Newbie tripod question

[dave_f2]

I am just getting started in photography and I want to do some early morning

landscapes with my FE2. Of course I will need a tripod for this. I know I want

to find something sturdy, but I am also on a budget. Do I just want into an

electronics store and buy this moderately priced? What kind of material should

I look out for?

 

thanks,

 

dave

[brucecahn]

I am supposed to tell you that I am a photo dealer when I recommend something. The best tripods & heads for a low budget photographer are made by Giotto. You should be able to find something ok with a head for around $200. Stay away from the junk they make for amateurs, it can be really bad.

[ronald_moravec1]

Wood and carbon fiber are best. Thin aluminum tubing like Bogen are worst. The more joints in the legs, the more prone to vibration.

 

If you don`t believe me, put a camera on one and tap it. Watch the vibration. Test on a solid floor.

 

Buy one tall enough you do not need to extend the center column which makes for more unsturdyness.

 

The heaver the better within each catagory of wood, CF, and AL. The leavier it is, the less you will want to use it.

 

The sturdier it is, the more it costs.

 

Gitzo is overall the best line. Handle them, work the leg locks, check for sturdyness on a solid floor, no carpet.

 

I use a Gitzo 1227 CF leg set with Leica ball head for 35mm. Berlebach wood for 4x5. Has two section legs and built in ball type leveling head, no center column. Most times the 4x5 just goes on the leveling head. For absolute precision, I add a Manfrotto/Bogen gear driven head. It then weighs 20 lb, and you can`t go too far with it.

 

Wrap bicycle handlebar tape on the top sections of Al or CF if you work outside at less than 40 deg. A model with foot spikes is nice for outside specially on ice or snow. The wife will not appreciate this feature, so get retractable ones or ones that cover like Gitzo.

[dave_f2]

yikes...i took a look at the ones mentioned and they look like wonderful tripods. however, i am trying to get started at minimal cost; the fe2 is my dad's old camera, the enlarger someone was giving away. any low cost alternatives?

 

thanks again guys

[Brian]

<P>Dave, the advice about Gitzo, Berlebach etc. is perfectionist. Yes they're very good. But almost any tripod is better than no tripod. And for outdoor shooting you have a number of no-cost options like resting the camera on a fence-post, tree-stump or rock (a beanbag under the camera to steady it and level it is a good idea - this can be made from an old sock full of birdseed).</P> <P>Improvising can be fun, remember it's results that count, not how shiny your equipment is.</P>

[carbon_dragon]

While I agree carbon fiber's best, my early Bogen 3021 (aluminum legs) worked fine. It was just HEAVY. The old rule is you can get any 2 of sturdy, cheap, or light.

[William Kahn]

Another vote for the Bogen 3021. Yes, it is heavy, especially with the 3047 tilt-pan head. I call it strength training.....

[bwcombs]

Ditto. The fact that you are recognizing the need for a tripod to help you capture your best

images is the first major hurdle. Bogen, Slik, and others make very good, affordable tripods

and heads. You don't need to spend a lot of money to find a stable platform for your FE2.

 

When you look at a tripod in a store, use your common sense to decide. Set it up and see

how stable it is. Look at the quality of construction and materials. If you're serious about

photography, this won't be your first tripod, just like the FE2 will not be your first camera.

 

Good luck.

[bwcombs]

Sorry. My last sentence should end "your FE2 will not be your LAST camera."

[bruce_margolis]

Dave, I don't know what 'low cost' means to you but Bogen has some decent tripods for $100 or so. If that is too much, here's a story.....

 

One day I was in a Radio Shack and they had a tripod on sale for $10. It even had a case and 3-way head with quick release. I got it just to play with it.

 

It is a good tripod? Well, no. The longer the exposure and the heavier the lens, the greater the vibration and obvious image blur. But is it better than nothing? Usually, especially if you can give the tripod more support.

 

You might want to try out an inexpensive tripod. Like BW was trying to say, if photography becomes a real interest for you, it will only be a matter of time before you are looking for a quality tripod.

[frank uhlig]

How about NOT using a tripod? Just handhold with 400 ISO film would do a good job for a beginner. I assume you will struggle for a long time (years) much more with composition, exposure and focus than with ultimate sharpness that a tripod might give you.

 

So, simply postpone those $ 600 expenses at the time and learn to photograph without all that extra GEAR. Good luck!

 

And do not waste your $200 on something flimsy right now; accumulate your savings until the time is right.

[dave_f2]

thank you all for your recounting your experiences. bruce and frank bring up good points. a crappy tripod is better than no tripod, but there must be a range in which a crappy tripod is almost equally effective? how long of an exposure can you get before the vibrations become noticeable? what exactly causes the vibrations? wind? earthquakes?

[brucecahn]

dave: vibration is minimized in wooden tripods such as Ries and Berlebach. It is less with carbon fiber than aluminum. As someone mentioned, the less joints the better. Vibration can have different sources. The most common is a big vehicle passing nearby. But don't forget, you said very tight budget. That rules out Ries and Gitzo entirely. Berlebach is a possibility but they are big and heavy for a small camera. Which is why I suggested Giotto. They are low priced because they are not well known yet. There are certain brands to avoid for various reasons. I won't mention them, but one starts with an M another with an S.

[bob_gentile]

The ol' Tiltall was good enough for Ansel Adams's 35mm and medium format cameras. You can get one for around $100 at B&H... far less for a used one on eBay.

[dave_f2]

hi bruce is an aluminum giotto fairly reliable? say something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Giottos-3-Section-Camera-Tripod-Maximum/dp/B0009HMNLI/ref=sr_1_16/002-6644216-9228843?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1177630738&sr=1-16

[dave_f2]

bob, i did some research on tiltall tripods and they look like a fantastic tripod. i'm going to try to find one on ebay, but apparently there aren't many sellers out there. does anyone know of similar tripods?

[sfh]

This picture was taken on a four second exposure on a cheap optex t-something tripod that

had one leg on dirt, one leg on a rock, and one leg in 3 feet of creek.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/5590134

 

My number one concern is weight and height, because I don't want to be crouching over.

Thus enter the sixty dollar tripod I bought at the pawn shop. I only hate it because it is silver

and all my other equipment is matte black. Looks tacky.

[ben_hutcherson]

Be patient on the Tiltall-I grabbed my original Marchioni in an early-morning buy-it-now for $50.

 

I've been told that the original Marchioni models are a lot more durable than the current models, with the Leitz falling somewhere between the two.

 

I personally feel that it's miles above anything else I have handled in the price range. It does have its limitations, including the fiddly twist leg locks. Plus, it's not that small when collapsed, especially with the big handles that stick out several inches from the head. On the upside, though, the pan/tilt head is as smooth and flexible as you could want in a head of that size(after all, that's why it's called a tiltall).

[craig_gillette]

The less you spend on a tripod, the more you have to be prepared for compromises in material quality, smoothness, functionality or durability.

 

Bogen has a series of more recent models aimed at digicams which seem to very economical, I have the 725B but would not suggest it as a primary tripod for slr/dslr use (but not bad for it's size/weight/price when compared to a thumping big tripod when it comes to schlepping it around in crowds or light use in little or no wind.

 

I'd tend to look to the 3021 series for a baseline for a taller person with a single "do all" tripod. 3001 series (IIRC?) for a bit shorter and lighter. Not light but competent. (The 725B OTOH is substantially lighter but less functional in several ways.)

 

Slik (and others) have several series of models as well. The Slik A300, A400 and Pro 700DX types are much better than the very inexpensive models and also better than the U210 and the like. cheaper than comparable Bogens, somewhat less functional or richly featured.

 

The Giotto looks inviting, I've recently spent some store time with a couple but know no one who actually has one and web discussions are remarkably lacking when compared to the Slik Pro 700dx or the Bogen 3021 for example. One guy had a mounting screw problem, that may be redesigned at this point.

[Rich B NYC]

I'm also a Giottos tripod fan (GB3150)but don't much care for their heads. Although it cost me almost double what the legset did, I really like the Kirk BH3 ballhead.

 

I don't use anything particularly heavy, but that combination handles my F3 and 200mm f4 with ease.

 

The Tiltall's are still a great value. I had one for many years and foolishly let it go. Mine dated to at least 1966 (bought it used at that time) and was still working perfectly around 2001.

 

Rich

 

Rich

[davyjo]

Cruise Ebay for a Bogen 3036 or 3236. The old version of the new 475. Heavy but it is solid. I bought one for $125 with a 3047 head. I have since bought a 3038 ballhead. No I'm not going to climb Everest with it but it is very stable.