Tripod: I am wanting to get a tripod for under $200. It will not be used for professional use, just as a serious hobby. Any suggestions for what would be the best one for the money?

retired2014 Loc: Indiana

I am wanting to get a tripod for under $200. It will not be used for professional use, just as a serious hobby. Any suggestions for what would be the best one for the money? Thank you.

corryhully Loc: liverpool uk

try manfrotto. not too expensive but very good.

wthomson Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Purists will ridicule me, but I have had very good luck with Dolica products. Inexpensive and lightweight, but plenty solid for my needs.

retired2014 Loc: Indiana

corryhully wrote:

try manfrotto. not too expensive but very good.

I have checked the Manfrotto, but can't decide which would be best. Thank you for responding.

retired2014 Loc: Indiana

wthomson wrote:

Purists will ridicule me, but I have had very good luck with Dolica products. Inexpensive and lightweight, but plenty solid for my needs.

I haven't heard of the Dolica tripods but will check them out. Any specific one? Thank you.

krl48 Loc: NY, PA now SC

retired2014, it would be helpful to know what camera/lens combination you'll be using the tripod with.

retired2014 Loc: Indiana

krl48 wrote:

retired2014, it would be helpful to know what camera/lens combination you'll be using the tripod with.

I have the D7100 and the Tamron 16-300 that I use most often. I also have the Nikon 50 mm 1.4G.

photoshack Loc: Irvine, CA

I prefer "MeFoto" http://amzn.to/1UJFxsK which uses the "arca-swiss" plate which is superior to nearly all others in my opinion (you can put an L bracket on your camera so that it does portrait/landscape while not screwing up your leveling.)

retired2014 Loc: Indiana

photoshack wrote:

I prefer "MeFoto" http://amzn.to/1UJFxsK which uses the "arca-swiss" plate which is superior to nearly all others in my opinion (you can put an L bracket on your camera so that it does portrait/landscape while not screwing up your leveling.)

I like the fact that you can get this in different colors. Does it have a ballhead?

Blasthoff Loc: Life halved NY and IN

Best bang for the buck. You can commonly find a Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 (silver), 3221 (black) tripod legs, used on ebay for $100 or less. Then add a decent large Ball Head such as a new Sirui. You won't find a combination anything near as stable or useful in that price range. I've owned a Bogen 3221 for 30 yrs and recently added a large ArcaSwiss Monoball. It would take a pocket full of money to replace it with anything close that is new. From all I've heard the Sirui is a Very Good quality copy of the ArcaSwiss at a fraction of the cost.

You would need to spend double the price to come close on a new tripod. It is not super light, but super light will NOT be stable enough.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

retired2014 wrote:

I am wanting to get a tripod for under $200. It will not be used for professional use, just as a serious hobby. Any suggestions for what would be the best one for the money? Thank you.

I like this Slik as a good all around legs/base for the money. - http://www.amazon.com/Slik-700DX-Super-Titanium-Tripod/dp/B001GIOKPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435097422&sr=8-1&keywords=tripod+legs

I also like the Manfro #322 grip action ball head for the same reasons- though this will take you over budget somewhat ....

retired2014 Loc: Indiana

Blasthoff wrote:

Best bang for the buck. You can commonly find a Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 (silver), 3221 (black) tripod legs, used on ebay for $100 or less. Then add a decent large Ball Head such as a new Sirui. You won't find a combination anything near as stable or useful in that price range. I've owned a Bogen 3221 for 30 yrs and recently added an ArcaSwiss Monoball, the Sirui is a very good quality copy of the ArcaSwiss. You would need to spend double the price to come close on a new tripod.

thanks for this info. I will check it out. I hadn't thought of used. Worth a look.

Quixdraw Loc: x

If cost is an issue, I would suggest a Welt Safelock Professional. I just checked and there are quite a few on Ebay at very reasonable prices. I have had and used one for decades. Solid, simple to adjust, but not particularly light. Though I have never used one, there is a plate you can mount to be able to change cameras quickly.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

retired2014 wrote:

I like the fact that you can get this in different colors. Does it have a ballhead?

I own a MeFOTO monopod (in orange) and have been very pleased with the quality of their manufacturing. You can purchase a ball head from MeFOTO or check out other options at B&H, Adorama or Amazon.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

imagemeister wrote:

I like this Slik as a good all around legs/base for the money. - http://www.amazon.com/Slik-700DX-Super-Titanium-Tripod/dp/B001GIOKPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435097422&sr=8-1&keywords=tripod+legs

I also like the Manfro #322 grip action ball head for the same reasons- though this will take you over budget somewhat ....

Here is the #322 head for $90 used ,,......http://www.ebay.com/itm/Manfrotto-322RC2-Ball-Head-/221860119884?hash=item33a7e4c54c