Tripod Height


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mcn

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Oct 6, 2005
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Good morning,

Am contemplating either the Manfrotto 190D (max ht 145cm, w/out ctr column 116cm) or the 055CL max ht 178cm, w/out ctr column 135cm).

How important is the height of the tripod with regard to a person's height? (I'm at 175cm). Would it be too awkward to stoop down to the 190D height?

Thank you.
 

it is not your height that is important, it is the angle of view that is important
with a taller tripod you can get the shot that the shorter tripod can't
 

mcn said:
Good morning,

Am contemplating either the Manfrotto 190D (max ht 145cm, w/out ctr column 116cm) or the 055CL max ht 178cm, w/out ctr column 135cm).

How important is the height of the tripod with regard to a person's height? (I'm at 175cm). Would it be too awkward to stoop down to the 190D height?

Thank you.


I am 1.8m tall and I use a 190 manfrotto. Stooping is not a problem and I like the height in relation to the lens angle. It fits my shooting needs. But some people would rather have a taller tripod so that they can capture picture at eye level or higher and yup..some hate to stoop.
 

espn said:
Get a 055.

i thought u're going to say "When in doubt, buy both!" :bsmilie:
 

infusia said:
i thought u're going to say "When in doubt, buy both!" :bsmilie:
Nope.. cause neither catches my attention. Unless you start mentioning carbon fibre, gitzos :lovegrin:
 

Yes, I certainly cannot afford the carbon fibre types or the gitzos, etc. I have to settle for either of the ones I mentioned (which is already very ex-) ... except that I still cannot make up my mind on which one besides height.

Cos I like (try) to bring my tripods on my business trips/holidays to capture the night scenes and the 055 is certainly not light-weight!

Thank you.
 

mcn said:
Yes, I certainly cannot afford the carbon fibre types or the gitzos, etc. I have to settle for either of the ones I mentioned (which is already very ex-) ... except that I still cannot make up my mind on which one besides height.

Cos I like (try) to bring my tripods on my business trips/holidays to capture the night scenes and the 055 is certainly not light-weight!

Thank you.
That's the whole point, for travelling you want light, then Carbon Fibres are the way to go. Get a Gitzo and never need to look back again :thumbsup:
 

Sorry but could you recommend an affordable above average carbon fibre tripod which can reach a height of 175cm please (fully extended; I know fully extended is not as steady but I'm trying to save some ... here & there) ?

Plus a compatible head for it?

I'm more into travel photography? Not sports, animals, etc.

Basically, I have only a D70S + kit lens... so I guess weight is not an issue.

Thank you and sorry to bother all further.
 

I got one Gitzo 1226 mk2 small tripod for oversea use,fit nicely in the side pouch of my Deuter day pack.

My camera set up is not heavy though,usually a rangefinder with a prime lens on the tripod only.

i paid $255 for the tripod at cathay
 

mcn said:
Sorry but could you recommend an affordable above average carbon fibre tripod which can reach a height of 175cm please (fully extended; I know fully extended is not as steady but I'm trying to save some ... here & there) ?

Plus a compatible head for it?

I'm more into travel photography? Not sports, animals, etc.

Basically, I have only a D70S + kit lens... so I guess weight is not an issue.

Thank you and sorry to bother all further.
The savings might not be substantial when you find the tripod shaking because of the mirror slap due to the center column fully extended resulting in images blur. You can waste your entire trip photos that way.

Also not to mention fully extended ones will tend to be less stable and topple easily. For your case if you want 175cm height, the 055 is a good bet, but not a good weight (I won't lug it around for holidays). You will need to shell out another $50-$80 for an average ballhead.

Weight is not an issue for the setup you have, but travelling light is ;)
 

mcn said:
Good morning,

Am contemplating either the Manfrotto 190D (max ht 145cm, w/out ctr column 116cm) or the 055CL max ht 178cm, w/out ctr column 135cm).

How important is the height of the tripod with regard to a person's height? (I'm at 175cm). Would it be too awkward to stoop down to the 190D height?

Thank you.

do not forget the height of the ball header + the vertical distance from the button of camera to your viewfinder

you need to caculate your eyes height but not your head height.

therefore 145 cm is enough for you.
 

With the ballhead/panhead and the camera on the tripod (center column not extended), make sure you do not have to tip-toe to look into your viewfinder. That's how I judge the height of my tripods. Too high you'll got problems, and if too low, your back aches.
 

photobum said:
With the ballhead/panhead and the camera on the tripod (center column not extended), make sure you do not have to tip-toe to look into your viewfinder. That's how I judge the height of my tripods. Too high you'll got problems, and if too low, your back aches.

Why would too high be a problem?
I thought the legs are telescopic and you don't need to extend them fully to use.
 

AncientMariner said:
Why would too high be a problem?
I thought the legs are telescopic and you don't need to extend them fully to use.

What is the point of extending your legs half-way? Your tripod is uneven. (unless you have a ballhead with a bubble level) Plus are you going to carry your tripod with you extended all the time?

I don't like guesswork. I extend the legs all the way and shoot my pictures. By the way, what good is a high tripod if I cannot reach it.
 

TMC said:
Feisol CF is light and cheap enough. Available at John3:16 Funan

For hobbyists, I do not see the point of buying expensive or branded tripods. I will rather spend my hard-earn money on prime lenses or films (if you still shoot film).

A tripod that is sturdy, lightweight and of correct height is good enough. This also comes to the fact that it doesn't mean you own a pair of expensive running shoes, you can break the world records.
 

don't forget that the height of the ballhead adds another 10~15cm on top of the max height of the 3pod. and also the additional 10cm of the viewfinder.:think:
mcn said:
Good morning,

Am contemplating either the Manfrotto 190D (max ht 145cm, w/out ctr column 116cm) or the 055CL max ht 178cm, w/out ctr column 135cm).

How important is the height of the tripod with regard to a person's height? (I'm at 175cm). Would it be too awkward to stoop down to the 190D height?

Thank you.
 

photobum said:
What is the point of extending your legs half-way? Your tripod is uneven. (unless you have a ballhead with a bubble level) Plus are you going to carry your tripod with you extended all the time?

I don't like guesswork. I extend the legs all the way and shoot my pictures. By the way, what good is a high tripod if I cannot reach it.

It is a matter of lower center of gravity. The lower the CG the more stable it is.
There is also the wind load factor. The bigger the surface area the more wind it will catch and more load added.
Normally, I do not extend the lowest and weakest leg sections. Often I do not extend any section at all and sometimes I widen the angle of spread. Why stand when you can sit comfortably?
Finally, it is very difficult to find perfectly level ground to rest your tripod on.
Usually, you do have to adjust the extension on the legs individually to keep the sweep of the camera level unless you have a levelling tripod (read expensive) in which case you adjust the centrepost.
Use a spirit level and you will find even the floor of your home is not horizontal but inclined.
Lastly, if you are shooting at a high angle upwards e.g. planes or birds in the sky you need to extend the tripod way above your eye level to be able to sight the object through viewfinder.
 

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