. The lighter 330DX is also worth looking at, as is the bargain-priced 300DX, if you don't mind thumbscrew-type legs of the same sort as the Bogen 3011. My wife has a Bogen 3001 pro with a 3030 head. Hers is a bit nicer, but more expensive, and either one is quite adequate for an SLR with anything but a big telephoto.

 

The flip-lever legs are very handy and quick to set up, but occasionally need adjustment. The thumbscrew types are a bit slower, but when you tighten them you know they're tight. Three-way heads like the Bogen 3030 or the default heads on the Slik DX series are not as quick for action as a ballhead, but they are nice and stable, and if you have time to set up a shot, I think it's easier to make fine adjustments, and especially to get the horizon straight.

You have about $2000 in camera gear and can put about $1200 of it on a tripod at a time. Is saving $1-200 now by not buying a good tripod worth it if your tripod breaks because it is put together with rivets?

 

Personally, I only own bogen legsets and I think if I ever need to buy another set I would go with bogen again. With that said, Find your price point and find how many inches you would like to have your camera view finder off the ground and work backards to find the tripod height at the collar (center columns weaken the system and sway in a breeze).

 

Once you have this knowledge go to B&H, Adorama, or Bogen's website and find what the best fit is.

 

As far as heads, that is your choice. I like 3 way heads because they are very solid at a significantly less price than an Acratech Ultimate BallHead. My preference is the 329 with RC4 QR system, but they are all pretty good.

Good Luck

Tom -

 

I have exactly the same camera/lens set up as you, and went through the same tripod upgrade path (cheap crappy tripod to decent but relatively inexpensive tripod).

 

I went with the Bogen 3001BPro (B for black, Pro for the removable center column that can do sideways and straight down compositions) and the Bogen 484RC2 quick release ball head. (I think the 486RC2 is probably a better choice, medium versus mini ball head). I've been very happy with it. Mine set me back about $170.

 

Quick side note for other accessories to think about. If you don't have the tripod collar for the 70-200mm, I'd consider it. It works much better and is more stable on a ballhead. The other is a Nikon 5T or 6T diopter (w/ a 67mm to 62mm step down ring) to give you macro capability on the 70-200mm lens. Both are relatively inexpensive and are must have's for the kit you own!

 

Enjoy!

 

Sheldon

Tom: I think the Bogen/Manfrotto 3011 is an excellent choice for the money. Mine is silver, but many people prefer black because it doesn't reflect light.

 

If I had to do it all over again, I would probably go with the 3021 that has the flip lever locks instead of the screw legs. I think they'd be faster and easier. But I've also heard that they tend to slip as the tripod gets old.

 

As far as the 3-way versus ballhead, you really need to go to a photo store and play with one a bit. Initially, I thought I wanted a ballhead, but then I realized that my grip wasn't strong enough nor am I coordinated enough to comfortably use one. While it's slower, I found the 3-way to be easier for me. I bought the 3047 with a quick release.

 

A 3021 with a 3047 (supports almost 9 pounds)is $220 at B&H--$20 over your spending limit, but I believe it's worth the money. For the same price, you can get a 3021 with the 3265 grip action ball head. For $10 more, you can get the 3265 with 3011Pro legs, which looks pretty nifty if you are considering macro shots.

 

BTW...I too started out with a cheapie WalMart tripod...only mine was the $25 model with ultra-lightweight legs. It was much easier to carry around than my 3011. But when I added my camera, it was top heavy and wobbled in a light wind! Instead of wasting $50 now, spend the $200-250 the first time around. You'll be glad you did.

Don't be a puss. Buy a cheap tripod. Once it is set up and still the camera does not care how much $$ you spent it on.

<P>Don't be a penny-pincher and try to save a few bucks on the tripod when you've spent $$$ on the camera and lenses. BUT... don't waste money on more tripod than you need. How's that for contradictory advice.</P><P>If you know the tripod market and understand what you need, you don't need to spend much. The Slik 300DX was mentioned above and is a lot of tripod for the money. It would hold your gear just fine. When you say "a good head costs over $200" you must have been reading posts here about nature photogs and their supertelephotos. You won't get the benefit of these top-price heads unless you are using 400mm-plus lenses.</P>

Just a little additional note about flip-lever legs. Yes, they may slip as the tripod ages, but both Slik and Bogen-Manfrotto are easy to adjust. The Bogen can be adjusted very finely, and the levers have a nice "snap" when they're just right, and new Bogen tripods even come with a little wrench to do it with.

Thanks everyone for the insightful answers. I had to chuckle at a few of the answers. Also, someone bought up a good point, $1200 worth of equiptment on a $50 tripod. I've checked out the links and the great advice. I'll post my final choice later.

 

Thanks again for the answers.

 

Tom

I highly recommend reading Thom Hogan's <i><a href="http://www.bythom.com/support.htm">Tripod 101</a></i>. He descibes the process that many go through as they upgrade their way through inadequate solutions. He also provides some excellent equipment recommendations.

A Question related to Tom's original post....

 

I too have been looking to get a tripod, but I no longer live in Manhattan and can't get to B&H's superstore to actually see and touch the gazillions of tripods they have in stock!

 

I have been looking at the tripods people have been suggesting in this thread, and wonder what "Independent Leg Spread" is? Does that mean that the legs will splay out horizontally, so that the tripod can take ground-level shots? Specifically, I looked at the Velbon EFL-4A.

"I have been looking at the tripods people have been suggesting in this thread, and wonder what "Independent Leg Spread" is?"

 

In the case of the Bogen 3001, each leg can be spread out at a different angle from the others, from normal down to horizontal. There are four positions available, with a spring latch to lock them in. In full horizontal position, you must remove the center post and replace it with the provided plug, which is stored on the bottom of the post. Because the legs spread independently, you can set the tripod at a tilt in various ways, or set it on very uneven ground without adjusting the leg length. The Slik is similar, except that there are only three positions available - no full horizontal. There is also no substitute for the post, although the post on the 400DX comes in two pieces, allowing for a pretty low position.

I recently purchased a used Bogen 3001 with a 3028 head.

I'm not sure what model of 3001 it is - it doesn't look *exactly* like any 3001 series that are in the catelog I have - but it's pretty close. It says 3001 Proffesional on one leg, and has a mount for a head on one leg - handy for macro or low angle work. It was well under your budget.

 

I'm not sure the head is what you (or for that matter I) want - but the price was good, so I figured if I'm not happy with the head - I can look for a different head later. It is a light head (the 3028).

 

Anyway - one other thing I bought was a Bogen bag for the 3000 series tripods. My legs with my particular head fit very nicely in the bag - which has a nice shoulder strap in addition to carrying straps. My tripod came with straps attached to the legs - but I removed them because they got in my way, the case is imho a better way to carry it.

Thanks again to everyone for their help. Just to follow up for future readers, I'm planning on buying the Bogen/Manfrotto

3021BPRO Tripod (Black) with 3047 3-way head online at BHphoto. This combo might weight almost 10lbs, but that shouldn't be a problem. I'll let everyone know my first impressions when I get it.

 

Happy shooting all!

Well, it's been almost a year. I really like my tripod. The 3047 head is really big, but sturdy. I might also purchase a mono-pod with a ball head for walking around.

 

I scoff at my old $50 tripod. I can't imagine using it again. I recently saw someone using some very expensive video camera on top of a similar $50 tripod; I had to scoffed.