fusion s Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Could someone suggest a few tripods/monopods and MIni Tripods which are really worth the money paid For. I will be using them for macro + portrait photography. Total weight of the camera + lens is about 2kg - 3kg. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 There's only one brand really worth buying, Gitzo, and regardless of camera weight get a big one. They're expensive but hold their value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen hazelton Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 What I've noticed is that any ol' cheap tripod will sound good in a catalog-type description. It helps to just go down to a good camera store and check the stock out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william_henry_hurry Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Gitzo the only way, to a good tripod, for heads go to Linfof or Arca-Swiss B1, the money is well spend, and they are for life investment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william_henry_hurry Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 sorry is linhof (nor linfof) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william_henry_hurry Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 sorry is LINHOF (not linfof) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenbarall Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Bogen/Manfrotto stuff is all generally good and the price is right and they do make carbon tripods. Gitzo stuff is great but the cost is excessive and they are really heavy. They do have a nice line of very light weight carbon tripods and monopods but they cost even more. A compact Gitzo metal tripod might be nice because of ease of portage and although small, they can still be sturdy becuase they are so well made. If you go with a Gitzo, you might as well get a Gitzo head but Bogen has alot of nice heads also especially the geared heads. The best ball head is by a company called Arcatech. If you want a light monopod Slik makes a carbon one for about $100. ALSO... Carbon tripods are so light that they can be unstable on a windy day. The Gitzos actually have a hook on the end of the center column from which to hang a weight. If you work large or medium format you might want to get a wooden tripod from Ries. Wooden tripods have advantages if you spend alot of time outdoors like the wood doesn't make you hands cold and the wood absorbs vibrations that can screw you up for longer exposer times. Carbon is so stiff that it transfers any and all minute vibrations straight to the camera. bhphoto.com is a great place to browse tripods and heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerrySiegel Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Sure Stephen, say you read it right here : 1) Manfrotto Bogen Model 3021 or 3001. Also for speedy set up there is the 3030 with the washer locks. 2) for tabletop, consider the small Bogen Manfrotto table pod. Here is where I would suggest you mate it with a Slik Compact Ball head with some kind of reducing adapter.3) Monopod- Bogen'M makes several nice ones. I really like their carbon fiber model. It is fun to use. And on top, you can use a Slik Standard Ball Head. I like Gitzo product too,but its top dollar/top Euro, and if you can afford the very best, you can trust anything they make as the gents said...Aloha, GS PS I use a quick release RRS. Look up Really Right Stuff on line catalog,- they ship worldwide, and there is lots of tripod info for free there. I have clamp on top of the ball head on top of the monopod,nicer than it sounds. Nothing worse than a falling monopod with camera on top, if you know what I mean, and I know you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_gillette Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 I think there is a natural law regarding tripods. Whichever one(s) you have, it isn't right for what you want to do. There are way too many factors to give simple answers. What might be perfect for studio use may be grossly heavy and unwieldy for location use. The "perfect" tripod and head combo may be hundreds of dollars more than you can afford. The taller you are, the harder it may be to find a combo that you can use without crouching or bending. To a great extent, you do get what you pay for, the least expensive consumer store tripods won't stand up to much use and handling. I think that the Bogen pan/tilt heads are a value compared to the heads that come on many less expensive tripods and that the legs on some of the consumer pods are pretty useful when the head is replaced. Ball heads are even more pricey than pan/tilts. There are small pods than can have the legs and center columns extended but I've found, pinches notwithstanding, that a large tripod with legs at minimum extensions or spread, will work better at getting low (at a cost of space and convenience) than a small tripod extended too far will work at trying to be large/high. When it comes to mini tipods, it would seem that the ones that are really more like short legged big pods would be heavier and more stable than some of the very small pods. Weight being an issue and you can hang weights and bags to pods to gain some stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion s Posted January 21, 2004 Author Share Posted January 21, 2004 Thanks to all folks.... I really appreciate your contribution to my questions. Thx once again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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