Tripod advice...

[hoodmeister]

Right, first off, I already have two tripods...

A cheapy Hama jobby (my main one)
And an old skool Velbon affair (for "inside" work)

I have issues with both of these tripods...

The Hama ~ Put simply, it's not as stable as i'd like it to be. Fine for urban shooting, but a less suitable for out & about work. The pan head is also pretty jerky.

The Velbon ~ Solid as a rock, this one is... It's also about as heavy as a rock. Back breaking stuff

So i'm after something a bit nicer, basically. What I want from a tripod :

Weight has to be reasonable. I want to be able to go hiking etc. with this thang, so I don't want a lead weight on my back

Stability! This is what's most important. It needs to be easy[ish] to set up on uneven surfaces. Spirit levels would be a great help here. The head on my hama is more than a bit flimsy, a plasticky affair with a lot of swing in it. At dodgy angles with a heavy lens, the damn thing shakes (a very small amount) just from the motion of the shutter opening. Not good.

Versatility. I like a nice low minimum usage height, I often find lower is better for a lot of stuff. It also needs to be extendable all the way to at least 1500cm though, and anywhere inbetween. Higher is better, but not needed. The head also needs to be 3-way (pan, horizontal tilt, vertical tilt).


Now there's a lot of tripods out there, and not a lot of reviews (that I can find). Except for the really high end stuff, which is way out of my price range. I'd be hoping to spend less than £100...

So does anyone have any recommendations here? I'm not expecting a carbon-fibre super stable jobby, but there must be a happy medium between my super-cheap jobby and the super-high end stuff...

[menthel]

I don't know very much about tripods, but keep an eye on warehouse express' bargain basement as they have some good prices for stuff in there.

[hoodmeister]

Will do, thanks!

[hoodmeister]

Bloody ell' you aint joking.

Some very cheap (compared to retail price) repaired tripods there...

Do people think i'd be OK with a repaired one?

[hoodmeister]

Am very tempted by this repaired Manfrotto 443 @ Warehouse express. About £90 delivered...

A bit of googling reveals it's an oldie (discontinued) but a goodie. Very light (Carbon Fibre) and very sturdy.

Of course, i'd still need to pick up a head. Hmmmm.

[menthel]

My sigma lens was one of their repaired types from there and it is as new, an absolute cracker!

[shiato storm]

which velbon do you have?

[hoodmeister]

I'm not sure, it's a really old tripod... It's marked as a "cine elevator" O-o

However, after muchos research, i've pretty much set my heart on this (over budget) combo :

Manfrotto 190ProB tripod

Manfrotto 115 3D super junior head

Whaddy think?

[shiato storm]

i got a velbon sherpa 250n

[shiato storm]

i got a velbon 250n, sturdy and not too heavy...

[hoodmeister]

i got a velbon 250n, sturdy and not too heavy...

Just checked it out, looks like a nice one...

Thing is, I started looking at, lower end tripods... Some nice Slik ones that cost a little under £50... But looking at the "next one up" I keep on finding that I think what it offers is worth the extra money.

I even drew up a table of tripods... Although it's the most expensive of what I was looking at, the 190ProB really does look worth the money (to me) it's just so damn versatile.

Of most note are that the minimum height is 11cm ( ) and the centre column is removable, and re-mountable horizontally. Which makes for some potentially great angles, or just an easier way of shooting more "normal" ones ~ Without the tripod legs in the way so much. The max height isn't fantastic (140cm) but then again it's a pretty compact tripod, and wins for me on so many other aspects.

[shiato storm]

cool...go for it

[Flibb]

Its worth checking ebay for slightly older models, I picked up a slik and joystick head for £8.50. The head is still on sale for around £80

[hoodmeister]

Its worth checking ebay for slightly older models, I picked up a slik and joystick head for £8.50. The head is still on sale for around £80

Win!

My problem with second hand Ebay tripods is that there are just so many damn models from all the manufacturers. As it's often discontinued stuff, it's often hard to even ascertain accurate specs, nevermind get a review on the thing

[noah]

i went for the 190 hoodi, not the pro one but the one down. a good head to look at is the 486rc2, its a good sturdy ball head and used by loads of people.

worth every penny

[hoodmeister]

I've not used one, but I don't like the idea of ball heads...

It's the idea of not being able to control pan / fwd tilt / side tilt independantly that puts me off :/

Kind of having second thoughs about the 115 head though... I really would like a quick release plate, but I can't afford any of the Manfrotto heads that have quick release plates