Tripod Question

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WhiteLight

Senior Member
hi everyone,

i am looking at picking up a decent tripod for my D5100 with the heaviest lens being the 70-300vr.
the use would be primarily for outdoor shots, no indoors/studio
i was looking at the vanguard series -

Vanguard Alta+ 264 AP
Vanguard Alta Pro 264AT
Vanguard Alta+ 263AP
vanguard Alta Pro 263AT

& there doesn't seem to be much difference in these models, though there is a slight variation in the price.

none of them seem to be over 5'4" & i am 6', so that's a bummer

does anyone have any recommendations from these or any other in the same price bracket?
 
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N_Addy

Senior Member
Tripod shopping is confusing, huh? So many choices. Manfrotto makes good tripods but there are many other fine choices for the money.

You said you were looking for a "decent" tripod so I would ask, what is your budget? Get the best you can afford. Buying the right tripod will mean a one-time purchase that will last a lifetime. Buying the wrong tripod means you'll lose closet space.

One example of the wrong tripod would be settling for a 5'4" tripod when you are 6'.

Just two pieces of advice:

First read this.
Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan

Next, pour over the selection at B&H and read the reviews carefully. B&H is a great pleace for research. And... if they don't carry it, you don't want it.
Photo Camera Tripods | B&H Photo Video
 
Dooku77

Dooku77

Senior Member
That's very funny. I was getting ready to post a tripod question and those are the exact models I was looking at on Amazon. Please let me know own what you end up with. I wanted a lightweight tripod that I can attack to the side of a pack, but can't afford carbon.

Willie C
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
N_Addy said:
Tripod shopping is confusing, huh? So many choices. Manfrotto makes good tripods but there are many other fine choices for the money.

You said you were looking for a "decent" tripod so I would ask, what is your budget? Get the best you can afford. Buying the right tripod will mean a one-time purchase that will last a lifetime. Buying the wrong tripod means you'll lose closet space.

One example of the wrong tripod would be settling for a 5'4" tripod when you are 6'.

Just two pieces of advice:

First read this.
Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan

Next, pour over the selection at B&H and read the reviews carefully. B&H is a great pleace for research. And... if they don't carry it, you don't want it.
Photo Camera Tripods | B&H Photo Video
Click to expand...

Thanks Neal.
i did actually read another thread where you posted in detail about tripods - was very insightful.
About the budget am looking at around $200 & would like this to last me if not a lifetime, at least half of it :D
and yeah, its confusing as hell to choose the right one..
and i thought it was difficult choosing my first lens :)
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Dooku77 said:
That's very funny. I was getting ready to post a tripod question and those are the exact models I was looking at on Amazon. Please let me know own what you end up with. I wanted a lightweight tripod that I can attack to the side of a pack, but can't afford carbon.

Willie C
Click to expand...

Nice! Am not sure if am closing in what i want/need or going in a tangential direction here..
HAve you heard anything good or bad about any of these?
One thing that's stopping me from picking them is the fact that ALL of these go up to a maximum height of 5'4" or so & am 6' so....... :(
i did find one really interesting model that went up to 5'10" or 5'11" but i closed the page i cant seem to place it...
am sure it was a vanguard too or maybe a manfrotto, but nothing else
 
T

Tami Jo

Senior Member
Dooku77 said:
That's very funny. I was getting ready to post a tripod question and those are the exact models I was looking at on Amazon. Please let me know own what you end up with. I wanted a lightweight tripod that I can attack to the side of a pack, but can't afford carbon.

Willie C
Click to expand...
Amazon.com: Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs (Black): Camera & Photo

Is this the one you are referring too? I have added this ti my list but am unsure as to which ball head to purchase with it. Looks like a great price for a manfrotto. It goes up to 70.28 in in height and it you can use it with the legs down and it nearly sits flat on the ground. Watch the video for more feature info.
 
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Dooku77

Dooku77

Senior Member
letmedanz said:
Nice! Am not sure if am closing in what i want/need or going in a tangential direction here..
HAve you heard anything good or bad about any of these?
One thing that's stopping me from picking them is the fact that ALL of these go up to a maximum height of 5'4" or so & am 6' so....... :(
i did find one really interesting model that went up to 5'10" or 5'11" but i closed the page i cant seem to place it...
am sure it was a vanguard too or maybe a manfrotto, but nothing else
Click to expand...

I'm only 5'6 so it seems every tripod would work for me lol. I've heard nothing but good things about vanguard tripods. I have my choices narrowed down to these 2, but I'm leaning towards the vanguard for its small size.

Willie C
 

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Tami Jo

Senior Member
letmedanz said:
Thanks Neal.
i did actually read another thread where you posted in detail about tripods - was very insightful.
About the budget am looking at around $200 & would like this to last me if not a lifetime, at least half of it :D
and yeah, its confusing as hell to choose the right one..
and i thought it was difficult choosing my first lens :)
Click to expand...

Check out the Manfrotto 190XPROB it extends to 70 inches I believe.I think that might be a better match for your height. If you purchase both the head and tripod together from Amazon you can get the pair for $196.21 total and free shipping too :eek: Just about at your budget amount. The others sound like nice tripods too but I wonder if perhaps they might be a bit lacking due to the height.

Frequently Bought Together

41ysK5ZJYOL._SL500_SS75_.jpg
+
Price For Both: $196.21
Show availability and shipping details

Buy the selected items together
 
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C

Carroll

Senior Member
I have a Manfrotto 190XPROB, with ballhead 496RC2. Keep in mind this is my first pro tripod and head. I bought a Wal-mart special some years ago, and this is my total experience.

I made the choice because of limited funds. I would much rather have been able to spend the 1000 - 1500 bucks for serious gear that would last a lifetime. (At 66 though, the "Lifetime" value is not worth as much as it used to be.} LOL

This setup is rated at 11 lbs max weight of equipment for the tripod, and 13 pounds for the ballhead (a little overkill, I guess on the match-up...not all bad) There are many combos that will take more weight, as will the 055XPROB tripod. And, many that are probably better, and do more, etc., etc.

Things I like:

1. Sets up fast. I like the lever locks, and the quick attach clip I leave on my D5100 to hook it up.
2. I like the bubble level.
3. The legs slide out real smooth and quick when unlocked...nice.
4. This thing is built like a swiss watch...in Italy! LOL
5. Aluminum. Slower to corrode. Nice
6. I am six foot tall and it will adjust to a height, and still be sturdy, so that I do not have to bend over very much.
7. I could use this thing to do some serious damage to an attacker, and probably still use it to take pictures for the coroner later.

Things I don't like:

1. I would not want to carry this all day. Not going to happen.
2. Locking and unlocking the camera is not as smooth as I would like, it is a little tricky, and because I don't use it everyday, I have to fool with it a little bit to get the camera attached. However, when the camera is on, I can't see it coming off accidently, period. May get better as I use it more...

Having said all that, my advice to someone would be to spend as much money on a tripod and head as you can, paying particular attention to the brands suggested by posters in this forum.

That is, of course, only my opinion, and I will admit here that I did vote for Richard Nixon.....once.

Carroll

Edit of 10-7-2012
Camera, battery, card, strap, and 55-300mm lens weigh a few ounces over 3 lbs. (That is my heaviest lens at the moment.) This tripod is designed to carry 11 lb load. I have not had a problem with it being unsteady at all.
 
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F

fotojack

Senior Member
Take your camera and the heaviest lens you have. Find their total weight. Look at how much weight the tripod of your choice can safely carry.......then double it! That's the tripod you want. Your tripod is no good to you if it can't carry the weight and be stable. The last thing you want happening is your expensive camera and lens falling to the ground after being hit by a gust of wind.
 
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Tami Jo

Senior Member
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W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Fantastic advice & inputs everyone... obviously some more questions arise :)

Q1) I see that the Manfrotto 190 series is more compact & lighter than the 055 series. Any other differences?

Q1) I see a LOT of folks here favoring the Manfrotto over Vangard or any other brand for that matter.
But Vangard seems (or looks) sturdier in the pics? That's all i've seen so i can't really tell..

Q2) Regarding Ballheads, i've heard that Manfrotto ones are not really good for Manfrotto tripods.. i have a friend who says Rollei pro BH is extremely good?
 
M

mr2_serious

Senior Member
Make sure you do a lot of research, I'm learning the hard expensive way lol. Look up arca-swiss ball heads as well, in case you may want to add a L plate to your dslr. (I may come off a little vague so google images n you will get a better idea). I'm going through the same situation except I already have two tripods.

Real right stuff sells good L plates. Makes it easier to switch the dslr from landscape to portrait.

I'm still a newb myself but I cannot not stress...RESEARCH



-william- sent via tapatalk
 
C

cbg

Senior Member
One thing that I haven't seen metioned is that as soon as you start to raise the center column, your support begins to weaken. You really want a tripod that is tall enough without raising the center column. I think that Thom Hogan mentioned that in his tripod article.

I completely agree with fotojack on load limits. You can never have too much of a load limit, but you can certainly have too little. I'd much rather have a tripod that will support 20+ lbs with 10 lbs of gear on it than one rated at 11 lbs with the same gear on it.

Colin
 
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F

fotojack

Senior Member
cbg said:
One thing that I haven't seen metioned is that as soon as you start to raise the center column, your support begins to weaken. You really want a tripod that is tall enough without raising the center column. I think that Thom Hogan mentioned that in his tripod article.Colin
Click to expand...

Well...it's not that it weakens, but becomes less stable. However, it all depends on how much center column you have exposed. The closer your camera is to the tripod platform, the better, naturally. It's just simple physics. Then again, it depends on what the tripod is made of. Carbon fiber is extremely strong, yet flexible. Aluminum is also strong, yet less flexible (stiffer). Carbon fiber is expensive because of the multi layers it uses in it's construction. Aluminum is far less expensive, at the cost of weight. There's always a trade off somewhere along the line. I guess it all depends on how much your wallet can stand. :)
 
Dooku77

Dooku77

Senior Member
What about a carbon monopod? I found the sirui 326 model. 6 section carbon monopod. Supports up to 22lbs. I might get this one. I do a lot of moving around so this might be a better fit for me.

Willie C
 
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