Tripod - Help

FunkyJam · Oct 24, 2012

Hey,

Once again I need some feedback from you fellas.

So, I have a 7D and recently I bought a Samyang 35 1.4 and since I find my tripod very weak I don't trust my gear on it . :-[

- Mostly for Video
- Less than 300 $
- Smooth

Thanks in advance for your help

pierceography · Oct 24, 2012

I have a Benro Travel tripod. Nothing particularly fancy... aluminum, fold up legs, and a decent compact size. The ball head is easy to operate and is able to support my 5Dm3/7D with a 24-70mm f/2.8 without a problem.

You could certainly go fancier/more expensive. but I've had this tripod for a couple years and it's served me pretty well.

http://www.benro.com/Products.aspx?cid=208&pid=209&nid=212

jcns · Oct 24, 2012

you get what you pay for with tripods
I bought a $300 tripod. It's foldable, it's heavier by almost 2 lbs compared to carbon fiber units, the head is not perfect and sags with my 50d and 24-70 2.8 mounted (meaning, I set it at a certain level and droops 1-2mm after I let go of the body).
I read this several years and did not follow the advice. I should have. Save up and buy the right one the first time. Now, I am $400 invested and wishing for more; wishing for the $700-800 unit I should have bought to begin with.
http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

Mt Spokane Photography · Oct 24, 2012

You are not going to get something good for $300, so prepare to compromise. Our local Costco has some lower end Aluminum Manfroto tripods with head for around $200. I don't see them online, and I only looked at it briefly, since it was not a pro quality unitet, but more of a high end consumer unit. Much better than the junk you find at Walmart.
What you want is a tripod with a under hook. Hang your camera bag or other weight on the hook to stabilize the tripod.

extremeinstability · Oct 24, 2012

All I know is I won't be buying Giottos again. Not just one leg but two have come out in my hand when extending them. Because they used a cheap plastic inner lock deal that evidently easily snaps. I put it back together then used electrical tape on those joints, never to be used again. The ones that haven't failed, well even after tightening the joint screws to the point of almost breaking when clamping down...they still don't stay out and often slide down/in. Not real thrilled with the ballhead I got for it either. Horizontal spin axis knob is all or nothing and damn hard to get tight so it stays. The whole legs coming apart in my hand twice now over a dumb piece of plastic has really turned me off. You look at this piece and how it goes together and what it has to do/support and it's just a real head scratcher they have this plastic inner piece like it is. It was just a bit over $300 for the legs and head so not an expensive route exactly but certainly not the cheapest $50 free with camera tripod deal either. It should take some work to have the tripod legs come apart/out in your hand, not casually extending them down on two different occasions.

Sorry can't say what to get, but figured I'd say what I'm not getting next time around.

maxcolefilms · Oct 24, 2012

Try the 717 ball head tripod, its made by fancier studios and few others. Check ephotoinc(.)com cowboystudio(.)com or fancierstudio(.)com. They all carry the same tripods, ephotoinc is tax free and shipping free. I just got my in last week and it is perfect for the price $144-160.

marv_b · Oct 24, 2012

I have a Uni-Loc S1700, patience, perserverance then oh yeah !
I tend to do a lot of macro so this cumbersome beast is ideal.

Mt Spokane Photography · Oct 24, 2012

extremeinstability said:
All I know is I won't be buying Giottos again. Not just one leg but two have come out in my hand when extending them. Because they used a cheap plastic inner lock deal that evidently easily snaps. I put it back together then used electrical tape on those joints, never to be used again. The ones that haven't failed, well even after tightening the joint screws to the point of almost breaking when clamping down...they still don't stay out and often slide down/in. Not real thrilled with the ballhead I got for it either. Horizontal spin axis knob is all or nothing and damn hard to get tight so it stays. The whole legs coming apart in my hand twice now over a dumb piece of plastic has really turned me off. You look at this piece and how it goes together and what it has to do/support and it's just a real head scratcher they have this plastic inner piece like it is. It was just a bit over $300 for the legs and head so not an expensive route exactly but certainly not the cheapest $50 free with camera tripod deal either. It should take some work to have the tripod legs come apart/out in your hand, not casually extending them down on two different occasions.

Sorry can't say what to get, but figured I'd say what I'm not getting next time around.

Have you asked them to fix or replace it? There are often secret warranties that are not advertised. It could have been a bad batch or run. I do not use Gittos, but many have been happy.

wayno · Oct 24, 2012

I'd recommend the Manfrotto 190XPROB or if you're tall as I am, the Manfrotto 055XPROB. Heavy but reliable. Love it. I've paired mine with a Giottos ballhead which I recall was about $150 and it is also perfectly fine. Both will hold a 70-200L ii and a 5d2 with ease.

picturesbyme · Oct 24, 2012

in that case.. ..Feisol makes some awesome stuff..

When I buy I look at these:
The tripod's loading capacity, its weight, size (in case travel, transportation), price... being pretty, or having a Name is..well...
THEN: I buy the head. Again, the head's loading capacity, weight, size etc..
KNOW your NEEDS, the SPECS of the tripod and the head you are looking at, leave a safety margin = No need to complain later.

http://youtu.be/l9Gozx6P5XY

sama · Oct 24, 2012

Agree with piercography's recommendation I have a Benro A2681TB1 which is very, very sturdy and good for the price. It holds up to 12kg. Add a video head and you are good to go. Depending on where you are, the manufacturer offers limited lifetime warranty. Check out their other items and you will be surprised to find out that they are making a lot of affordable quality stuffs.

http://www.benro.com/Products.aspx?cid=208&pid=209&nid=212

Before buying that specific tripod, I have a cheap flimsy Manfrotto 390 series which caused total loss to my 50D and Sigma tele zoom lens.

You get what you pay for but spend your money wisely.

cayenne · Oct 24, 2012

For my first one, I found a deal at the time, and got mine with rebate for like $135:

http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-055XDB-Tripod-Outfit-128RC/dp/B000V7H8R0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1351112358&sr=1-1&keywords=Manfrotto+Basic+055XDB

It seems sturdy enough to me for what I'm currently doing, and the beginner fluid head seems to work well with what I've shot so far...Manfrotto.

I'm sure I'll move up later to one of the better tripods, and heads...but this sure seemed a good deal at the time for a beginner...I'm starting from scratch, my first DSLR (5D3), lenses, mics, etc....I simply couldn't start out with the "porsche" of every item...so, got the best I could afford at the time, and this one seems pretty decent, I like the plate system that comes with it, easy to take off and set back up again quickly.

C

brad-man · Oct 24, 2012

I would advise against buying a pod/head package. Shop around for each indiviually. Manfrotto makes some good sturdy inexpensive tripods (and heavy), but I don't care for their heads and even less for their quick release systems. I would also advise getting a head that uses arca-swiss type plates. It's a rock solid system that wont tie you down to a particular manufacturer's gear. There are some nice Benro heads that can be had very reasonably on ebay...

extremeinstability · Oct 24, 2012

Mt Spokane Photography said:
Have you asked them to fix or replace it? There are often secret warranties that are not advertised. It could have been a bad batch or run. I do not use Gittos, but many have been happy.

No, I'm generally pretty lazy on things I guess. Found the two halves of the inside clip thing, got it back together and since I had electrical tape in my car I just taped the hell out of it. Every once in awhile I'll find myself cussing at the missing height now. Always gotten by on the real cheap $50 deals and found it humorous this was happening after spending 6x as much. Thinking, well least the legs always stayed together on all those real cheap ones.

FunkyJam · Oct 24, 2012

After some research I'm thinking in Manfrotto 055XPROB for Tripod. Still I have no clue what head to choose. Does someone recommend a good for less than 100 euros one?

Thanks

AdamJ · Oct 24, 2012

Unlike the experience extremeinstability had with Giottos, I use their MT 9271 and I love it, especially as it's tall enough for my 6' 3" without needing to extend the centre column. It is, however, pretty heavy. If you want something lighter, and if you can stretch your budget, Feisol makes some very highly-regarded carbon fibre tripods.

One suggestion from the left field is a carbon tripod from Triopo, either the GT-3228 (4 section) or GT-3232 (5 section). They are widely thought to be made in the same Chinese factory as Benro, differing only in labelling. They would be well within your budget but since they are only sold online from Poland (check Ebay), after-sales support would have some challenges.

awinphoto · Oct 24, 2012

A $300 budget is definately doable... For one of my contract companies, we got a great strong and durable leg/head set up although it is a ball head and you may want to look into fluid heads for video... What we looked at was Slik legs 700dx... They are light weight, but holds a load of 15 pounds and can go up to 74" legs and column extended alone without head! The legs are heavy duty, easy to operate, and still light enough to carry around... Head we went with manfrotto 494RC2 AND the 3265 for when we need the grip action... the grip does lose load strength, but will carry most everything you would need. For video you will want to opt for a fluid head rather than a ball head, although ball heads can still do video, just not as well or as smooth. Smith and victor and vanguard heads can be picked up for $40-60 at adorama... Manfrotto Fluid heads start at $72 and on up... Obviously, the more $$ you pay for the head, the better, but legs, the Slik legs are nice and the best bang for your buck.

extremeinstability · Oct 24, 2012

When I was looking into a new tripod, there was a tripod thread on a storm chaser forum I'd visit. I noted a lot in there were recommending those same Slik legs. FWIW. I should have went that route.

DB · Oct 24, 2012

FunkyJam said:
After some research I'm thinking in Manfrotto 055XPROB for Tripod. Still I have no clue what head to choose. Does someone recommend a good for less than 100 euros one?

Thanks

I have the Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod + the rubber/spikes optional feet + 701HDV fluid video head and they work great with my gripped 7D, plus I shoot mostly video too. I paid roughly $150 for the tripod legs + $30 for the Spikes + $120 for the fluid head, so approx $300 in total (except I purchased in the UK for < £200).

I'd highly recommend the fluid video head for 2 reasons: (1) great for panning up/down or left/right really slowly and smoothly for HD video work (and I mean S-L-O-W-L-Y), plus (2) the video head is great for still photography too (if you want to shoot portrait - then use the 90-degree shift in the 055XPROB stem instead) - just as good as a ball-head.

Also with the video head you get a really nice plate (501PL) to attach to your 7D - it is really flat and large so you can keep it on your camera body when off-tripod, and works really well with larger lenses (e.g. I mainly use the 24-70 f/2.8L mk 1 which is really heavy, but the plate moves forwards/backwards by a couple of inches in the video head - so easy to correct centre of gravity).

The 701HDV head retails for about 100 euros (available in UK on Amazon for < £74, I'm euro-based too but I find it is cheaper to buy off Amazon in UK + they do returns)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-701HDV-Professional-Fluid-Video/dp/B001D2LJ3Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351122563&sr=8-1

paul13walnut5 · Oct 25, 2012

Video tripod needs counterbalance, bowl and fluid movements.

Sachtler Ace.

Right tool for job.

The price is comparable to competitors products, but ace is better thought out, only proper counterbalance for money.

A video head without a bowl is going to be exceptionally frustrating to use. Most video heads can only tilt on one axis, which means a lit of fiddling with tripod legs, or a lot of squint shots.

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Tripod - Help

FunkyJam

pierceography

jcns

Mt Spokane Photography

extremeinstability

maxcolefilms

marv_b

Mt Spokane Photography

wayno

picturesbyme

sama

cayenne

brad-man

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extremeinstability

FunkyJam

AdamJ

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awinphoto

extremeinstability

DB

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