Camera Tripod – Advice Needed

[John]

Hello,

I'm after some advice again (...no, not on girls for a change... although that would probably be useful too ...) ...no, this time on camera tripods. I'm hoping that the keen photographers among you will have more than a £15 setup from Woolworths from 1993, as I'm looking for something fairly decent, lightweight and something that packs down to a small size to fit in a day rucksack.

I've been pricing them up and notice you can spend £50 or £250, and to be honest I don't really know what the difference is. I guess it's the same with anything in that respect. My general points are that it must:

1. Pack down to a small size (I don't know what small is, but I'm hoping to fit it inside a day rucksack or a small camera bag).
2. Be lightweight i.e. under 2kg if possible.
3. Be sturdy, I don't want anything blowing about in the wind.

I was looking at the carbon fibre ones by Manfrotto, since they're very lightweight and sturdy at the same time, most of which are around the £150-£250 mark and I'd spend that much money if I knew what I was buying and knew it would be worth it.

The other thing is the head – Warehouse Express for example don't have their heads coming with their tripods (see example: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-...ripod/p1026294). I'd like to buy the head with the tripod so that I know that the two will be compatible. Unless all tripods can take any head, and it'll be fine? I also notice that you can buy pan, tilt or swivel heads, and I think I'd go for a pan one.

Anyway, some advice please would be very handy...

I'm going to Iceland in less than 3 weeks so the tripod has to withstand the changeable weather conditions over there. It's peak season when I'm going i.e. it's meant to be warmish, but I know the weather can change more rapidly and violently than it does do here...

Cheers.

[Win2Win]

Depends on how sturdy you want it? If you're using a remote for taking the pics then a cheap one is just as good as an expensive one.

I've just bought the new Canon 550D 18MB ....

[vegyjones]

A friend at work bought a small 'spider tripod'.

It only has shot legs but you can basically wrap it round stuff. It wasn't expensive I don't think but he raves about it.

Might not be what you're looking for but worth bearing in mind maybe.

[vegyjones]

Jesspos have what's called a gorilla one.

[John]

Yeah, gorilla pods are quite nifty things. Not what I'm after I'm afraid though Vegy but thanks anyway.

Just sturdy enough so that I can take reasonably long exposures (10 seconds max, let's say) with a remote release. My current set up is a Nikon D5000 with Tamron 18-200mm lens, so quite light in itself.

[TheOldhamWhisper]

I use a Miranda TP-25 for 'portability' - dirt cheap but quite compact and quickly becomes a 'full size' tripod. For more serious work, I like Hama Tripod Star 62. Well built but not as compact. Pretty much usable at just about any angle and has a hook to allow weights to be attached to add stability in windy conditions. Of course, this means carrying more and it might not be what you are looking for.

As a general guide, I would suggest that you look for 3-way movement, a crank for the centre column (I have used tripods where the centre column can't hold the camera weight properly after a few uses!) and look for one that has spirit levels (at least 2) to ensure accuracy.

I would also suggest you get a compact tripod for 'table top' use. Once again, Hama make a nice one that comes with a telescopic extension tube making its height anything from 12cm to 77cm.

www.hama.co.uk (but you might be able to pick them up a bit cheaper).

I love the idea of Carbon Fibre tripods but I'm not convinced that they will be produce any better results than a well setup tripod costing anything from £10 to £50.

[Win2Win]

Make sure you can get height on it. I have 2 tripods, one really cheap one for holidays, but a decent sturdy one that goes to 7ft for use in the UK.

[John]

Thanks a lot for your help Oldham. I've found the Hama Star 62 and a very similar one to it in this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/CAMlink-TP-2...5331744&sr=8-7

Having looked into this a bit more it makes sense to buy one on a shoestring and if need be, later, get a more expensive one. On Amazon the Hama one you mention has 73 reviews at 4.5 star too, so it has a really good reputation. People are saying how good it is for the price, and it's also very easily fold-away-able to a small size. So I think I'm gonna go for it, or something very similar.

Height-wise Keith, yeah it is a good point you make. I think the one Oldham posted up extends to about 160cm which isn't bad, that's quite tall...

[TheOldhamWhisper]

Wow - the Hama 62 at £14.25???? I paid over £40 for mine

[John]

Blimey! And it's lasted you a good while? I'm just hoping it (or something very similar) will be sturdy enough against potential rocky surfaces, rocky terrain and heavy winds of Iceland. Yes I'm going in peak season, where it's meant to be sunny and nice weather but I can't see it being like that for the whole time I'm there!