Tripod, Heavy or light?

[c._h._h.]

Hello,

 

I am currently about to purchase a tripod. There are to that I'm

looking at, one is quite a bit heavier than the other one, but each

are of the same quality. Should I buy the heavier one or the

lighter one?

[alex_lofquist]

Are you trying to make muscles or photographs?

[hal_bissinger]

By "heavier" do you mean actual weight or sturdyness? I would certainly buy whichever provides the most rigidity or sturdyness regardless of how much it weighs.

[greg_smith4]

I have a Bogen Monfrotto (spelling?). It's reasonably light and pretty sturdy. I think it would be worth a look.

[mats nilson photography]

Q: Why do I need a tripod?

A: To keep the camera steady

 

The heavier the steadier, with very few exceptions. Admittedly, a light tripod in the field may be better than a heavy tripod in the car, but that's beside the point. There are no short-cuts to sharp pictures. Sorry.

[crackers_.]

Kinda like the expensive, lightweight exercise bicycle riddle.

[steve_dunn2]

<p>All else being equal, heavier usually means sturdier, and sturdier is the whole point of a tripod. All else is often not equal, though; different tripods have different numbers of leg sections, different leg lock mechanisms, and so on. Tripods can be made of a number of materials (a carbon fiber tripod will be lighter than a steel tripod that's just as sturdy - but the carbon fiber one will cost more). Some have braces between the legs, which make them sturdier but may reduce how useful they are for field work on uneven surfaces. And so on.</p>

 

<p>You want the sturdiest tripod that you can afford and that you are willing to use. If you're doing field work, where you have to strap the tripod onto you and lug it up and down hills, you'll probably want to lean towards something lighter because a tripod does you absolutely no good if you get so @%#$ tired of lugging it around that you leave it at home. You'll also want to make sure you can work the leg locks quickly and easily, preferably with one hand, because sometimes you need to set up or tear down quickly. If you're working in a studio, where you don't lug the thing around very much, a really heavy tripod won't bother you.</p>

 

<p>You've read the tripod section here on photo.net, right?</p>

[al_kaplan1]

Heavier is better, but a tripod so heavy that you leave it at home is worthless. Take your camera bag, which probably is heavy, and hang it from the tripod. Take a wrap of the strap around the center post. This tends to dampen vibrations a bit.

[erick_lamontagne]

1-Why don't you tell us what are the tripods in question (brand, model). I'm sure some will know about them.

 

2-Tell about what kind of equipement you want to use with your tripod.

 

3-Tell us what kind of photography you want to do.

 

Then we'll be able to help you.

[bruce_appel]

Both. All things being equel the heavier one will be steadier. That said the best tripod is the one you have with you, and that argues for a smaller lighter one that you will actually carry with you.