abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I know other posts have covered this but I will have an easier time following your responses if I post again. My apologies for the redundancy.

I need to buy a new tripod and would appreciate all your advice. I will use it for night photography, still lives, flowers and panoramas. Sitting on top of it will be a Canon 60D with the 18-200 kit lens or the much heavier Sigma 70-200. My budget is $100. I will be buying it from B&H which carries Slik, Manfretto, Oben and Vanguard in this price range.

Aside from the usual questions of convenience, quality, stability and the like, I am curious about pan versus ball heads. I have been using pan heads for years so know nothing about ball heads. I am also used to braced center columns. The less expensive tripods brace the columns while none in my price range do. Am I correct to presume that improvements in technology have made that bracing in more expensive units unnecessary?

Thanks for your help.

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

This "Battle of the Ballheads" test and review by dpreview and published today will help you get started. Take note that, in an early paragraph, dp review acknowledges the "absence" in the test, for various reasons, of some of the "big hitters". But this will help you build some knowledge .....

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2014/01/13/battle-of-the-titans-top-ball-heads-tested?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=news-list&utm_medium=text&ref=title_0_0

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Generally, tilt-and-pan heads work very well for video, but not as well for still cameras. A ball head makes adjusting easy and fast. I got the pistol grip type, but I don't like it, so I went back to a ball head. I got one from Vanguard, the maker of my tripod. You don't have to pay hundreds of dollars for a ballhead, but make sure you have the right to return it if you don't like the way it works.

Pine1 Loc: Midland & Lakeway

I've had a similar question and got some real good answers here. I emailed B&H and asked them about specific tripods and provided the camera & lens & flash I am using. B&H responded without trying to up grade me into bigger better equipment. Good luck.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

My advise, buy the best that you can get, aluminum or carbon fiber and buy only once. $100 is not enough for a good tripod, not even used.
I favor ballheads like the excellent RRS.

TheDman Loc: USA

Pan/tilts work wonderfully for still cameras, in fact better than ball heads IMO. Why wouldn't you want to adjust each axis individually? And why wouldn't you want the axis of rotation as close to the camera as possible?

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

For $100 for a tripod AND head I'd suggest you look in the used department AND you'll be lucky if you find something that will work well at that price point. You do get what you pay for.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

For $100 for a tripod AND head I'd suggest you look in the used department AND you'll be lucky if you find something that will work well at that price point. You do get what you pay for.