stepping beyond Loc: usa eastcoast

I'm just giddy as all get out, we were at his house for Xmas dinner and we were talking cameras , I was getting schooled as to what would help Ole Shaky Jake to capture better pictures and he likes my astrophotography. I'm disabled from childhood and have spent my life with continuous tremors and erratic shaking of my hands, arms and legs { not to mention name calling}. While I was out on he balcony taking snapshots of birds, he asked" could you use a tripod. I replied the only tripod I could get would be aluminum because as soon as I go to snap the shot I would shake and the shot would be trash. Well folks today "I was blessed with a excellent condition Sunpaak ultra 757 B steel tripod. Totally the" Cadillac of tripods " as I'm concerned . Doesn't even look like it was used, the box had thick dust from being stored in his back room where he does all his tinkering . Can I get some feedback on this tripod, is it as worthy as I think it is? I'm calling on all UHH to help me to be most awesome at landscapes and wildlife Photography. So come on and get me to shine like all of you.

Sunpaak Ultra 757 B steel tripod 2008 model

Leitz Loc: Solms

Set your camera on it and take pictures, preferably with a cable or electric release. If your pictures are shake free, it is worthy. Good luck, you should see an immense improvement in your pictures!

Haydon

Look into a wireless remote to remove all shakiness. I tend to frame an image first by hand and then put it on the tripod. Framing on the tripod often is more difficult and finding a perspective freehand will give you a more compelling image IMO.

joe west Loc: Taylor, Michigan

nice tripod, your on your way to shake free photo's good luck

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Congrats! It will hold the camera steady. That's all that matters. It's out of production, so finding info may be a challenge, but that doesn't matter. Make sure you have some sort of quick-release plate for camera and tripod, although it probably does have one. You don't want to be screwing and unscrewing the camera mount every time you use it. With a wired or wireless release, photography will become much easier.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Do you like your Mobi, Joe? I switched from the original Eye-Fi to Mobi. SO far, so good.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

To dampen vibrations from your hard wood floor consider putting it on a carpet remnant. External shutter release is a must. Good shooting with this!

Woodsman Loc: North of Peterborough Ontario

You can also dampen vibrations from floors or decks by hanging something heavy like a small bag of sand under the tripod. I have found that really helps me on a deck or in wind.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Consider buying a wireless remote control for your camera. Once you get your image set up, press the remote..no shakes on the camera.Good Luck with your new tripod.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

How easy is the tripod and head to use? I have an old tripod head that is a bugger to try to figure out. Ofc it was pretty cheap. My new one is a breeze. The legs are sturdy as well. The final question is....does it help you make with your photos? Don't worry about comparing it to other tripods. It was a gift given from a friend.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I'm guessing if you want the heaviest tripod available to look for an old Majestic Tripod, I remember these used for Cinema Cameras and 8x10" View Cameras. Mainly or only used in the studio. But if you have a friend to carry one out of doors...

Much of the other advise posted here is good as well, on techniques. My arthritis is getting bad enough that I'll soon need tricks to do photography as it is getting impossible to hold my heavy DSLRs (heavier than my same brand film SLRs).

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

That isn't a valid conclusion. What you really want is a carbon fiber tripod and a remote shutter release (either a cable or a radio trigger, or both).

Not just special for your use, but that's true for all of us. You just have more shakes that the average person. If you are actually touching the camera, it will be moving. So don't touch it!

Carbon fiber is lighter and it also dampens vibrations better than aluminum or other metals. Wood can do even better, but it isn't lighter either.


Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, eh?

Your new tripod is a low cost bit of kit that is nearly junk! But it can serve a couple of good purposes for you, in particular because it is a gift horse! No regrets about the cost...

It will teach you the main things a tripod can do. It will hold your camera and separate your shakes from the camera. It will teach you the effort in labor required to produce too! You have to pack that thing everywhere! Your tripod weighs over 6 pounds. And it isn't exactly the most stable or easy to use tripod ever made.

As a comparison, the top of the line Gitzo Series 5 tripods weigh less, and instead of breaking with a load over 11 pounds, they are rated for upwards of 50 pounds! A vast difference! Of course every single one of them costs more than $1000 too, so that just shows what is on the other extreme of the teeder totter.


For sitting in your house on a solid floor, it will work to some degree.

For hiking around to get landscapes and wildlife shots, that's not a viable tripod. Note that the 11 lb load rating means you shouldn't actually use it with more than about 3 lbs on it. So in addition to a lighter weight tripod, made with carbon fiber to reduce vibrations, you'll need a more realistic load rating (which depends much on the size of the lenses you might use). Figure the total weight you'll put on a tripod and multiply times 4 to get the minimum load rating. 6 or 7 lbs means you want at least a 25 lb, or more, load rating.

I'm not up to date on various tripods, so I can't recommend any specific models. But you can certainly find something that does what you need and weighs less than half the Sunpak tripod, with a load rating of more than twice as high.

But play with what you have for awhile, and learn what it does and doesn't do. That will allow you to appreciate what a better tripod does. Learn with it, but remember it is just about the worst case tripod you could find for hiking out to get a shot of "wildlife".

Erv Loc: Medina Ohio

A very nice friend. And a tripod that will do just about every thing you need. The only thing I can think of is if it is tall enough for you! Have fun with it and enjoy the hobby!!!

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

That tripod extends to 190 cm and is one of the tallest tripods around.

The problem is that it won't do most of what he needs!

stepping beyond Loc: usa eastcoast

Thank yall for the advice, I've already been out to the front porch and for what I need it for it'll do . I'm going for a remote shutter later on and I'll do my best to get some great shots of my Birds from my house. I shoot from a tile porch and a wood deck and applying the weight is a very good idea , I use to hang washers from my eq1 mount that held my 80mm refractor , I'm also into AP with an 8 in. Newtonian/ lxd55/ modified lx200 standard field tripod . The 757 is a lil' stiff and I do my shooting from a sitting position because I wobble and sway. $1000+ cf , that's a dream right there but, for the light weight and versatility it's gotta be highend . Thanks yall for your imput.Ronnie