A tripod anecdote

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 7:21 pm

I figured this was appropriate for the beginner's photography forum. I've recently learned my lesson about the value of a good tripod and I wanted to encourage others to do the same. There have been many many times when wandering around on some photographic expedition that I've thought "man, this would be a nice shot if only I could stop down enough for good DOF" but didn't have a tripod. Now I almost always carry one, except when its impractical (for example hiking up a mountain).

About two months ago I picked up a very solid set of tripod legs and a good head... this thing wasn't too expensive, about $250 canadian for the whole setup, but it's made a world of a difference for me. In the past two months I've seen a monumental improvement in the quality of my photos, at least by my own judgement. Obviously I'm no Ansel Adams, and I've got a long long way to go, but the difference it makes in both the ability to get shots AND in just plain sharpness is phenomenal. Even my lowly $100 18-55mm canon "kit lens" that came with my digital SLR, a lens that I've heard referred to as a "dog chew toy" on other forums, is giving me some very nice results.

So go get yourself a good tripod. The bigger and heavier the better; you get best results when you can get your camera to the right height without using the center column, which tends to vibrate. My tripod legs stand over 5 and a half feet tall without extending the column. Skip the plastic toy - if it has braces sticking out from the legs towards the center column it's probably a piece of crap.

Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Posts: 452 Location: Gloucester, UK

I agree with everything here apart from the 'heavy' bit. A good tripod doesn't have to weigh a ton. There are a number of tripods on the market with a hook at the bottom of the centre column from which either the camera bag, or a bag containing rocks can be hung. This was you can greatly increase stability without carting the extra weight with you. Naturally you collect the rocks at the site rather than taking them from home :-)

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 4:17 am

I've actually got two tripods. A real strong heavy one, for when I know before time I'll be needing one, and a light one in a bag, for hiking etc. The light tripod travels in my car permanently, and I've done quite a few hiking trails with it slung in it's bag, over my shoulder.

I have to say that I agree with Walter23. Since I've gotten the tripod (Coupled with the timer function) my quality and sharpness have really gotten much better!

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:31 am

good point. mine is light because i travel a lot - i'm going to add my own hook on it when i get my hands on a drill. my girlfriend's can be adjusted to all sorts of crazy angles for macro shots (benbo). This does seem to cut down on stability sometimes - but it's a tradeoff for the extra versitility.

Joined: 22 Aug 2005 Posts: 1875 Location: BRISTOL ENGLAND

Quote:

There are a number of tripods on the market with a hook at the bottom of the centre column from which either the camera bag, or a bag containing rocks can be hung.

This is good in principle until the wind pci ups and resonates through the straps on you bag!

I brought a Manfrotto knockoff as advertised on ebay and posted here somewhere which Im very pleased with.

Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 60 Location: UTAH

i just bought one off ebay. its a knock off of manfrotto. killer deal. i could have paid over 250 for the real deal but i paid 60 for it with shipping. I even had a freind that got one for 40 with shipping. www.amnova.com i think is the place to get more info on them. but go to ebay to buy it they are tons cheaper than the amnova sight.
Now go get one.

oh and some one posted a report of one in the forums here that is were i found out about them.

Joined: 22 Aug 2005 Posts: 1875 Location: BRISTOL ENGLAND

Digz wrote:

I brought a Manfrotto knockoff as advertised on ebay and posted here somewhere which Im very pleased with.

chunk wrote:

i just bought one off ebay. its a knock off of manfrotto.....oh and some one posted a report of one in the forums here that is were i found out about them.

Seems like theres an echo here!

Thats the same place I got mine and Im very pleased with it!

Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 60 Location: UTAH

well i suppose that means that everyone should go and buy one. This echo is a good one!!!

Joined: 22 Aug 2005 Posts: 1875 Location: BRISTOL ENGLAND

yeah everyone should!

echo echo echo ;-)

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 228 Location: Connecticut, USA

walter23 wrote:

if it has braces sticking out from the legs towards the center column it's probably a piece of crap.

Why is this I'm wondering? I'm using a pretty old tripod that belonged to my father. It's a SLIK, it seems pretty sturdy. It's pretty big, I would say it's about 5 feet tall before I have to use the center column, it certainly weighs a ton. I haven't used the braces but they are adjustable and I thought they were just to help get different angles depending on the situation. What's wrong with those? Maybe we're talking about two different things.

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 5:45 pm

Alicewave wrote:

I haven't used the braces but they are adjustable and I thought they were just to help get different angles depending on the situation. What's wrong with those? Maybe we're talking about two different things.

I guess there could be good ones. Most inexpensive tripods that use them seem to be using them to squeeze a bit more stability out of a crappy plastic or otherwise poorly made, shaky tripod.

Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 1:42 am

walter23 wrote:

Alicewave wrote:

I haven't used the braces but they are adjustable and I thought they were just to help get different angles depending on the situation. What's wrong with those? Maybe we're talking about two different things.

I guess there could be good ones. Most inexpensive tripods that use them seem to be using them to squeeze a bit more stability out of a crappy plastic or otherwise poorly made, shaky tripod.

That's my idea as well. Had one, chucked it, got a better one!

Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Posts: 452 Location: Gloucester, UK

Alicewave wrote:

walter23 wrote:

if it has braces sticking out from the legs towards the center column it's probably a piece of crap.

I'm using a pretty old tripod that belonged to my father. It's a SLIK, it seems pretty sturdy. It's pretty big, I would say it's about 5 feet tall before I have to use the center column, it certainly weighs a ton. I haven't used the braces but they are adjustable and I thought they were just to help get different angles depending on the situation. What's wrong with those? Maybe we're talking about two different things.

Yup. I have a SLIK88, with adjustable leg braces. It is built like a brick ****house and weighs about as much. I believe walter23's comments were aimed more at the cheaper tripods with fixed bracing.

Premium Member Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 2020

walter23 wrote:

So go get yourself a good tripod. The bigger and heavier the better; you get best results when you can get your camera to the right height without using the center column, which tends to vibrate. My tripod legs stand over 5 and a half feet tall without extending the column. Skip the plastic toy - if it has braces sticking out from the legs towards the center column it's probably a piece of crap.

For the beginners out there, like me, this is VERY good advice. I've spent the last several months looking to replace a Slik tripod that I cursed (loudly) every time I tried to adjust it. Agonizing. I considered an $80.00 model from Best Buy. But something about the feel of it convinced me that I just end up swearing at it again. Having read this thread and Walter's advice I decided to set the budget a little higher. (As a woodworker, I've found that you save very little, in the end, buying cheap tools.)

Finally settled on theBogen / Manfrotto 3021Pro Tripod with 322RC2 Grip Action Ballhead

The difference is unbelieveable and worth every penny.

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 228 Location: Connecticut, USA

Wow even from the picture of it, it definitely looks sturdier than the one I have. Now I see the difference.

Now I have a question. This is going to be a serious newbie question, but why is it that I so rarely see photographers shooting with a tripod? Sometimes using a tripod is impractical, especially if you want to be able to move around a lot, if you're taking candid shots of people for example. This is something I am struggling with as I do not have a very steady hand.