Tripod Newbie Advice

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southwestsam

Senior Member
I'm looking to buy a tripod, having had my 5100 for about 9 months and wanting to play around with long exposures etc.

I am looking at buying this one by Benro following a test section in NPhoto magazine which scored it very well for quality/features and it's within my budget - or the amount that I'd want to spend, anyway.

My question is, and forgive my ignorance here, but would I be right in thinking I need a tripod head for this? If so, which one(s) should I go for? Budget-wise I wouldn't be wanting to spend much more than about £20 in addition to the cost of the tripod but for a noticeable increase in quality/features I would go to £30 at a stretch.

Thanks for any help/advice in advance!

Sam
 
G

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Sam - look at the specs first to make sure that the height when fully extended is tall enough for you at eye level. Benro are the budget tripods including the Sirui. Some are light and compact but may not be sturdy. Some of the tripods are sturdy but they are heavier and more expensive.
 
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skene

Senior Member
Specs should be the number one thing that you are looking for when trying to source out a tripod. You can find many inexpensive deals out there. Just check Amazon, as you can do your search via pricing.
If you are on that limited budget... find one that will fit you height. You do not want to be walking around with a tripod that was made for a tabletop. Take your time and do research.
 
Whiskeyman

Whiskeyman

Senior Member
Carefully consider also purchasing a remote shutter release when you purchase you tripod. Sooner or later, you'll likely need it.

​WM
 
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Mfrankfort

Senior Member
Get some cheap radio shutter release triggers, (603's for around 30$). Take a look at Dolica tripods. Got mine for under 100. Carbon fiber, ball head, holds my D600 with a 70-300 like a charm. It's a bit heavy for a CF tripod, but for 89$ you can't beat it. I can't at least.
 
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southwestsam

Senior Member
Thanks for the comments guys.

What I'm mainly after is a) clarification on whether I can bolt the camera straight on to the tripod in the link and b) if not what I need to do so.

I'm not looking at any other extras just yet.

Regards to the tripod itself I'm not looking to spend any more than the price of the benro, and it seems to be good buy for the price. If I'm honest I'm not into photography seriously enough to warrant spending the amounts that would get me the best possible tripod and gear, I just want the best possible with a reasonable budget
 
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Mike D90

Senior Member
southwestsam said:
Thanks for the comments guys.

What I'm mainly after is a) clarification on whether I can bolt the camera straight on to the tripod in the link and b) if not what I need to do so.

I'm not looking at any other extras just yet.

Regards to the tripod itself I'm not looking to spend any more than the price of the benro, and it seems to be good buy for the price. If I'm honest I'm not into photography seriously enough to warrant spending the amounts that would get me the best possible tripod and gear, I just want the best possible with a reasonable budget
Click to expand...

I can't think of a single reason anyone would mount the camera directly to the tripod base if it could even be done. You need a head whether it be pan/tilt head or a ball head. The one you linked too appears to have some kind of adjustable head already.
 
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southwestsam

Senior Member
Mike d90 said:
I can't think of a single reason anyone would mount the camera directly to the tripod base if it could even be done. You need a head whether it be pan/tilt head or a ball head. The one you linked too appears to have some kind of adjustable head already.
Click to expand...

Hi Mike.

I don't necessarily want to - but my tripod knowledge is very limited!

So I think it seems that I need a head to go with it, any recommendations? As I say max budget for a head would be £20-30 and quality is more important than features for me but a combo of both is ideal!
 
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Mike D90

Senior Member
southwestsam said:
Hi Mike.

I don't necessarily want to - but my tripod knowledge is very limited!

So I think it seems that I need a head to go with it, any recommendations? As I say max budget for a head would be £20-30 and quality is more important than features for me but a combo of both is ideal!
Click to expand...

I think that tripod does have a head of sorts already. Just hard to tell what type and how it works. If it doesn't then I would look into the other suggestions offered like a Dolica or even a good used Bogen or Manfrotto with ball head.
 
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john*thomas

Senior Member
Not being a professional either.........I bought the one below at a second hand shop for $2. It extends out to 54 inches (137 cm). It was originally made for a video camera so it's robust enough for my camera. Despite that it's aluminum and doesn't weigh much of anything.

The square piece screws onto the bottom of the camera and simply clips in the top of the head. It can be removed from the tri-pod in 2 seconds. The tri pod does not have the adjustments that an expensive one does but I do not need all of that. The head only tilts one way so I have to flip the camera around depending whether I want it to point up or down, but as noted, 5 seconds tops. It's fully adjustable up to 90 degrees for portrait shots.

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