Tripod & Kit - recommendation needed

[pushkarrajsharma]

<p>Hi<br>

I am planning to goto GOA this OCT. <br>

I have Nikon d300s & 17-55mm f2.8 <br />, Hoya - UV filter , ND8x & LEE - .9 GND </p>

<p>I am planning to do<br>

a) long exposures ,<br>

b) mid exposures for that lines and streaks in water<br>

c) and fast shutter beach & sea scapes <br>

I am considering to buy a tripod ( i have slick f740 ) which i think is not good at all <br>

1. what else do i need ? a polarizer a must ? is Poloroid polarizers are good or I trust hoya only?<br>

2.I need tripod for approx 150 $ max thaz about 7500 Rupees </p>

<p>thnks<br>

prs</p>

[dave_l.]

<p>You have a reasonably heavy camera setup (although not THAT bad) and a very limited tripod budget. At that price, I wouldn't recommend purchasing anything that you couldn't try out yourself. You might want to look at used equipment.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>I'm mostly familiar with the Manfrotto brand. In that range, I doubt you'll find something very solid (I have a 055 series, which isn't bad) new with a decent head - but check for bundles. The 190 or 29x series are respectable as shorter options, and should hold your rig so long as you don't have designs on a big telephoto. The trick would be getting a solid head in your price range; I'd be nervous about very cheap ball heads (I have a reasonably solid Giottos that cost me about $140 in UK money, but it's no Z1) but you might find a pan head that would be solid enough. Used, so long as you can check it out, is a good idea. Tripods and camera bags are always things I buy in store - the feel matters too much to buy without trying. Just don't buy a store-brand tripod and expect it to be solid. Thom Hogan has an article on support on his web site, but he'll suggest that you don't spend less than $700...<br />

<br />

The polarizer sounds like it'll be useful to control reflections from the water. Hoya's high end polarizers are very good at letting through more light and avoiding reflections; the cheap ones not so much. For me, how much I spent would depend on how much I was shooting into the light. Better to have a cheap polarizer than none at all.<br />

<br />

In fact, I think the same of tripods - if I buy a really cheap tripod, I don't mind if it's useless - what I object to is paying an intermediate amount and not getting good performance. I'm formulating the same opinion of lenses - it comes down to "don't buy prosumer": either buy the best you can get or buy something disposable. A friend of mine refuses to see age-15-rated films for very similar reasons - he thinks films should either be kid-friendly, or all-out and uncompromised.</p>

[steve_barrett]

<p>Perhaps a used Leitz Tiltall 4206? Those are very solid and sturdy, although a bit heavy...about 7 pounds.<br>

You can read Tiltall info here:<br>

http://tiltallsupport.blogspot.com/p/tiltall-replacement-parts.html</p>

<p> </p>

[mukul_dube]

<p>"Better to have a cheap polarizer than none at all." Andrew, a bad filter may mean a ruined photo, while no filter will mean a passable one. I have a Leitz Tiltall. A fine tripod but not one to be carried about.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Mukul: Perhaps I should have clarified: better to have a cheap polarizer <i>and decide whether to use it</i> than none at all. No filter can mean a "ruined" photo just as much as a badly filtered one, and a bad filter is only detectably bad under some circumstances. If you buy a cheap filter, you still have the chance to use no filter at all. The best filters can still show interreflections under the worst circumstances, so it's always a sliding scale. It's true that a good filter might get you a photo where a cheap filter - or no filter - would not, but, of the various grades of increasingly expensive filters, it's up to the buyer to decide when the diminishing returns are worth the outlay. If Pushkar is concerned about spending more than $150 on a tripod, I'd be nervous about recommending a $280 Heliopan filter (although the lens and camera may justify it), and think Pushkar would be better getting a cheap polarizer than deciding that there was no use in anything but the best model - in the right circumstances, I've done well enough with very cheap polarizers, so long as they're kept clean.<br />

<br />

Interesting to hear two recommendations for the Leitz Tiltall - I'd not met that before. I'll go and do some research!</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>for beach scenes, a polarizer is a must, in case of overcast skies. the 17-55 takes 77mm filters, which aren't cheap, but a good investment in case you get a 70-200 down the line. a 77mm Hoya polarizer is about $80-$120 depending on model; you'll pay more for a Nikon or B+W.</p>

<p>as far as tripod, $150 isn't going to get you much. you can get a manfrotto 190 (entry-level 'pro' tripod) with no head for that or one with head for $200-$250. your current tripod isnt terrible but wouldnt be great for your intended purpose since the legs dont adjust all that well to uneven terrain and you can't do low-angle shooting.</p>

<p>if you can't outlay the cash for a 190+head, i'd suggest a $50 Dolica from Amazon. build quality isnt as good as manfrotto, but it has removable center column, counter-weight hook, spiked feet, and a basic ballhead. hard to do better for that price. probably decent as a stopgap, and better than spending 2-3x that on something you'll replace down the line anyway.</p>

[pushkarrajsharma]

<p>yes my next buy would definitely be tokina 11-16 2.8 so has the same filter size<br>

yes if you recommend hoya thats fine , i was expecting to save some bucks !!<br>

i saw this in india , india is very expensive for such equipments , i hate that ... but i live here :-)</p>

<p><a href="http://www.flipkart.com/tripods/compare?ids=ACCCZ9JZ5QAUHG9B,ACCCZ9JZSRZHGPZH,ACCCZ9JZKRW5PHBG">http://www.flipkart.com/tripods/compare?ids=ACCCZ9JZ5QAUHG9B,ACCCZ9JZSRZHGPZH,ACCCZ9JZKRW5PHBG</a></p>

<p>can you suggest me outta these . this brand has become popular here , manfrotto would be outta my budget</p>

<p>any tips to shoot seascapes would be highly appreciated as well</p>

[richard_thomas9]

<p>If you seldom use tripods and since you are a Slik owner, you might want to check out their pro 300,400 & 500 series. They can support up to 10lbs.</p>

[tombest]

<p>Can you buy from sources such as Amazon or B&H photo or only from local retailers? If you can buy from either, Induro makes some very affordable tripod leg sets with heads. Both retailers sell the AKB1 with a head that is in your price range. I own an Induro carbon fiber leg set and can attest to their build quality. I looked at several tripods in their lineup before deciding on the model I wanted. All were quality items. </p>

<p>Tom</p>

[RaymondC]

<p>have a look at some of the manfrotto (bogen) non carbon fiber ones. they may be heavier than carbons though. both the legs and the head. </p>