Tripod options: I am in the market for a "medium quality" tripod. I am not a pro. Since I rather rarely work with a tripod, I am reluctant to follow the (no doubt) good advice that I...

jim in TC Loc: Traverse City, Michigan

I am in the market for a "medium quality" tripod. I am not a pro. Since I rather rarely work with a tripod, I am reluctant to follow the (no doubt) good advice that I should save up for a really high quality product, which dominate previous tripod commentaries on this site. My needs are relatively simple:

1. The camera most used would be a Sony HX 300 Bridge camera weighing less than 2 pounds.
2. Prefer something at least 65" in height, though I will not be using a tripod for long spans of time so bending down a bit is OK.
3. Prefer to spend under $100 and happier at less.
4. Weight of the tripod is not much of an issue since I have a little travel pod and this one would not need to fit into travel plans.
5. Will want a pan head, level optional.

There are lots of cheap ones ($30 and under) out there, and I would like to bump up enough to gain a bit of added stability and higher quality materials/durability.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

jim in TC wrote:

I am in the market for a "medium quality"... (show quote)

Deleted.

stevetassi

For under $100, you're not going to be able to get a solid tripod.

spaceylb Loc: Long Beach, N.Y.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Induro-A313-Alloy-27-8-67-6-3-Section-w-3D-M-23-3-Way-Pan-Tilt-Head-/371861511511?hash=item5694ac5d57:g:-dwAAOSwNnRYmyac

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

THINK ABOUT BUYING USED! EBAY PERHAPS? New Hobby Instead?

OK, to be a bit more constructive, with in the last year or so I've found and bought used Gitzo legs & a head for reasonable prices on Ebay, but not for less than $100. Yet certainly a lot less than the near $450 my other Gitzo was that was purchased new in the 1980's.

Festus Loc: North Dakota

jim in TC wrote:

I am in the market for a "medium quality"... (show quote)

At under a $100, you won't be happy with any tripod. Unless you can find a used tripod that was originally around $400 to $500. Google "Tom Hogan's Tripods 101". Very informative article on purchasing a tripod.

jim in TC Loc: Traverse City, Michigan

Festus wrote:

At under a $100, you won't be happy with any tripod. Unless you can find a used tripod that was originally around $400 to $500. Google "Tom Hogan's Tripods 101". Very informative article on purchasing a tripod.

OK, so part of what I may have to do is re-think how often I should be getting a tripod out, especially since I have this recently purchased bridge camera with the really long zoom. So I am starting to reconsider the budget but still...

Will start to watch craigs list and maybe jump over to ebay.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Manfrotto MKCOMPACTACN-BK is a decent "compact" tripod for around $80. I have the earlier version in my tripod stable. It's fairly light and easy to use and for the price it's a pretty good little tripod.

jim in TC Loc: Traverse City, Michigan

rmorrison1116 wrote:

Manfrotto MKCOMPACTACN-BK is a decent "compact" tripod for around $80. I have the earlier version in my tripod stable. It's fairly light and easy to use and for the price it's a pretty good little tripod.

Must admit, what I am looking for is something "decent" without breaking the bank.

Are there opinions (of course there are) on the relative advantages and drawbacks of pan and ball heads? Some tripod 'kits' offer either and I am assuming that the ball head, to achieve "decent" quality and durability adds price, yes or no? I am more comfortable with pan, but that is only because of a so equipped cheap tripod I used for some years.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I put $80 to $100 in the selector at B&H and came up with 15 choices. A couple were 65" or taller. The "best" appeared to be the Manfrotto Compact Advanced Aluminum Tripod (Black).

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1059031-REG/manfrotto_mkcompactadv_bk_compact_advanced_tripod_black.html

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

jim in TC wrote:

Must admit, what I am looking for is something "decent" without breaking the bank.

Are there opinions (of course there are) on the relative advantages and drawbacks of pan and ball heads? Some tripod 'kits' offer either and I am assuming that the ball head, to achieve "decent" quality and durability adds price, yes or no? I am more comfortable with pan, but that is only because of a so equipped cheap tripod I used for some years.

Tripod heads range in price from around $50 to over $1500. There are all kinds of heads for all kind of applications. The Manfrotto tripod I suggested has a pistol grip style hybrid head with quick release plate. You can pan with it or swivel it. Go to the Manfrotto Web site and check it out.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

stevetassi wrote:

For under $100, you're not going to be able to get a solid tripod.

Sure you can, it all depends on what one considers solid and what one is using the tripod for.
I routinely put $5000 worth of camera on a $100 tripod without worrying about it because I know the tripod will do the job.

spaceylb Loc: Long Beach, N.Y.

rmorrison1116 wrote:

Sure you can, it all depends on what one considers solid and what one is using the tripod for.
I routinely put $5000 worth of camera on a $100 tripod without worrying about it because I know the tripod will do the job.

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

jim in TC wrote:

I am in the market for a "medium quality"... (show quote)

It depends on your expectations. Do you want the tripod to hold your 12000mm effective zoom steady? Or do you just want something to hold the camera for landscapes. Each application requires a completely different support system, the the 1200mm lens being the most demanding.

You won't get stable support for a 1200mm lens whether it (with the camera) weighs 8 oz or 25 lbs. Stability is far harder to achieve than load capacity, and a sub-$100 tripod ain't gonna have it. Save your money, you already have what you think you need with a travel tripod. Just because you can find a tripod for under $!00 doesn't mean a)it will fit your needs, and b)you should throw away your money on it.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

jim in TC wrote:

I am in the market for a "medium quality"... (show quote)

Trust me, eventually you will not be happy with any tripod under $100.00. That said your next best bet is to look into a nice Manfrotto tripod.They are not real expensive and you will get a solid tripod for your camera.