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I’m looking to buy a decent quality tripod and head for under $100. I’ve been keeping an eye on Craigslist and looked on https://jet.com/search?category=10000041.
-Were else would be a good place to look?
-What things should I be looking for in a tripod?Thanks for any advice!
Well, unfortunately, quality and less than $100 is a contradiction of terms. I have gone through several tripods and here is my advise.
First, according to John Shaw, a professional nature photographer, photographers typically go through the same succession of tripods. First a $30 cheapy, then a $65 special, and finally, a year, and a lot of frustration later, they get a good one. His advise? Skip straight to a good one, it will save you money in the long run.
My experience…
I first used a 60″ with leg braces and a pan and tilt head, it was almost worthless for field photography.
Next I used a 68″ with independent spreading legs and a ball head. It cost me $65, and was a good design, just too cheaply made. It was unsteady fully extended, and the leg locks crept. I was using about 7lbs of equipment and it was rated for 13, but it was just too cheap. It broke within a year, I believe.
Finally, I recently got a Gitzo G340. It goes above my head(no center column) and right down next to the ground. It is extremely sturdy, should last at least 30 years, and weighs 6lbs. It was made back in the 70s, I believe, so it was less than $200 off eBay. However, they are hard to find. I put the ball head from my previous tripod on it, although that will probably need upgraded soon. I expect it will cost at least $100.
So, good tripods aren’t cheap. But, invest in a good one, and it will last years and be very user friendly. For less than $100 you will likely not get anything that will last much more than a few years. And it might be so hard to use you won’t want to use it.
My advise? Save your money for a while if needed, but get a good one.
Also check out the Bogen 3221, not quite a Gitzo, but more available and less expensive. If you are less than 5′ 8″ and don’t use it and ground level real often, it might be a good option.
BTW, none of these are light tripods. Lightweight sturdy tripods are basically a contradiction if terms. Weight is what makes them steady.
Thanks for your experiential advice, @austinvinar.
If you want as sturdy as possible while being as light as possible, go with Carbon Fiber.
For a starter tripod, the Neewer one has good reviews for being as cheap as it is.
Thanks @austinvinar and @jamesStaddon for the advice.
This tripod looks the same as the Neewer one you showed me except it doesn’t have a video head. Is it? And is it worth it to get the video head?
Have any of you used a Neewer tripod? How do they work?
@austinvinar are the Bogen 3221 and Gitzo the only brands that you would recommend? And I totally understand about not getting a super cheap one.This is the tripod I got. As far as I know it is a really nice one. Here you go.
I just bought the K&F Concept tripod (https://www.amazon.com/Concept-Lightweight-Compact-Aluminum-Panorama/dp/B015CGRREI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1530140834&sr=8-3&keywords=kf+concept+tripod). It is made of aluminum, has a ball head (good for landscape work) and has a nifty little pan feature underneath for panoramas (which seems it could be smooth enough to work for video, though I actually have a different tripod for that). The reviews were fantastic and people were talking about it being their “second tripod” next to their expensive ones. My one gripe so far is that there is no way to take it apart. I took it to the beach and of course got sandy, saltwater-y, and the like. I was able to work most of the sand out (and a little silicon spray brought it back up to speed), but there is no way to take it apart for a thorough cleaning as I can see yet.
Thanks @ElianaFranzenburg and @LoganLamar for your advice.
@jamesstaddon I found this blog post about you buying a tripod. Thanks for the tips 🙂
Do you still use the Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 tripod with 496RC2 ball head? How do/did you like it?I highly advise those brands because they are good. Just saying, I’ve tried cheaper and it’s not worth it.
I’ve used other Neewer equipment, it is cheap. Can’t say I advise it for a tripod. A tripod is something that needs to be good. I’ve never tried the Neewer, but it is not a quality brand.
I bought a Tripod! It’s a Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 Carbon Fiber Tripod with a Manfrotto 488RC2 head. The 488RC2 is a ball head with an independent panning knob. I really like it. It is so much nicer then my old little, cheap tripod. 🙂 I got the whole thing for $200 on ebey. Thanks for everyone’s advice!
Good evening all! I am looking to buy a tripod and have been doing some research on different tripod brands ect. I found these two pieces that I liked and was hoping for some opinions. https://www.manfrotto.com/us-en/befree-advanced-camo-wild-green-travel-tripod-twist-mkbfrta4cam3-bh/
https://www.manfrotto.com/us-en/490-centre-ball-head-mh490-bh/
I really liked the manfratto 490 tripod head but wasn’t sure what to buy for the legs. The manfratto tripod legs were too expensive for me. Can you buy a different brand of legs and have the two pieces connect? I found these legs on amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Monopod-Lightweight-Compact-Digital/dp/B0CB3JKTJG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1 , but again wasn’t sure if the two would connect. I’m looking to spend about $100-$150. I also liked the tripod set, with one downside being the twist legs. I would have preferred flip locks, but would be fine with the twist legs. Also, what is your opinion on buying used, like on Facebook, ebey,etc. I bought my camera on Facebook and don’t have any problems with it, but wasn’t sure about buying a tripod on there. Looking for opinions, recommendations,anything! 😄 Thanks in advance!Hi @jenna, looks like there’s some good advice in the thread above, so definitely check it out if you haven’t already! 🙂
I would not be afraid of buying a tripod used from an online marketplace as long as you can look it over to make sure it’s what was advertised. You’re much more likely to get a good quality tripod for a better price by buying used, so I would definitely go that route. I bought an old Bogen (made by Manfrotto) tripod off of eBay for less than $50 I think, and it’s as solid as a rock. Kinda heavy like a rock too. 🙂 Something like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/226220472584
It came with a Manfrotto 3265 pistol grip head which I really like!
Yes, you can buy just the legs and add a head from somewhere else as long as they use the standard connections. (3/8-16 screw to attach the head to the legs) I have a video head and a pistol grip head for my tripod, and I switch them out all the time.
Ok thanks for that! I was looking some more at the tripod legs I found on Amazon, and the head from manfratto ( the links in the other post), and it doesn’t look like they will connect. I attached screenshots of the measurements, am I understanding the info right? The first pic is from the tripod legs and the second pic is from the manual for the tripod head.
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