Just one for all the photographers on here:
I have a DSLR and now feel the need to purchase a tripod. Could anyone recommend any? They all seem very technical and I'm a bit of a novice...
Ta x
Sex God
Join the most popular community of UK swingers now
Login
Tripod Advice
last reply
40 replies
3.9k views
1 watcher
0 likes
Sex God
My personal preference is for Manfrotto
Do you have a dedicated photo shop in your locality. They will offer the best advice on what you errrr wish to use it for. As with most things go for the best you can afford.
Argos supply a good range with Manfrotto being on a semi-professional level. If you are planning more intimate photos you might consider a remote release. Most DLSR's should have a connection for a cable and release switch. The cable or radio signal will allow operation at 3-5m or more will allow you 'both' to be in the picture. The camera will undoubtedly have a timer but this will be useless for more intimate photos.
Smooth2
Argos supply a good range with Manfrotto being on a semi-professional level. If you are planning more intimate photos you might consider a remote release. Most DLSR's should have a connection for a cable and release switch. The cable or radio signal will allow operation at 3-5m or more will allow you 'both' to be in the picture. The camera will undoubtedly have a timer but this will be useless for more intimate photos.
Smooth2
Sex God
Hi Nola 
Don't know whether this is a bit too noddy for what you're looking for (I'm certainly no keen amateur or expert when it comes to photography) but I love my Gorillapod - great for attaching to awkward places.
Don't know whether this is a bit too noddy for what you're looking for (I'm certainly no keen amateur or expert when it comes to photography) but I love my Gorillapod - great for attaching to awkward places.
Sex God
Hey Varken 
Thanks for the advice thus far.
I'm not looking for it for 'intimate' photos :shock: - indeed I can't think of anything worse than looking at myself in various naughty poses! - but do want to be able to take night shots and long exposure stuff.
Basically I'm an amateur who wants to get lots better!
Off to google Manfrotto...
Thanks for the advice thus far.
I'm not looking for it for 'intimate' photos :shock: - indeed I can't think of anything worse than looking at myself in various naughty poses! - but do want to be able to take night shots and long exposure stuff.
Basically I'm an amateur who wants to get lots better!
Off to google Manfrotto...
Orgasminator
Quote by Meeko
My personal preference is for Manfrotto
Would love one these. I got a cheap tripod from Jessops a few years back, was ok for the compact camera but I need to invest in a decent one for the DLSR sometime.
Try one of these. They are excellent and indestructible fitted with a laser level head it's the only one you'll need in a lifetime:-
Sex God
Quote by Gufuncouple
My personal preference is for Manfrotto
Would love one these. I got a cheap tripod from Jessops a few years back, was ok for the compact camera but I need to invest in a decent one for the DLSR sometime.
Try one of these. They are excellent and indestructible fitted with a laser level head it's the only one you'll need in a lifetime:-
Ouch! £319 without the head?!
Erm... maybe not quite as expensive as that (alas I've never met me a kinky sugar daddy yet!
) Quote by noladreams
Hey Varken
Thanks for the advice thus far.
I'm not looking for it for 'intimate' photos :shock: - indeed I can't think of anything worse than looking at myself in various naughty poses! - but do want to be able to take night shots and long exposure stuff.
Basically I'm an amateur who wants to get lots better!
Off to google Manfrotto...
A lot of your decision will ultimatley be based on what you intend to use it for, judging from above where you say you want to take night shots on manual B stop modes then you'll need to consider how portable it is and the ease of which it can be set up and taken down again. It needs to be sturdy but not too sturdy that you need to work out to carry the damn thing! That's why I used to have 2 - 1 heavy virtually always set up in the studio and then a light portable one for using on location, both Velbon.
Manfrotto are good as well as Velbon and nowadays as well as aluminium tripods we're talking carbon fibre, plastic(avoid!)titanium and even basalt ones!
Like I said decide what you need of for and you'll find that price range will be considerable to then it depends on how much you can afford to pay.
Remember a tripod is for life and not just for Christmas! And yes i stil have my light portable Velbon from 25 years ago - groan, so long ago! Sex God
Quote by noladreams
Hey Varken
Thanks for the advice thus far.
I'm not looking for it for 'intimate' photos :shock: - indeed I can't think of anything worse than looking at myself in various naughty poses! - but do want to be able to take night shots and long exposure stuff.
Basically I'm an amateur who wants to get lots better!
Off to google Manfrotto...
Spoil sport
Orgasminator
Quote by noladreams
My personal preference is for Manfrotto
Would love one these. I got a cheap tripod from Jessops a few years back, was ok for the compact camera but I need to invest in a decent one for the DLSR sometime.
Try one of these. They are excellent and indestructible fitted with a laser level head it's the only one you'll need in a lifetime:-
Ouch! £319 without the head?!
Erm... maybe not quite as expensive as that (alas I've never met me a kinky sugar daddy yet!
) You've gotta get good head somewhere.....
Sex God
Try fleabay for decent second hand ones Nola
Dek has a *few* Mainly gitzo (uber expensive and lightweight) and manfrotto ones
Dek has a *few* Mainly gitzo (uber expensive and lightweight) and manfrotto ones
Sex God
Quote by Tan--Kinky
Try fleabay for decent second hand ones Nola
Dek has a *few* Mainly gitzo (uber expensive and lightweight) and manfrotto ones
Oooh never thought about ebay!
Ta chick - good idea.
xxx
Sex God
Any reasonably priced one with a hook underneath to hang your bag off...a reversible central column is a nice feature too,I wouldn't worry too much about the name on it (photographers are such tarts for labels) but if you plan to carry it any distance check the weight....I hardly ever even take mine out now I've bought a monopod...but I have a couple of cheap tripods both nice and stable both just as good as something that costs three times as much....I haven't got one of these but they do look good....I love a gadget me
Sex God
It may be worth looking at a dinky little one - so long as it will take the weight of your camera - great for putting on top of the car to take pics. No need to haul a full length one out every time then. 
Sex God
I'd like a more traditional tripod rather than the Joby gorillapod style.
Hadn't considered the weight. Hmmm, lots to think about now!
Hadn't considered the weight. Hmmm, lots to think about now!
Sex God
Quote by Cubes
Don't worry about the weight. Just find yourself a hunky sub to carry it for you! ;-)
Filth!
But yeah... good idea! :rascal:
Orgasminator
What ever one you get test it out beforehand!
I made the mistake of getting a cheap jessops one which was ok on my G2, but when I got a full size SLR the problem was when tilted to do portrait the head/DSLR attatchment couldnt hold the camera without slipping so the camera ends up pointing down :-/
The problem is the head is realy made for a camcorder not a SLR.
Mind you a 24-70 2.8 lens is blody heavy.
I made the mistake of getting a cheap jessops one which was ok on my G2, but when I got a full size SLR the problem was when tilted to do portrait the head/DSLR attatchment couldnt hold the camera without slipping so the camera ends up pointing down :-/
The problem is the head is realy made for a camcorder not a SLR.
Mind you a 24-70 2.8 lens is blody heavy.
Sex God
Quote by piercedJon
The problem is the head is realy made for a camcorder not a SLR.
If you can tilt it to portrait then its not a video camera tripod, just a cheap camera tripod.
Depending on what you want to shoot and where you want to shoot it will determine the tripod(s) you need. I do a fair bit of filming for TV and you soon realise the difference a nice lightweight tripod makes if you're lugging it with a camera for and decent distance. The manfrotto tripods are very good and i've used them for video work my whole career, they're designed to withstand artic conditions to desert storms and they're generally very reliable and serviceable (as well as expensive). For my photography kit, i currently have two tripods. I have a fairly lightweight full size aluminium on i bought about 10years ago for £10, its fine for snappy cams but is struggling with my DSLR as the head is too small. For general use you need a lightweight leg system with a good chunky head (the hook for adding a weight bag for stabilisation is a very good addition if you can get it). I also have the Gorillapod (with the optional ball head) which is excellent for sitting on the car, the floor, a table etc, or to use as a sort of mini monopod/handle- worth looking into for the future. If you plan on going abroard a reasonable amount with it, get a lightweight 5 stage tripod (5 sections to each leg) they aren't the most stable but they will fit in your hand luggage easliy for the occasional steady landscape shot.
So, the short version...Manfrotto, good! lightweight legs, chunky head, good! Gorillapod with ball head, good! 5 section shorty tripod, good!....so just buy one of each when you can :mrgreen:
Sex God
Quote by meat2pleaseu
So, the short version...Manfrotto, good! lightweight legs, chunky head, good! Gorillapod with ball head, good! 5 section shorty tripod, good!....so just buy one of each when you can :mrgreen:
Chunky head? Lightweight legs?
Sorry I'm a bit thick... you couldn't PM me some actual suggestions could you, especially regarding the head bit.
And yes, I am aware of the potential for smutty double entendres...
Manfrotto or Giottos are the obvious choices, due to their quality.
However, to throw another (relatively unknown) name into the ring, try Redsnapper.
I bought one of their tripods after some very good recommendations, and got one of their shoulder bags too, the quality is excellent, and the cost is a lot less than the main players.
I honestly think you can't go too far wrong with this deal:
However, to throw another (relatively unknown) name into the ring, try Redsnapper.
I bought one of their tripods after some very good recommendations, and got one of their shoulder bags too, the quality is excellent, and the cost is a lot less than the main players.
I honestly think you can't go too far wrong with this deal:
Sex God
Cheers, will check them out.
Quote by essex34m
Manfrotto or Giottos are the obvious choices, due to their quality.
However, to throw another (relatively unknown) name into the ring, try Redsnapper.
I bought one of their tripods after some very good recommendations, and got one of their shoulder bags too, the quality is excellent, and the cost is a lot less than the main players.
I honestly think you can't go too far wrong with this deal:
If you are serious about a good tripod but dont want to spend an absolute fortune, I would suggest a Manfrotto 190XPROB £98 on Amazon with a Manfrotto 056 3D Junior Head £23 on Amazon. Light(ish) for a good tripod and steady. OK for the average DSLR, but probably not for heavy weight pro Canon DSLRs.
Hope this helps.
Martin
Hope this helps.
Martin
Sexpert
With photography you do get what you pay for. As you get better you soon find the limitations of cheaper kit, so always buy the best you can afford.
I recommend the Manfrotto 190 tripod:
and the Manfrotto 804RC2 head:
These will serve you well for a long long time.
Rgds
I recommend the Manfrotto 190 tripod:
and the Manfrotto 804RC2 head:
These will serve you well for a long long time.
Rgds
Sex God
Quote by Suffolk-cpl
With photography you do get what you pay for. As you get better you soon find the limitations of cheaper kit, so always buy the best you can afford.
Rgds
I can't agree....the limitations of cheap kit can be a definite boon to the improvement of your skills....you have to think about the picture you want as opposed to snapping away and discarding what you don't want..the best zoom lens you will ever own is a good pair of walking at lomography,polaroid,and many other forms of photography that use the flaws inherent in the kit to their advantage....yes a manfrotto,or giotto may well last longer, but do you need a tripod that will take a lifetimes professional use or one that will take twenty years of occasional use ??
Get a cheap one put a half decent ball head on it or leave the supplied head on (you may find it perfectly adequate to your needs) and try it out...you may decide you don't need a tripod,you may decide you need a better tripod...try it before you decide to invest in what may turn out to be an expensive white elephant in your bag.
When I first started taking pictures (35mm ) I bought the best of everything that I could afford I had flashes, slave flashes, reflectors,stands for things,filters....all manner of things that now sit unused in my back room....non of them will ever replace developing your eye and your imagination...if you have a camera all the other kit you need is in your head.
Caveat...my pictures are adequate I am no great photographer and no amount of expensive kit will ever make me one...it took me a very very long time to find this out and more than a few overpriced gadgets...the few pictures that I am pleased with have been the result of seeing and catching the right moment were taken with the camera on 'auto' and required no darkroom or photomanipulation trickery....it is your eye and the moment that count not your kit
Sexpert
Quote by Staggerlee_BB
When I first started taking pictures (35mm ) I bought the best of everything that I could afford I had flashes, slave flashes, reflectors,stands for things,filters....all manner of things that now sit unused in my back room....non of them will ever replace developing your eye and your imagination...if you have a camera all the other kit you need is in your head.
Caveat...my pictures are adequate I am no great photographer and no amount of expensive kit will ever make me one...it took me a very very long time to find this out and more than a few overpriced gadgets...the few pictures that I am pleased with have been the result of seeing and catching the right moment were taken with the camera on 'auto' and required no darkroom or photomanipulation trickery....it is your eye and the moment that count not your kit
Fair comment, but again, having kit you never use is not the same as buying the best you can afford, that was buying stuff you didn't need.
The trouble is you spend £50 on a cheap Jessops tripod, and think great, nice and cheap, nice and light. But as soon as you take a landscape in a slight breeze, you realise your shots are soft. That's when you see the limitations of cheep kit. So you realise you need a tripod, and that the Jessops one is not good enough, so another £150 later you have a tripod that can do the job.
I think the advice is, if you really do need it, buy the best you can afford, which is suitable for what you need it for. Buy cheep, buy twice.
As for zoom lenes, yes, walk forward, its cheap. But if your doing wildlife shots that's not an option, or you want to throw the subject back ground out of focus, you need a fast zoom (say 2.8). And that is NOT cheap (~£900). You can NOT get the same soft bokeh with a cheap zoom (say 5.6).
As for you last para, yes, there is no substitute for a good eye, but if you have the best eye in the world and rubbish glass, and camera, then the shots will suffer. Sorry, but that is the truth. There is nothing wrong with auto, but there is nothing better than crafting a good shot on manual. I think if the right moment presents itself, and you have the right eye to spot it and compose a winning shot, but your kit lets you down, you may think twice about taking the bargin bin route. :-)
Happy snapping
