Tripod Selection

Niccon · 13th April 2004

Just curious to find out what is the key emphasize a photographer placed on when selecting a tripod.

If there is any other comments or personal experience, please add or share.

Thanks

Garion · 13th April 2004

There are quite a few options from the list but here's what I chose:

1. Stable and Rigid

This I feel is a very important point to take note of when choosing a tripod. Ultimately, your goal is to obtain as sharp as possible pictures, so a stable and rigid platform is a must. Closely related is the load capacity, get a tripod which has a much higher rated maximum weight capacity than the heaviest setup which you will probably use on it.

2. Tripod Weight

This is more of a personal choice, others may tend to disagree, but the heavier a tripod, the less likely you are willing to bring it out and lug it around right? Anything above 2.5kg (tripod + ballhead combined) is quite heavy already, if you sling it or carry it on your shoulder all day long you will begin to feel the weight of it, thus every savings in weight counts (even if its only a couple hundred grams). If you can afford it, buy a carbon fibre tripod. At the end of the day, your shoulders (& legs) will want to thank you for that.

3. Height when Extended or Lowered

This is important, as you don't want to be always bending over for long periods of time to look throught the viewfinder when composing ur shots. Get a tripod which when partially or fully extended, will enable the viewfinder/camera body to be at your eye level. Try to get one that reaches this height without the centre column extended, as this tends to induce more shake and vibration onto your setup. (i.e. less stable) Also consider one that can go very low to the ground for that added perspective, or if you do lots of macro work.

4. Ergonomics

Get a tripod model which is easy to use and requires the least time to deploy and keep, and which has hassle free operation. Ease of use is important as you don't want to be spending precious moments struggling with awkwardly placed clasps, clamps, snap locks or loose tripod sections and which could cost you your shot.

Another important factor which I did not include in my vote is cost. It has to be within your budget, of course. However, if you get a substandard tripod or a tripod which just barely fulfills your minimum weight requirement, you will find yourself wishing u had spent the moolah on getting the better model. My advice is: get the very best set of legs you can afford for your own setup. Imagine spending few thousands on lens and body and accessories, only to mount it on a wobbly, cheapo tripod, and the consequence is probably poor shots which the person would choose to blame it on the lens, camera, etc. not being up to standard. Except the tripod, of course.

In short, get the best set of legs you can afford...as well as a good quality ballhead/pan-tilt head...coz your equipment deserves the best support it can get.

Adam Goi · 13th April 2004

ALL!

justarius · 14th April 2004

Originally Posted by AdamGoi

ALL!

hehe, you know what they say: Stability, weight and cost. Choose two.

Personally, cos I'm still young and strong

, I went for stability and cost. Carbon fibre abit out of budget, and considering that I would only save 300g for the same tripod at about triple the price, didn't think it was worth it.

Niccon · 17th April 2004

Originally Posted by AdamGoi

ALL!

Well, I wished I can have all but it quite impossible. I heard of story that someone witnessed a tripod with lens/camera set being blown off to the ground when a sudden gust of wind caught the photographer

off guard. My priority is weight (of the tripod and the payload). I like light tripod especially during traveling. So I am always looking out for low self weight tripod which have a modest payload (6kg) and with a device to attach addition weight at the extension column. This will overall make the tripod less prone to vibration due to higher weight (I think) and of course making it difficult for the above scenario from happening in a windy location.

After all, it is always better to have a tripod than not having it at all and especially in a low light condition or when slow shutter speed is required.

Cheers

MooEy · 19th April 2004

seems like little emphasize for the head. for me i would wan a tripod with a decent head. it should be smooth to move around, strong enuff to hold the equipment without creeping, and easy to handle.

seems like nobody make such a head at reasonable price. for ball head, i need to struggle with balancing when i release the ball. pan/tilt/3way head are usually not smooth enuff, if they are smooth enuff, they creep. video heads are smooth, but they creep no matter how u lock it down and only work in 2 axis. geared heads hold down well, probably too well that u can't move it fast.

anyway, that's just my nit picking, don't bother too much abt my comments.

of course, the tripod should be strong enuff, something along the line of manfrotto or better.

~MooEy~

Ian · 22nd April 2004

Originally Posted by Niccon

Just curious to find out what is the key emphasize a photographer placed on when selecting a tripod.

If there is any other comments or personal experience, please add or share.

Thanks

My requirements (in rough order of importance)

Load capacity If a tripod can't carry a 12kg load at a minimum it's of no use to me in the field.

Stability Any tripod I use needs to be able to withstand high winds and working on uneven surfaces.

Height adjustment range I need tripods that can work to at least 1.75m and down to 450mm or so, with the preference being for tipods that can go to over 2m. For really low stuff such as ground level I'll use a specialised tripod.

Build quality It needs to be super reliable as I can't afford for a breakdown at a critical time while on location.

factors that don't really count:

Weight
Cost
Brand
Looks

justarius · 22nd April 2004

Originally Posted by MooEy

seems like little emphasize for the head. for me i would wan a tripod with a decent head. it should be smooth to move around, strong enuff to hold the equipment without creeping, and easy to handle.

seems like nobody make such a head at reasonable price. for ball head, i need to struggle with balancing when i release the ball. pan/tilt/3way head are usually not smooth enuff, if they are smooth enuff, they creep. video heads are smooth, but they creep no matter how u lock it down and only work in 2 axis. geared heads hold down well, probably too well that u can't move it fast.

anyway, that's just my nit picking, don't bother too much abt my comments.

of course, the tripod should be strong enuff, something along the line of manfrotto or better.

~MooEy~

Have you tried ballheads with tension/friction control? It allows you to move the camera and holds the position when you release it.

View Poll Results: Tripod Selection
Stable & Rigid	33	84.62%
Cost	19	48.72%
Reputable Brand	8	20.51%
Function	17	43.59%
Tripod Weight	29	74.36%
Compactness when folded	15	38.46%
Loading capacity	23	58.97%
Height when extended or lowed	27	69.23%
Tripod Design	13	33.33%
Ergonomics	18	46.15%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 39. You may not vote on this poll

13th April 2004	#1
Niccon Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 522	Tripod Selection Just curious to find out what is the key emphasize a photographer placed on when selecting a tripod. If there is any other comments or personal experience, please add or share. Thanks

13th April 2004	#2
Garion Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: West side of S'pore Posts: 5,581	There are quite a few options from the list but here's what I chose: 1. Stable and Rigid This I feel is a very important point to take note of when choosing a tripod. Ultimately, your goal is to obtain as sharp as possible pictures, so a stable and rigid platform is a must. Closely related is the load capacity, get a tripod which has a much higher rated maximum weight capacity than the heaviest setup which you will probably use on it. 2. *Tripod Weight* This is more of a personal choice, others may tend to disagree, but the heavier a tripod, the less likely you are willing to bring it out and lug it around right? Anything above 2.5kg (tripod + ballhead combined) is quite heavy already, if you sling it or carry it on your shoulder all day long you will begin to feel the weight of it, thus every savings in weight counts (even if its only a couple hundred grams). If you can afford it, buy a carbon fibre tripod. At the end of the day, your shoulders (& legs) will want to thank you for that. 3. *Height when Extended or Lowered* This is important, as you don't want to be always bending over for long periods of time to look throught the viewfinder when composing ur shots. Get a tripod which when partially or fully extended, will enable the viewfinder/camera body to be at your eye level. Try to get one that reaches this height without the centre column extended, as this tends to induce more shake and vibration onto your setup. (i.e. less stable) Also consider one that can go very low to the ground for that added perspective, or if you do lots of macro work. 4. *Ergonomics* Get a tripod model which is easy to use and requires the least time to deploy and keep, and which has hassle free operation. Ease of use is important as you don't want to be spending precious moments struggling with awkwardly placed clasps, clamps, snap locks or loose tripod sections and which could cost you your shot. Another important factor which I did not include in my vote is cost. It has to be within your budget, of course. However, if you get a substandard tripod or a tripod which just barely fulfills your minimum weight requirement, you will find yourself wishing u had spent the moolah on getting the better model. My advice is: get the very best set of legs you can afford for your own setup. Imagine spending few thousands on lens and body and accessories, only to mount it on a wobbly, cheapo tripod, and the consequence is probably poor shots which the person would choose to blame it on the lens, camera, etc. not being up to standard. Except the tripod, of course. In short, get the best set of legs you can afford...as well as a good quality ballhead/pan-tilt head...coz your equipment deserves the best support it can get. __________________ [ deviantart selections \| Photoblog ] Last edited by Garion; 13th April 2004 at 07:13 PM.

13th April 2004	#3
Adam Goi ClubSNAP Idol Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Jalan Suka Posts: 5,322	ALL!

19th April 2004	#6
MooEy Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 170	seems like little emphasize for the head. for me i would wan a tripod with a decent head. it should be smooth to move around, strong enuff to hold the equipment without creeping, and easy to handle. seems like nobody make such a head at reasonable price. for ball head, i need to struggle with balancing when i release the ball. pan/tilt/3way head are usually not smooth enuff, if they are smooth enuff, they creep. video heads are smooth, but they creep no matter how u lock it down and only work in 2 axis. geared heads hold down well, probably too well that u can't move it fast. anyway, that's just my nit picking, don't bother too much abt my comments. of course, the tripod should be strong enuff, something along the line of manfrotto or better. ~MooEy~