Tripod guide

[Narcosynthesis]

Having a look online and in various camera shops, there is a pretty big range of tripods available, from tiny tabletop ones to the big professional models, so hopefully this can help narrow the choice down by giving a few options and letting you work out what you need in a tripod.

Firstly, as a rough guide: height, stability, cost - choose two

Some things to consider -

Size - ideally you want to have the camera up fairly high (at head height ideally) to make it easier to work with and use, but this often comes with the downside of a larger, heavier tripod. On the other hand you can get much smaller tripods, but those are generally pretty short extended, or rather wobbly when fully extended.

Stability - this follows on from the size issue, as the heavier and larger the tripod, the more stable a platform it will give you to work from, some of the smaller tripods I have seen really do scare me a bit when I saw how much the legs flex and move about with a weight on the top, and that doesn't even include the effects of wind and other conditions (I may have inadvertently lost a tripod in the sea after I misjudged its weight and the wind blew it off after I had removed the camera...). When you are considering different tripods, find out how much your normal camera weighs and compare that to the rated capacities the manufacturers give, for a stable tripod you want to make sure the tripod is rated (ideally quite a bit) higher than the cameras weight.
Some tripods do give the option of hanging a weight to the centre column, which can help in adverse weather like winds, but do bear the weight limits in mind.

Head - usually built in with cheaper models, though the more expensive tripods will come with legs and head separately so you can choose exactly the setup you want. The first thing I would look for is a quick release plate - this gives you the ability to quickly and easily attach/detach the camera from the tripod (through a plate that screws to the mount on the camera, rather than screwing the camera directly on the tripod) which I would consider as pretty essential for what we do so you can easily stow the camera safely in a bag and not have it stuck to the larger and more cumbersome tripod when jumping walls or other trickier routes or in the event you have to shift yourselves rather quickly. Beyond that most cheaper tripod come with a basic three way head which does the job, and if you get the choice I like using a ballhead which is quicker and easier to setup and use when you don't have as much time to faff about.

Price - Obviously the more you pay, the better a unit you will get, from a wobbly and short £15 tripod up to a much more stable and usable tripod costing £150 or more. This is a choice based on what you are comfortable carrying and where you intend using it. A larger heavier tripod is a much better choice for photography, but comes with the downside of being more of a pain to carry and a larger loss if something happens to it. For exploring it can sometimes be worth it to live with the downsides and get a cheaper more disposable model if there is going to be a chance of damage and giving you one less thing to worry about taking with you if you need to shift quickly and can dump it.


Some options to look at to cover some of the different options above:
Asda/Tesco £10 specials - pretty rubbish tripods by most accounts, but most importantly rather cheap, so can be considered almost a disposable item and re bought should one be damaged or lost every so often.

Velbon CX mini - decent enough price, tiny packed (~30cm) and offsets a lot of the stability problems by being limited in height (~64cm extended). If you can work with the small height then a cheap and workable tripod.

£30-£40 Jessops/Velbon tripods - taller than the Velbon mini, but with the downside of a lowered stability extended and larger packed weight. Really a midpoint between the cheapest tripods but before you get to the better quality, more expensive ones.

Manfrotto 785 - moving up another step in price, giving you a nice small package, but also stronger and more stable than the cheaper options. More appropriate for compact or bridge cameras, though can be used with some of the smaller SLR's (but watch the weight limits).

Above that you are getting into the larger 'photography' tripods designed for larger cameras and providing a more stable platform at the expense of size and weight. These include things like the Manfrotto 190x, Velbon Sherpas and Slik tripods.

There are also a few oddball approaches.
http://www.instructables.com/id/String-Tripod/ is a cool option for being a very cheap diy option that can help in marginal conditions where the shutter speed is heading towards being just too slow to handhold.

The gorillapod is my other favourite for being a completely oddball approach, not really a replacement for a normal tripod, but brilliant to carry when you don't really want to bother with a full tripod, or as an option to get some cool perspectives - to give a few examples, I have used mine balanced on top of beams and up ladders where a tripod just wouldn't fit or work, and places like up cranes where a tripod is cumbersome to cart up and there are plenty of railings and so on to mount a gorillapod on.
I have the SLR-zoom model with a Manfrotto 484 ballhead on it, so quite expensive but definately worth the money to me - The SLR model, despite the name isn't really up to holding a full sized SLR (a Canon 350d or similar) as we found the 'neck' couldn't hold the camera steady at an angle, so I would be looking at the SLR-zoom model.

Any comments, edits or questions, give me a shout.

[Voodoo]

For exploring I have a Star tripod from Asda because as you say if it gets damaged I can chuck it. I just bought a Gorilla SLR from Asda for £17 and its truely awesome. Some of the angles you can bend it into is great.

[Voodoo]

Yeah they are down from £30 to £17 so I grabbed one whilst it was cheap, :thumb

[Everso]

You might also want to consider the Uniloc/Benbo range. These are quick and easy to ser up. Stable and very flexable. The largest in the range is a little on the unweildy side but will double up as a "thumping the suspect floor" pole - something I could have done with when I fell through the floor today.

I will be taking it along on all trips from now on.

[styru]

There are also a few oddball approaches.
http://www.instructables.com/id/String-Tripod/ is a cool option for being a very cheap diy option that can help in marginal conditions where the shutter speed is heading towards being just too slow to handhold.



I wouldn't call that odd-ball, or only suitable for 'just too slow'

This pic was taken using a 'string-pod' with an exposure of over 3 seconds..

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/styru/stringpodsample.jpg

(and believe me, if you saw how much my hands shake on a bad day..... :D

[Brick_Man]

SRS microsystems are currently doing a slik 400dx (same as arena pro) legs with decent hefty weight pan head (can run without one of hte handles), which does exactly the same as a manfrotto 190x, but comes with head and posted next day deliery for £72. I'm VERY happy with mine.
and totally rebuildable for when its stuffed full of used 'items' following a drain explore, or you break a clasp etc...
also takes normal 3/8" threaded heads so can stick whatever head you like on it.

pretty sure its lighter than the 190 aswell.

[coyote]

Have a look at Redsnapper tripods:

http://www1.clikpic.com/Redsnapper/photo_1036442.html

I cant really recommend them as such as i have never used one but they look pretty good value. Certainly look like they could take a bit of abuse.

[Brick_Man]

with the redsnapper pods they are built very well and lots of thoughtful additions on them.

BUT the legs lock out by twisting collars on each section, which are a royal pain, very slow to operate, nad you can never be quite sure how long until one works its way loose and your pride and joy falls over.

[miket1994]

tesco have a little range of cheap ones


http://direct.tesco.com/q/N.1999769/Nr.99.aspx

[coyote]

Valid point! Calumet do a pretty good range of own brand tripods, monopods and heads http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/Studio/Tripods/Calumet/?page=1. Not the cheapest but wont break the bank either. And they have proper locking legs!

[Brick_Man]

looked at the calumet ones, but wasn't sure you could get parts for them if you break something. So stuck with my Slik/Arena. been used quite a bit since I got it, sure it weights like 500g more than a modo, and doesn't fold down tiny, but damn its sturdy, very happy with it.

Also makes for a handy thing to carry around the scarier parts of the country :)

[misterjk]

I got the National Geographic tripod the other month and it's pretty good, size-wise and weightwise. It has a ball head and a (admittedly quite flimsy) turnable adjuster to control this. It is manufactured by Manfrotto so you can count on the build quality and is a relatively inexpensive way to get a very good tripod. It also fits in the rucksack with the SLR and other gadgets.

[flyingmonkeycorps]

I've got a Slik Pro400DX which is spot on but a bit bulky for lugging around when shinning up drainpipes and such, so I was looking at a Gorillapod. I thought they were a bit of a gimmick but they seem to get some good reviews, anyone else use them?

[Brick_Man]

there is now the gorillapod 'slr' made from connectors with much more friction, but still wouldn't trust one. DECENT micro tripods do a similar job (manfrotto do one for about £15 + £25), or the olympus beanbag if you want to go superlightweight. Also doubles up as a comfy cushion.

[[PhotoshoppedToDeath]]

Manfrotto 190CX PRO3. carbon fibre.. nice and light yet can take a beating.
460MG magnesium head, small leightweight and durable. my fave combination.

bit expensive but id rather pay for the durability than constantly re buying gear. hate carrying about dead weight on my back as well.. especially climbing.

[Squirrell 911]

;460249']Manfrotto 190CX PRO3. carbon fibre.. nice and light yet can take a beating.
460MG magnesium head, small leightweight and durable. my fave combination.

bit expensive but id rather pay for the durability than constantly re buying gear. hate carrying about dead weight on my back as well.. especially climbing.

Nice choice of tripod but at that price they can get fucked!!

Mine is also a Manfrotto but its a Modo 785B which if you look at the specs side by side beat the carbon fibre one on height when open, closed length, weight and above all cost. The only thing it beats mine on is carrying weight and I am not prepared to pay an extra £150 to be able to put an extra 4 kilo of equipment on a tripod which is where this debate seems to be going i:e lightness. If a £48 tripod falls out of my bag at a great height I will be annoyed but no where near as pissed as you will be when your £200 tripod goes for a dive :D

[[PhotoshoppedToDeath]]

true.. i usually go for the lowepro rucksacks.. they have the tripod holders on some of them.even the i have a bti of rope tying it onto the bad as well to keep it on. bit more uncomfortable but it makes it rigid to my rucksack

maybe i should bite the bullet and get 8k for one of these gyro's...

and maybe the sun will shine out of my arse at that price. thats a years worth of uni loan for me! lol..

[Winchester]

I'd beg to differ. I've had a £175 tripod since January and have found it to be fantastic. I'd previously used a £50 offering from Velbon, which wasn't particularly good, became chipped, unstable and poor, after about 6 months of using it.

My Manfrotto has been caving, been up buildings, through fences, been covered in crap, been soaked, and it works as well as it did the day I got it.

While it was an expensive accessory, I do not regret it a tiny little bit. And if I drop it from a great height, it'd be because I wasn't being careful enough!

[parkus.]

Question: are the threads atop of a tripod a universal size? or do they differ by camera manufacturer?

Cheers :thumb

[Oxygen Thief]

I'd beg to differ. I've had a £175 tripod since January and have found it to be fantastic. I'd previously used a £50 offering from Velbon, which wasn't particularly good, became chipped, unstable and poor, after about 6 months of using it.

My Manfrotto has been caving, been up buildings, through fences, been covered in crap, been soaked, and it works as well as it did the day I got it.



...so has my £50 Manfrotto :confused:

[styru]

Question: are the threads atop of a tripod a universal size? or do they differ by camera manufacturer?

Cheers :thumb

99.999% the same

(With th exception of some Hassleblad and very early Soviet SLRs (pre 1950ish))

[styru]

Question: are the threads atop of a tripod a universal size? or do they differ by camera manufacturer?

Cheers :thumb

Sadly what isn't satandard is the design of the quick release platforms.

Different tripod makers use different designs, and so if (like me) you have a full size and a mini tripod that are different makes you can't just keep the platform on the camera (ideally, of course they would both be the same make - but life is rarely ideal)

[Conchords]

Question: are the threads atop of a tripod a universal size? or do they differ by camera manufacturer?

Cheers :thumb

If your an engineering nerd like me and fancy making your own tripod someday then almost all cameras use a 1/4" Whitworth thread.

[pacef8]

http://www.aldine.co.uk/redsnapper/contents.html

redsnapper, mutts nuts bomb proof fast delivery.

[Brick_Man]

sure its not 3/8"???? I've always been told thats what they are.

personal taste prob with them redsnapper ones is the leg locks, got to twist em, your never quite sure when they are actually locked,wheras cam locks, are either locked, or not, no middle ground. Otherwise I would have got one.

Picked up an extra 'foot' for my tripod this week, makes shooting on digi + film platforms so much faster, hang em both round neck, then just switch to whichever I want to use. cost £12 mind :S
Could have been worse lol.

[Conchords]

Turns out we're both right :P. Larger cameras are often 3/8" according to Wikipedia but I'm not sure how big a camera it refers to. Mines is definitely 14" though.

[parkus.]

Cheers for the replies, most helpful ;)

[Well Wasp]

Turns out we're both right :P. Larger cameras are often 3/8" according to Wikipedia but I'm not sure how big a camera it refers to. Mines is definitely 14" though.

i just discovered after gettin a medium format camera it takes a differnt size thread, after a bit of playing i found out that its actually the thread size for the head mount, it is a massive camera. so i can mount it directly too legs, i also found that an old bal head i have actually the mount skrew comes out and can be reversed to the correct size :thumb

unfortunatly non of my tripods with hot shoes have this option

i think this is only an issue on some of the older big cameras, and the tripod head with the changable mounting skrew i think is also gettin on a bit now

[Bunk3r]

^Well Wasp, Ive just bought a ball head attachment for my tripod (would recommend it to anyone it gives so much more flexibility and speed, I should have got a tripod with a ball head in the first place!) and it has a 3/8” (big) hole in the base with a 3/8” to 1/4” (small/normal camera) screw in bush, if you can get hold of one of these bushes you can put it in your MF camera and use it as normal (I’m using mine as I’ve bolted it to my tripod with a 1/4” bolt (mine wasn’t designed to have the head changed) but someone may have a spare or you maybe able to get one from somewhere!)

edit: or i could simply have said get one of these adapters for your MF camera:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAMERA-TRIPOD-THREAD-BUSH-adapter-PRO-3-8-to-1-4in-NEW_W0QQitemZ390024092108

(and i still recommend a ball head)

[Well Wasp]

thats a bit ideal, if any body has one of those spair, i could pay pal them a few pound for it.... just pm me :thumb

[Alias]

we used to sell those thread adaptors in London Camera Exchange when I worked there. Try them. They are made by manfrotto

[wasnotgod]

I have just picked up another one of these, i got ride of my last one and have regreted ever since.

clickable thumb.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/wasnotgod/th_benbo_7964.jpg (http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/wasnotgod/?action=view&current=benbo_7964.jpg)

Its a bit heavy thats true and not the sort of thing you could take anywhere, but is more stable than any tripod i have ever owned, each leg moves on its own to get you in the wierdest postions.

And camera removed also makes for a good thrubbing stick should the need arrise.

(not my pic)

[ajuk]

I'm new to this, I do have a big Velbon tripod, but it's not exactly light weight, but I do have a little pocket tripod I keep in my camera bag that I have not used yet.

[Guy90]

Some great selection there! Thinking of making my own, with the most basic of moveable parts- because i'm after something i can fold away to put in my rucksack! Will keep you all updated if I come up with something :)

[UkRocket]

Argo Do one at the moment for £10, steady one too, Definatly worth the money

[Conchords]

Recently acquired my Dad's old camcorder tripod, it's an Optex T-600, it's made of steel so it's a lot sturdier than my old cheap aluminium one ;)

[goan]

got one from cash generator or one of them little pawn shops, canny nifty little thing for a tenner. Works fine with my olympus bridge cam

[Narcosynthesis]

For anyone looking at the Manfrotto 055/190 size/price end of the tripod scale, I should point out Giottos are now doing some very nice tripods that match up to the Manfrotto ones rather nicely.

I forget the name of the legs I actually have, but in the shop the compared well to the 190xprob legs from Manfrotto and came out about level overall - the Giottos are both cheaper and a wee bit lighter to carry, but the mechanics of the centre column and the system to switch it from vertical to horizontal are not quite so pretty to look at and use (though are perfectly functional anyway, if a bit more industrial looking).. Heightwise I cannot actually remember, other than both were more than tall enough for me.

I paired mine with a Manfrotto 486rc2 balhead, purely because my monopod, gorillapod and old tripod (and therefore spare qr plates) are all Manfrotto already, so it made sense to keep the same qr plate - I didn't investigate the heads on offer, but if they are anything like the legs they should be very nice.

[major_tom]

i run a Manfrotto 190XB/3030 combo. tough as fuckin nails, been chucked over 3m high barbed wire, used as a fire escape hook, arrested my fall down a few snowbanks, etc.

i tried the carbon fibre version before i bought it, but the 1.5g weight savings were not enough to justify the extra £60 in the price tag.

[Ali_Explores]

Dunno if its been covered already, but i just got round to getting myself a decent tripod for exploring, and came accross the Hahnel "30 lite". Its extremely sturdy, has a ball head and macro legs capability so you can get the legs almost parallel to the ground for super supprt in those windy cinditions or if you have a ground level subject. Metal construction so far from flimsy and pretty light. Sadly a little too big for an average sized rucksack, but you do get a carrying bag with it :thumb

http://www.hahnel.ie/index.cfm?page=tripods&id=57&pId=57

[dolomite]

Dunno if its been covered already, but i just got round to getting myself a decent tripod for exploring, and came accross the Hahnel "30 lite". Its extremely sturdy, has a ball head and macro legs capability so you can get the legs almost parallel to the ground for super supprt in those windy cinditions or if you have a ground level subject. Metal construction so far from flimsy and pretty light. Sadly a little too big for an average sized rucksack, but you do get a carrying bag with it :thumb

http://www.hahnel.ie/index.cfm?page=tripods&id=57&pId=57

what a coinicidence I came to this thread to post a link to the same tripod asking for opinions! I want something lightweight and have up £50 and this looks OK. Would this still be solid with a DSLR and 200mm zoom?

[badwabbit]

FWIW I have two tripods - my main one is the medium Calumet one. I think it cost about £70 and it's fairly heavy, but nicely sturdy. The only thing I don't like about it is the quick release platform and locking mechanism - it's not very reliable. I've had cameras fall out of when it was closed and locked... (!)

However, it's a bit too big and heavy to take on explores, so I have a cheapie £15 thing which is small and light and I can just about get it into my rucksack and thus not advertise I'm off to photograph something. Not very sturdy, and you have to be careful when doing HDR's, but otherwise it does the job.

I want a gorillapod though...

[WB]

For those that explore underground stuff and use a compact camera, these are ideal: Konig Traveller (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Konig-Traveller-Tripod/dp/B0017PEBZW)

Cheap enough not to worry too much if you break/lose it, very light and compact which is just what you need when squeezing through tight spaces.

Quality is 'Good enough' for a compact camera, but for big heavy-ass DSLRs or SLRs i'd recommend something a bit sturdier...

This tripod I use exclusively for underground exploring, for anything else its a bit too flimsy but for £7 i'm not gonna care too much if it gets covered in shit/broken/lost/stolen :thumb

[1000101]

For those that explore underground stuff and use a compact camera, these are ideal: Konig Traveller (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Konig-Traveller-Tripod/dp/B0017PEBZW)

Cheap enough not to worry too much if you break/lose it, very light and compact which is just what you need when squeezing through tight spaces.

Quality is 'Good enough' for a compact camera, but for big heavy-ass DSLRs or SLRs i'd recommend something a bit sturdier...

This tripod I use exclusively for underground exploring, for anything else its a bit too flimsy but for £7 i'm not gonna care too much if it gets covered in shit/broken/lost/stolen :thumb

Cheers for the link, I think I'll get one of those when my poker winnings go into my bank account, or pay day comes, whichever is first lol =). I need a tripod, my hands shake like crazy...

[pseudo]

Has anyone any experience with either the slik sprint pro or slik sprint mini? They cost about £60 new each or deals can be had. The mini folds down very small, which is inconspicuous strapped to my bag or the pro has more reach. Are they study and reliable in practice?

I've currently got a large horrible jessops thing (freebie) which I mostly use, and have a cheapie throwaway but it takes so long exending and collapsing it.

[mick599]

Just a small point I have owned a Benbo for many years now and can prove it will support 80KG meaning step ladder and tripod in one, Great bit of kit but don't think I would trust one of the new ones, Get an old one of Ebay.

[johnsalomon]

I started a "definitive" tripod guide, and xan_asmodi fleshed it out a bit. I've abandoned it since DIY'ing a good carry rig for my Manfrotto which lets me take a fairly big one along easily.

If anyone is bored and wants to adopt it, feel free, it's here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aqu5mnoaqe0XdGlUSVZtay0yZm9tVXVJeGlodXo1b kE&authkey=CKTJpusH&hl=en#gid=0

[mistspark]

Has anyone any experience with either the slik sprint pro or slik sprint mini?

I have a lot of experience with this Slik Sprint Pro 3w: 5 years of non-stop usage with dslr in all types of rissian underground structures
One problem occurred with it – the moving lock fully collapsed, the spring went out, so I simply put a screw with two locking nuts instead – the process of installing and removing of dslr become fully manual finger locking.
http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m528/mistspark/slik.jpg
This tripod is extremely convenient in height change because of the absence of stupid low ties, good stand against all mud, sand, metroshit, water and so on.

[styru]

I started a "definitive" tripod guide, and xan_asmodi fleshed it out a bit. I've abandoned it since DIY'ing a good carry rig for my Manfrotto which lets me take a fairly big one along easily.

If anyone is bored and wants to adopt it, feel free, it's here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aqu5mnoaqe0XdGlUSVZtay0yZm9tVXVJeGlodXo1b kE&authkey=CKTJpusH&hl=en#gid=0

Well its a good start, you've got number of segments and leg weight - but why no column to show number of legs? :p

[johnsalomon]

Well its a good start, you've got number of segments and leg weight - but why no column to show number of legs? :p

Because I have separate documents for the bipod, quaterpod, pentapod, hexapod, septapod, octopod, nonapod, decapod, and by the time I got to the sescentiduovigintipods, the weight of the all-terrain motorized tractors required to transport the things started to become an issue, and would you like to maintain the list? You're welcome to it.

[Fat-Explorer]

Been using a Velbon CX 480 for video work for a number of years, hope to extend this to stills when I buy a DSLR.

[TranKmasT]

As anyone heard of these "3 Legged thing"
http://www.3leggedthing.com/

I'm after a lighter, smaller set up. I currently use manfrotto 055CL, with manfrotto 322Rc2 grip head. It's very solid but it's like carrying scaffold around weighing in at 3.2Kg amd 700mm long folded.

I'm looking at the X1a Adrian (there range are named after Rock Legends) with ballhead kit by 3 legged thing but haven't come across any reviews of it. It's only 420mm closed with the ballhead inverted and half the weight of my current setup.

Wondered if anyone here has one?

[johnsalomon]

As anyone heard of these "3 Legged thing"


*snicker*