Tripods

[Barney McGrew]

Having read my new book, recommended in the other thread, I have started to venture out taking some shots. They are still crap but I will get there. Once thing I have noticed is my shots are always blurred. I am using the camera on Manual Mode but with the kids darting about and by the time I have the right combinations, they have moved or run off. I then decided I would do some still shots, which are considerably better, even more so if i use my tripod. Some night shots take 30 seconds ?

My question is, apart from any other advice, that my tripod was a free gift with a Camcorder I bought years ago, in fact over 15, so very cheap. Although having it has made my images better, would I benefit from spending a few quid to get a decent one. What makes them better for the price. ?

[Mr Anderson]

Weight - heavier ones are more stable with larger lenses. Lighter one's are easier to carry around. Depending on what you want to do you need the best combination of lightness and stability. If you have a few hundred to spend then you might want to get a carbon fibre one which will be able to support a lot of weight without themselves being overly heavy. But if you don't have the budget for that then you'll still be able to get a good one but you might need to compromise on either lightness or stability.

Features - height adjustment, does it extend high enough for you? Do the legs open up wide enough that you can use it close to the ground? Does it have a centre column? Can it be removed, reversed or angled?

Mine can support up to 12kg in weight, but it's quite heavy (3kg) to carry for long periods, but it's very stable and I have no fear about putting expensive gear on top of it and relying on it to keep it safely supported. Mine also has 3 leg sections and a centre column which allow it to extend more than high enough for me. The legs also have 3 splay settings including one that allows it to be set a few inches above ground level which is useful for macro work. The centre column can be reversed and also set sideways. The feet can be removed to reveal spikes for use on packed earth. The legs have cushioned pads on them which protect the legs and also make it easier to carry (the cushion it against your shoulders and also protect your hands in the cold). There's also, very usefully, a built in spirit level. And it comes supplied with a tool kit, carry strap and a heavy duty canvas bag. I paid £120 for mine, and that's probably the sort of price you'll be looking to pay in general for those features. But you're also likely to have to factor in the cost of a head too, either a pan and tilt or a ball head initially depending on which you prefer, and that can add £70 upwards on to it.

When shopping around the most important thing is that it can support the weight that will be put on it, and given that it may sometimes be put in awkward positions and have to stay steady on a windy day etc, a bit more (don't forget to include the weight of the head in that). And, if it's very light make sure that it has a hook on the centre column to hang a bag from so that you can stabilise it.

[Barney McGrew]

Thanks Mr A, some good tips there. I shall have a shop around and see whats available.

Are there any particular makes to look at or stay away from ?

[Mr Anderson]

Frequently recommended makes include Gitzo, Giottos and Manfrotto, and the same for heads along with Arca Swiss, Acratech, Kirk and Wimberley.

[Barney McGrew]

Thats good. I was looking at this http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1025871 which seemed to fit the bill and not a bad price. There is a cheaper one but it does not drop low.

[slaughteredlamb]

Sounds like Mr. A has the same tripod as me from his description and his advice is spot on.

The only thing I would say is that a good tripod will cost a lot but it will last forever. A cheap tripod will start to break or get loose potentially after just a couple of years (if you use it a lot) and will just be very frustrating to use as there are many times that you need to make small adjustments that are almost impossible with cheap tripods because they are either not that accurate or all the joints sag slightly when you let go of them, this is especially so if you have a heavy camera/lens combination.

There are basically two types of center column tripods. There are those which are non geared and that you can sometimes take out entirely and mount horizontally or at all kinds of weird and wonderful angles. These are superb all rounders, great for macro, landscape, product shots, etc etc. You then have geared center columns which generally can't be removed (I don't think there is one where you can remove the column but I might be wrong). Whilst you can't then mount the camera at very weird angles you do have the distinct advantage of being very accurately and quickly being able to raise or lower the camera. This makes such tripods ideal for portraits and some landscape work and, with the right head, can make be absolutely superb and much better than a non geared column for Macro work.

Which you go for is really down to the type of photos you want to shoot.

The other thing to consider is the head. These can cost nearly as much as the tripod but whatever you do, don't scrimp at this stage because you'll regret it.

Top Tips:
Get one with a quick release plate so that you can quickly take the camera off the tripod without having to unscrew it.
Get one that is more than capable of holding the weight of the camera and your heaviest lens you own or the heaviest lens you expect to own.

When it comes to heads they boil down to two types. 3-way heads and ball heads. 3-Way heads as their name suggests can be positioned in 3 axis's, you basically can position the camera in landscape orientation or flip it onto it's side in portrait orientation and then adjust the angle that it is tilted up and down and pan it left to right. These heads are slow to set-up and you can't easily position the camera half way between landscape and portrait for those whacky angles or for when you are photographing something fast moving. Therefore a 3-way head is perfect for landscape photography and very good for formal portraits.

A ball head is a head that rests on top of a ball joint and so can be positioned at any angle in any direction. This makes it ideal for wildlife, sports, anything fast moving, macro and anything where the camera needs to be at an odd angle. This is by far the most versatile head but due to it's design getting a ball head perfectly level is a bit tricky meaning that they may not be ideal for landscapes. However some ball heads come with a spirit level built in (which I would advise you buy) or you could buy a spirit level that clips into your hot shoe that greatly helps with setting your camera up perfectly level.

HTH

Oh and the tripod you linked to is a good one which will certainly serve you very well for a long time. It sounds quite a bit like my one, also made by Giottos, the only negative thing I would say about them is that they are a little slow to set-up as there are so many ways to set it up and so many locks to undo and tighten but once you've got used to it it's not too bad but still slower than my old Manfrotto tripod. However it is still the best tripod I've ever used and by far the most versatile.

[samhs]

I've got a Manfrotto with just about the same features as described. It cost more or less the same, and again the head is a separate choice (I went for a ball and socket) that can be retained in two axis independently. I would readily recommend my tripod, especially the fact that the legs splay open enough for the camera to sit a couple of inches off the ground. I also like the horizontally mountable central column. I did misplace the camera plate for my head once, but was able to replace it on eBay for a Manfrotto original part for less than a tenner which I was quite pleased/relieved about.

[Mr Anderson]

Sounds like Mr. A has the same tripod as me from his description

I think I do, it was originally recommended by you

Mine is the Giottos MT9170 which is excellent and when I went to the Lakes recently it easily supported my 10D + grip with a Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 which is quite a heavy combination.

Thats good. I was looking at this http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1025871 which seemed to fit the bill and not a bad price. There is a cheaper one but it does not drop low.

As SL said, it's quite similarly featured to the MT9170, but it's only rated to support 5kg. If you think that will be enough for you then it would be a good buy, but to put it in perspective, the set up I described above would be too heavy for it to use even on level ground. If you can afford a little more (£20) you can get one that will support more weight which can make a difference IMO. The MTL3361B will take 8kg and is only slightly heavier than the one you've been looking at. 2.5kg might sound a lot, but for someone in your line of work it should be easy enough to handle. As I said, mine went with me to the Lake District and got carried around strapped to my shoulder with a heavy bag on my back, and I'm pretty unfit.

If you want to have a look outside of Giottos, the Manfrotto MN190XproB gets quite a few recommendations and it's the same price as the Giottos you've been looking at, and while it'll support the same 5kg of weight it's 300g lighter. Or for one that'll support a bit more weight the MN05XproBB will support 7kg and also gets quite a lot of recommendations and is 100g lighter than the Giottos I pointed out above.

[Barney McGrew]

Just noticed that some of these heads have a screw thread and a pin. I have also noticed that my new 450D has no slot for a pin, whilst all the other cameras I have owned or do own including my HD Camcorder all have this slot. My 450D just has a screw thread and no slot.

Does this matter when purchasing a head?

[Mr Anderson]

Post an example of what you mean

[Barney McGrew]

The following head has a screw thread and a pin which slots in the bottom of the camera. My 450D does not have a slot of the pin. I can only presume that it is spring loaded and will not be used as part of the centralisation. http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1025887

[slaughteredlamb]

The following head has a screw thread and a pin which slots in the bottom of the camera. My 450D does not have a slot of the pin. I can only presume that it is spring loaded and will not be used as part of the centralisation. http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1025887

Don't worry most if not all heads have this. The pin is sprung loaded and I believe it's there for use with certain video cameras that have a hole for a pin.