Tripod..... to bring or not to bring?

[TriggerHappy]

Hi,

Will be making a trip to Australia soon and will be bringing my DSLR along.
Wondering if I should bring my tripod along.... Just afraid its too cumbersome
and not sure if can pass through customs. Any advice...esp. from those who travel a lot?

Thank You

 

[waileong]

Customs not the problem. Just check it in if necessary.

Problem is whether you will be inclined to use it.

Wai Leong
===

Hi,

Will be making a trip to Australia soon and will be bringing my DSLR along.
Wondering if I should bring my tripod along.... Just afraid its too cumbersome
and not sure if can pass through customs. Any advice...esp. from those who travel a lot?

Thank You

 

[Nik-enduser]

Well, it depends on what you intend to shoot. What lenses are you using DSLR with? Will you be doing much trekking or are you on a road trip?

Invest in a light but sturdy tripod (e.g. carbon fibre, brand e.g. Gitzo, Benro) and a user friendly tripod head. You can get a tripod bag and hand carry or if you have a hardcase suitcase, then can check in tripod. hand carrying a tripod to Australia should not be a problem as I just went there, just avoid carrying tools with you.

Importantly, invest in travel insurance.

my two cents' worth.

 

[KLCHUA]

Agree with Waileong... based on my past experiences, I always bring my tripod, put it into the main luggage & checked in. However, whether I actually bother taking it out when I leave the hotel room is a completely different story.

 

[billpepsi]

I usually check-in my tripod in my main luggage, but have not used it so far for my overseas trips. The only time I left my tripod at home was during our trekking at Mt Kinabalu.

 

[ndroo]

I usually check-in my tripod in my main luggage, but have not used it so far for my overseas trips. The only time I left my tripod at home was during our trekking at Mt Kinabalu.

Same here :bsmilie:

 

[ortega]

the landscape in Australia is awesome - must bring a small and light one and use it as well

 

[yyD70S]

Yes, I second that.

Don't know exactly which part of Australia you are going but there're alot of seascapes that worth exploring during those golden hours where some sort of firm support for your gear is a plus.

 

[Megadark]

Be careful when you do bring your tripod over there. The last time I went there, the strong winds toppled the tripod with my camera still on top of it.

 

[student]

#1 If you intend to photography landscpe at sunrise/sunset, then please bring your tripod and use it

#2 Putting a camera on s sturdy tripod does not mean it will not topple. Common sense must still apply.

#3 No tripod will stand a 200 km/hour wind. Even if your tripod do not topple, it will be wobblying so much that you wll think the picture was taken by a photographer with parkinson's disease!

#4 If I were to take landscape like sunrise and sunset, I will bring the heaviest tripod I can stuff in my check-in luggage. I will not bother with toys.

 

[litechaser]

u can actually weigh down a light tripod with a heavy stuff like cam bags etc via some kind of hook.

 

[adamadam]

Where in Australia are you going, and when?

 

[student]

u can actually weigh down a light tripod with a heavy stuff like cam bags etc via some kind of hook.

You can try to weigh down a light tripod, but the light tripod might not take the additional weight.

Every tripod has a load limit.

 

[vii_haven]

the last time i went to Sydney, i thought i'd use the tripod. in the end, i only used it once cuz we had to use it to justify the bringing it over to aussie. in my opinion, leave the tripod at home and just take your dslr, a nice strap and enjoy yourself! you can always stack up stuff to use as a 'tripod' sohuld you ever need one. that's my opinion. some may differ. if you're unsure, you can always bring it over to try it out. then you'd get a feel of whether you really need the tripod around while travelling.

 

[ortega]

how about a table pod, that is what i always bring on my travels

i have shot fireworks at disneyland HK
lightshow in HK
sunrise in Bintan
family portrait in HK

i have loaned it to friends and it has gone to msia and bangladesh

 

[TriggerHappy]

Thanks for the replies. Seems we have mixed reviews on this topic.
I'll be visiting Cairns & Gold Coast. Not sure what those places have to offer so i'll have to do some reading up. I'll probably have to hand-carry my tripod as I'll only have a Hiker's backpack and my camera bag.

 

[plainsunset]

Well...it's kinda hard to say whether you will get to use it or not.

There may come a time on your trip you might regret not bringing one or you might end up actually bringing it.

My friend's philo has always been....bring better than dun bring. Got extra better then wait run out. Haha...

If u are not trekking than weight shouldn't be an issue.

And do check it in with yout lugguage. It is considered a weapon...not allowed to be carried onto the plane on most (or maybe all) flights.

One experience was when a friend of mine din check it in...they made him do it or he couldn't pass thru customs. =)

 

[Ironman]

hi triggerhappy... i'm also heading for australia soon... was thinking abt the same question in my mind... my final decision is that i'll bring it along...

1stly its me and my wife's honeymoon... will definately required to use the tripod to take our own pictures... cos i don't feel safe handing my dslr to a stranger and asking them to take the pic for us.

2ndly, we've already invest so much on the air tix and will be a great miss if u can't take shots (that requires tripod) with it... cos we might not be going back the same place again...

 

[ortega]

you may want to invest in a disposable film P&S camera to let strangers take some pictures of yourselves.

 

[biggmalique]

im sure there'll be moments where u'll regret not bringing ya pod along.
so my suggestion, bring it along!