I’m in the market for a new tripod. I have been using Isaac’s dad’s old tripod, and it has been great to have, though it is now kinda starting to fall apart. The legs are all a bit stiff, not easy to extend or retract. Now, one in particular won’t extend at all. I have tried to take it apart to clean it, but I can’t figure out how to get in there enough to really fix the problem.
And so, I need a new one! Yay! I love buying new camera things.
I was looking at this one on Amazon, it’s made my a company called Vista Explorer, and I chose it mostly because of its price ($28) and it got fairly good reviews for a cheaper tripod.
Then, I went to Best Buy to check out what they have, and I found this one that I really liked…it’s a Sunpak tripod, with the pistol grip rotating head. I do like the pistol grip head. Unfortunately it’s almost twice as much as the first one at $52. I came home hoping to find this one online for cheaper, but it doesn’t seem to be sold anywhere but Best Buy. Even B&H doesn’t have this particular one.
I did find this one on B&H though, another Sunpak. But it looks like it is rated to hold less weight than the other Sunpak. So scratch that.
So, my problem now is, which one do I go with?
I am leaning towards the Sunpak because it seems to be a bit better quality, but then I think “50 bucks?”
What do you think? What tripod do you use? What do you like/dislike about it?
Trash is everywhere
I have to add a photo too! I’ve been doing a lot of wandering of the neighborhood lately, and so I’ve I’ve started to really notice all the trash everywhere. You don’t see it so much from the car, but it is EVERYWHERE. Gah.
I, too had the 50 buck tripod plan. Then I went to a store, played with one or two and realized there’s a high degree of risk associated with them. The sales guy (who swore he wasn’t on commission) basically backed this up. One of the tripods even broke while we were pulling out (he swore it wasn’t planned).
So we looked at some lower higher end stuff, and it didn’t break and after getting a notarized letter saying he wasn’t on commission, I decided to spend way more than I expected to get a Manfrotto 190XB tripod and Vangard SBH-100 head.
The verdict 8 months later: totally worth it. It’s super solid. And when I start to waiver about its cost, I think of the cost of what sits on top of it followed by a slow motion image of it tipping backwards because of an errant gust or slight nudge and I realize, yes, right decision.
It was about 200 bucks (probably not what you wanted to hear :(), but if you think you can swing it and you know you’ll use it, then consider it.
Hi Brian! Thanks for your input, I think I will hold off on getting one, per your suggestion, until I can save up some money (or until Christmas). I would really like one now, so I can get on with practicing photos that require one, but it’s not worth it to put my camera in peril. Hope all is well with you over on the other side of the country! :)
I’ve been researching tripods for weeks. It’s so overwhelming! I’m using a Sunpak right now and it’s great! Except that my husband bought it for our point and shoot, and it’s not nearly strong enough to hold my dslr + 80-200mm lens (my heaviest). I’m afraid I’ve already broken the tripod. :(
From what I’ve read, get the strongest tripod you can afford. It should hold the weight of your dslr + heaviest lens + flash/other accessories, if applicable. Some say it should hold twice that weight, for safety’s sake. You don’t want your tripod to fall over and risk breaking your camera! Plus, if your camera setup is too heavy for the tripod, your camera will shift while on the tripod, effectively ruining the purpose of the tripod (since you’ll get camera movement during your shot).
The other tip I’ve read is if you buy a cheap tripod just for the price, you’ll end up buying another one soon because it either breaks or you find you need a stronger one. Best to save up and get the tripod you really need the first time, so you don’t have to buy it twice!
I have links to several articles about tripods, if you’re interested.
Thanks for the feedback. I think I will hold off on getting a tripod until I can save up the required moolah for a solid one…though in the mean time I may take a look at my old one and see if I can make it work temporarily. I would love to check out those tripod articles you mentioned, can I find them on your site?
No, I haven’t published them yet. Here they are:
Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan—http://bythom.com/support.htm
How to Choose and Buy a Tripod—http://mansurovs.com/how-to-choose-and-buy-a-tripod-for-a-dslr-camera
About Tripods—http://www.laraferroni.com/2006/04/18/about-tripods/
These are a great jumping off point. Good luck with your research!