zeroday

Opinions? Can you go wrong with this for the price (16$ shipped)? I mean it just holds a camera..nothing to it right?

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=VPD-TRIPOD

Street Spirit

Err...Not quite. I wouldn't go near a tripod worth $16 including shipping.
You want something made of strong, sturdy material, yet lightweight enough that it won't be a nuissance to carry around. Other things to look out for are the head (where you mount the camera) - if it is interchangeable, the legs, and clips/joints. Remember, most photographers have spent a ton of money on their gear, why trust thousands of dollars on something worth 16?! Just to give you an idea, my tripod cost ~$200-$250 CAD, and that's not at top-of-the-line, but a good, heavy Manfrotto.

zeroday

ok, but assuming this one is relatively lightweight and sturdy enough to not break while holding the camera...what more am i getting if i spend 250$ on one?

Dan Martin

If you're just using it with a point and shoot, it should be fine for light duty use.

As Street Spirit pointed out, if you're serious about photography, that thing just wont do the job. For one, an SLR with a nice lens would either crush it or cause the head to collapse when you use it at an angle. The second problem with using that kind of a tripod with an SLR is that it will "ring" once the mirror flips out of the way, which will cause blur in long exposures.

Better tripods will have detachable heads so you can choose between a 3-way head, ball head, or gimbal mount. Tripods are always a compromise between weight handling, collapsed size, and extended height.

If you wanted to get something that will last, go for a Bogen / Manfrotto or Gitzo. The Manfrotto 714 is a great starter tripod with ball head for about $85: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation Edit: Didn't notice that this head doesn't come with a quick release plate so don't bother with it. This one is much much better: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

Sarlacc

Those kinds of tripods arent really sturdy, and the legs will bend really easy.

I know I have one. Got with an ass old video camera I bought in highschool.

I have only used it like 1-2 times.

But Unlike a lot of member in here I do not really use tripods.

One day I will invest and get nice carbon fibre set of sticks, but until then when I needs something I improvise

Sarlacc

PS:

I would also look for a tripod with a quick release plate. This way you have a plate on the camera that attaches to the head.

And you dont have to dick around with always screwing the camera on and off everytime you want to use it.

Dan Martin

Yes, very true. That would be a PITA if you had to unscrew it every time.

zeroday

ok thanks. i was hoping to save a few bucks between the tripod and the bag to be able to buy a nice lens, but once again this seems like something i can't cheap out on. Guess I'll have to wait a while.

starting to think i have DSLR wants but P&S pockets.

Dan Martin

Welcome to the world of photography.

I think the breaking point is the first time you lay out $1000 for a piece of glass. Once you break that threashold, $700 tripods that don't come with a head don't seem so unreasonable.

Don't worry about it though. Tripods are a tool just like lenses. Certain types of shots require a tripod, just like certain shots require a type of lens. If you don't see yourself doing long exposures, don't get one.

I would advise against getting a cheap one though. If you use it and find it's pointless because it doesn't support your camera or it's not very sharp because it shakes worse than Michael J Fox, you've just wasted your money. Tripods are supposed to be a stable base that allows you to possition your camera exactly the way you want it. If it doesn't do that, then you might as well shoot with your hands.

Handruin

Much like Sarlacc, I'm making-do with a tripod circa 1990 that was build to hold one of those hefty old VHS camcorders...you know, the ones that weighed 10lbs.

The point about a vibrating tripod made by Dan Martin is very true. When I take my moon pictures (and other night time photography), I've been using my lens lockup to reduce the vibration since I'm a cheap bastard and won't pony up for a $300 tripod (in my defense my credit card is trying to recover from the purchase of my 70-200 F/2.8L IS & Macro 100m lens).

Speaking of macro photography; you’ll definitely wish you had a nice tripod when taking macro shots. They blur easy and require more light in many cases. Without the light, you'll need longer exposures which give you more chance of blurring from a shake. Also, when you need to do finite adjustments to get the shot the way you want, the cheaper tripods aren't as fluid. It's a PITA to get the adjustment when the head is sticking...