blackest Loc: Ireland

Great advice the only thing missing Turn of image stabilization when it is on the Tripod, Otherwise it will not be sharp, I forgot that yesterday on the plus side it was a slow exposure blurring water so not obvious i messed up :)

djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

Sage advice.

I don't shoot for money so for me I think it's about trying to always improve, and yes some G.A.S. thrown in for good measure. Did you enjoy your outing to get the shot and can you learn from the shot you didn't get or messed up? Then you had a good day regardless of the camera gear you used.

In the end I'm reminded of the words of Solomon.... everything is vanity and a striving after the wind.

Happy shooting.

RRS Loc: Not sure

If you said turn off VR I'd agree but the new lenses from Canon can be used with IS turned on. It does use more of the battery and depending on my shutter speed I usually turn IS off. It will also depend on what tripod and head that you are using and also how long is the lens, 400mm to 800mm. There are no hard fast rules, just what ever works for each individual, some do and others don't.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Thank you Susan. I couldn't agree more. What I am trying to prevent is the cost of the low end tripod, since budget seems to be a concern.

I would add that if someone is price sensitive, it is not a good idea to buy what you can afford and waste money on something that will not work only to spend more later. The better advice is to buy used, find an alternate, less costly but still suitable - or postpone the decision to buy something until you really need it, then get what you need.

In my own situation, in 2006 I had a 500mm lens. I needed solid support, and found the Bogen 3051 way too heavy and unstable for a 500mm on a cropped camera. So I bought a Gitzo series 3. Great tripod, but by Gitzo's own description and my own experience it was inadequate for my needs. So I returned it, continued to use my REALLY inadequate Bogen for a couple of months, until Feisol released it's 3472. It is in between a Series 3 and a Series 4. And it cost me the same as the Series 3 I had returned about $525. What I did not do is rush out and buy a $300 tripod, which would have been absurd, especially since the $550 Gitzo did not work for me. There is such a thing as buying too low. Perfection would be a $1200 Gitzo or a $1000 RRS and another $6oo for a Wimberley gimbal. I could not justify this cost at the time, nor could I justify it today. I searched and found a Manfrotto gimbal, their 393, which I adapted to take Arca-Swiss plates, which cost me only $180. Having rented Gitzo Series 5 tripods and Wimberleys and other high end gimbals I did have a solid basis for comparison. Not only did the Feisol/Manfrotto combination work for me 9 yrs ago, I find it quite satisfactory with my 600mm F4 as well. Is it a Gtizo or RRS/Wimberley combination? No, but it didn't cost me $1600 either. It is the least expensive substitute with the torsional rigidity that could serve my needs, and the head operates smoothly enough even though it does not lock down like a true gimbal, it is more than adequate for shooting both stationary and flying birds, which I shoot about 60% of the time.

So, my budget was adequate, at the $550 (give or take) level, but would have been far too low if I had arbitrarily thought I could get away with only spending $200-$300. Had I purchased the $300 tripod, it would not have been any more stable, just lighter, than my Bogen, and would have made my $525 Feisol cost $825. If you can't afford something, make do until you can, otherwise you are throwing money away. Upgrading later always cost more than doing it right one time.

My advice to the OP is too continue stooping a bit, until you can justify spending more.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

One of the things that I can attest to is having a good number of worthless tripods, starting at a cost of about $ 30 many many years ago. The good news is that I have found a great use for them in holding small, battery powered flash units when I need a lot of different lights on a scene. I really don't have a good enough one for BIF with a 400/500/600 lens, but my Gitzo is good enough for my adventures with that and is fabulous for portraits and smaller lenses. As a sports shooter, a ginormous tripod is not something I would use that much, but when I do get one it will be an RRS. Whether or not I get one before I'm just too old to carry this stuff anymore, well, that's to be seen. My sage advice, also from 50 years of photography -- don't buy something that almost works because, well, it only almost works. Buy the right equipment the first time around as that will save money in the long run. Many used tripods are just as good as the new ones, check with someone like MTShooter to see if he can be of any help in your price range. Best of luck.

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

I recommend narrowing down what you really want, as your description mentions no weight requirements... thus a studio type of tripod- that will rarely leave the house or studio, or a carrying type from back or car to roadside and back ( could be the same as studio tripod), or a carrying type around town or city... or carrying type to top of mountain... That pretty much covers the type- the price increases as the size/weight diminishes - for good tripods. DO know that a very good tripod is forever. Long term there is savings in a good one.


Once you narrow that down....

I can't suggest Ebay highly enough- as a good tripod is durable and used is significantly cheaper.

And don't be too hasty till you figure out what the going rate for the sort you are looking for, what they actually sell new for, or similar models etc... then find one you like and bid the amount right then that you you think it is worth, not one dollar less- don't be bidding the minimum.. this is the best way to win these things. - be prepared to be happy and pass when it goes past that amount- tip your hat to the seller then- he made a good deal. They sort of bank on people becoming over excited and going past what it is worth.

But if you want a deal- you do have to be patient.

Now lets talk heads! ROFL... expect 1/3 to 2/3 what the tripod goes for. But a good head is again... forever. You won't be replacing it.

Gitzo RRS are the last ones you'll buy cause you can't get better.

RRS Loc: Not sure

Too bad there weren't people like you and Gene51 around 60 years ago when I started out. You two could have saved me enough to buy a new good cropped body even at today's prices. I keep one of the many tripods with my LensAlign always attached and one by the sliding glass doors in case I need a quick shot of a hawk eating one of the many birds we feed. There are lots of things you can do with old too small tripods, I just don't do serious Photography with them anymore. On the other hand though some of the older small tripods did work better then none and I wasn't shooting 300 and 600mm lenses back then and at the time you couldn't even buy a RRS tripod and I hadn't heard of a Gitzo. It's been a learning experience and I know that all this info has helped some.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Great advice as usual Gene!

It is so important to research your purchases, but a lot of people don't really know how to do it. I know that when I got my first DSLR and other gear, had done quite a bit of research, but still got some things wrong! Since then I have continued to think ahead about what would be my best moves in acquiring new gear. And it has paid off, because I am very happy with the way I have approached things.

For instance, first a better ball head (RRS), clamp, quick-release plate. Had to adapt them to fit on the old tripod, but so glad to find a product that exudes quality when holding it and using it! Then I got the tripod later. They were very good about the discount for buying the whole set-up even though I acquired things piece-meal. Customer service +++. In the meantime, I also added a macro lens (pre-owned Sigma 150mm f/2.8), then began replacing my other lenses with better glass (pre-owned Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 and refurbished Nikon 24-70 f/2.8). Most recent step was to order a new camera (Nikon D810) which ought to arrive today!

One piece of advice that I took to heart, was to not buy things until you knew that you need them, and understand what they were for! And that upgrades are only important when you have grown beyond what your current gear will do for you.

Basically, I agree with you about waiting until you can get gear that truly fits your needs. But when the cost is prohibitive, compromising (and buying pre-owned or refurbished) will allow a person to pursue their photography and have that pleasure in their life. Compromise is what I did, and have not regretted it. But since then, I have made choices based on that earlier advice I mentioned above... And I also am hoping that I get it right, and will acquire the last I will ever have to purchase (until, of course, something wears out or gets damaged!).

Searching for what you want among the pre-owned and refurbished listings of trusted vendors can pay off. Also waiting for sales. The 24-70 was refurbished AND on sale from Nikon! For the D810 I took advantage of Nikon's recent discounts, plus I had saved the money for items sold to B&H to add to that. Good deal!!!

Still more things on the wish list...
Susan

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Too soon old, too late smart!

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

You will be overjoyed with your D810 as am I. I consider it a GREAT camera for everything except action sports. Combine it with an 85/1.4 and you've got an unbeatable portrait maker. I could go on and on! Oh, and there's always more on the wish list, but you knew that. Best of luck!

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Thanks cjc2! I will keep my D7000 and use it to hold a second lens. Such as the 70-300mm!

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Nest NT-364CT Carbon Fiber Tripod, 55# load rating $555
Nest NT-404CT Carbon Fiber Tripod, 77# load rating $625
Nest NT-363AE Aluminum Tripod with center column, 55# load rating $329.95

All will offer more than a foot of height above what you need.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I edited your response slightly (in bold)...

In fact, out of the nearly 60 different IS lenses Canon has offered to date, only four or five are "known" to require IS be turned off by the user, when "on a tripod". They are the EF 75-300mm IS USM (their first IS lens, long ago discontinued), EF 300/4L IS USM, EF 28-135 IS USM and original EF 100-400L IS USM. Some users have also observed that it's better to turn IS off on the original EF 24-105L IS USM.

It actually has nothing to do with "older" or "newer" Canon lenses. Some of the above are still in production or have only very recently been superseded by new models.

MOST Canon lenses "self-detect" lack of any movement and turn off IS themselves, automatically. There is no difference in power savings (i.e. battery charge), whether you turn it off manually or the lens turns it off automatically.

The "problem" with those few Canon lenses is that when there is absolutely no movement for the IS to correct, if it's left turned on their IS system can go into sort of a feedback loop where it's actually creating "shake", rather than correcting for it, and will cause "shake blur" in images. If you forget to turn IS off, you'll see rapid, jumpy movements in the viewfinder (or Live View) and can then turn it off... no harm done to camera or lens. It might spoil a shot, though, if you took one while it was happening.

One of the most common situations where this might occur is when the lens is "on a tripod". However, that's not necessarily the only case where a lens might be fully locked down... there can be other situations that produce the same effect. Plus, conversely, there are tripod techniques where there's plenty of movement still occurring (to keep IS "happy") and it might be better left on.... for example panning shots and/or when using a "loose" gimbal head to track a moving subject.

Don't confuse the above "problem" with a slower "image drift" movement that's commonly seen in viewfinders when using IS lenses. This doesn't harm image quality in any way (but might be an issue if you are shooting video or trying to frame a still shot very precisely). You also might often see a quick "hop" or "jump" when IS is first starting up, or if you make a sudden movement, before IS settles down and does its job. Again, those aren't a problem.

You are correct... this pertains to Canon IS lenses ONLY. I haven't used them personally so have no idea about Nikon VR, Sigma OS, or Tamron VC systems. While the purpose is the same, all manufacturers use their own, patented stabilization systems. So there are almost certainly differences. For example, many Nikon users think VR slows down Nikkor autofocus performance and there appears to be some evidence to support that. After using a number of Canon IS lenses for fifteen years, I think the opposite is true with them.... That Canon IS helps AF perform a little quicker and track movement better. But, I really haven't tried to test it, this is just an opinion based upon a lot of experience with the Canon lenses.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

That lens can be used very effectively hand held, due to its excellent and programmable (with the dock) stabilization. I have the Sport version and hand hold it with very good results, down to 1/160 and sometimes even slower (depending on how many cups of coffee I've consumed).

Your shorter lenses, up to around 300mm, should be fine with a tripod with a 32mm top tube. It will be ok for closeup, but may not be stable enough for macro.

Avoid getting a tripod with a center column. Even if you don't extend it there will be less stability. Unfortunately this means that your tripod will be a little heavier, and may not fold down as small as you'd like. And for something stable, your budget is about half of what you should be looking at.

This model Benro may work, it does have a center column, but it may be stable enough - they use a Gitzo-like rapid column lock with a long engagement to the camera platform.

http://www.benrousa.com/products/benro-tma48cxl.aspx#specifications

This or the model just below, may be worth considering.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Of course!