How to choose tripod

[wooi_loon]

Hi,

In the market, there are a lot of tripods with different size, brand

and price. So how to choose a tripod for a body? My camera is EOS30

and I planing to get a tripod for it.

Thank you.

[maxz]

A friend of mine has a rule of thumb when selecting tripods: "Buy the heaviest, sturdiest you can carry". He has a point there, a tripod is used for support. A small weak one might be easy to carry around, but isn't much help if it isn't really stable.

 

Personally I have a Manfrotto 055. I like it because the long legs. With the legs extended I do not have to raise the center column and still have the viewfinder eye-level. I wouldn't recommend a tripod that you have to raise the center column on to be able to use. That will just cancel out some of the stability provided by a tripod.

 

Another nice feature of a tripod might be that you have different angles for the legs. Sometimes I have used this to raise one leg horizontally and placing it upon a ledge when I wanted to get closer to the ledge.

 

Also the head is important. I like a regular ball head. Some like the 3 way heads, it's a matter of taste. Some think the ball heads are harder to get level with the horizon. I always have the grid enabled in the viewfinder on my F80 so I don't find this to be a problem.

 

Either way, I find a head with quick release plates to be very handy. I always have the plate on my camera and just snap it into the head when I want to shoot. I also have an extra plate for my other camera or when I am with a friend and want to share the tripod.

 

But no matter what brand you select. I would go for a tripod that is large enough to work with without having to bend to much to look through the viewfinder, and is heavy enough to support my camera/lens-combination. If I bought a small, light tripod I would just have it in my closet since it wouldn't do the work for me. On the other hand, sometimes I curse myself when carrying that big, heavy thing, but in the end it is worth it :-)

[john_engle1]

How about:

 

http://www.photo.net/equipment/tripods/

[wildpicture]

The size of the tripod (the heaviest you can afford to carry) is much more determined by the lenses you will be using than by the camera body.

[daniel flather]

What do you shoot and what lenses do you plan to use with it?

Need more info.

[lee_shively]

...And, how tall are you?

[wooi_loon]

Hi,

Normally will just use it for night scene (for long exposure). I'm five feet 4. Can recommend which tripod (brand) for me to start seraching? Thanks.

[primoz]

I bought Manfrotto 055Pro few months ago based on lots of good comments here and I don't regret it at all. It's good and stabil

but a bit heavier then 190. But as Max mentioned you don't need to extend center post with legs fully extended. Ok unless if you are 2.2m :)<br>

Most of people here suggest ball head. I don't like it and I got 3D head (Manfrotto RC141) and I'm just as happy with it as with tripod. But this is pretty different from one to another person.<br>

Quick release plate is something what you have to have, at least for me since it's really annoying to take camera on and off tripod otherwise. Unless if you have it on all the time in studio, but I guess most of people don't have it.

[lee_shively]

The Manfrotto 055 (Bogen 3021 in the USA) should be plenty tripod for you. It's a little on the short side for me (I'm over 6 ft.) but I still use one sometimes. It will handle a decent weight if you get into long telephotos and it is a very stable platform. If you were to use it for long hiking, it might get heavy. I think it's about 6 pounds without head. The model just under this from Manfrotto (I think it's the Bogen 3001 in the USA) is smaller and lighter and you may prefer it. Tripod heads are personal, so you'll have to decide what works best for you. I prefer ball heads but other people swear by pan/tilt heads.

[orlando_s.]

I'll state the obvious- Go to a camera shop with your equipment and try it on different tripods. You can get a better feel of the weight, size, handling, etc.

 

I bought a Bogen "joystick" tripod head based on the good reviews I read here and on photographyreview.com thinking it would suit my needs. It doesn't. I'm out $60. Lessons to be learned. Had I gone to a shop and tried it right there I would have saved my money.