BBurns
Loc: South Bay, California
Some of the best lenses I own, I bought very cheap, so that is at least one item I do not agree with!
Good advice for the succesful professional or money-no-object crowd, but some of us have to cut our cloth to suite. If I had to chose between a $1500 tripod and $150 camera or a $150 tripod and a $1500 camera I think I would spend the money on the camera. And yes, I have heard all the arguments that a good tripod lasts for ever and a body only lasts a couple of years.
BBurns
Loc: South Bay, California
repleo wrote:
.... And yes, I have heard all the arguments that a good tripod lasts for ever and a body only lasts a couple of years.
I am also on a fixed income but it is not about how long a tripod lasts. I think I would analyse this a little differently.
Let's say I went out and spend $150 on a bargain tripod because I was frugal and did not want to spend $500 on a decent one.
Then I went out to shoot my rose garden and put $5000 worth of camera & lens on my bargain tripod.
It fell over in the pond and caused $3000 worth of damage to the gear.
But I saved $350 on that tripod! Maybe I should have looked for a good used one on eBay or waited and saved up a little longer.
I'm sure there are some out there who have learned this lesson the hard way.
You should add to that lens brush,lens paper,lens cleaner and lens towels
BBurns wrote:
I am also on a fixed income but it is not about how long a tripod lasts. I think I would analyse this a little differently.
Let's say I went out and spend $150 on a bargain tripod because I was frugal and did not want to spend $500 on a decent one.
Then I went out to shoot my rose garden and put $5000 worth of camera & lens on my bargain tripod.
It fell over in the pond and caused $3000 worth of damage to the gear.
But I saved $350 on that tripod! Maybe I should have looked for a good used one on eBay or waited and saved up a little longer.
I'm sure there are some out there who have learned this lesson the hard way.
I am also on a fixed income but it is not about ho... (
show quote)
Agreed, but if your total budget was $5150 how would you spend it?
I especially agree about filters, especially CPLs.
In other words, everything.
It's a good list. Leave out the camera body though?
repleo wrote:
Good advice for the succesful professional or money-no-object crowd, but some of us have to cut our cloth to suite. If I had to chose between a $1500 tripod and $150 camera or a $150 tripod and a $1500 camera I think I would spend the money on the camera. And yes, I have heard all the arguments that a good tripod lasts for ever and a body only lasts a couple of years.
Never heard that, (a body only lasting a couple of years), and everybody knows that's not true! I still use bodies that I've had for over 40 years and they function just like they did when new!
Articles like this, and a lot of views on UHH, are not all that helpful, for this reason.....What does "cheaply" mean? Where's the dividing line between "cheap", "expensive", "affordable", being able to take pictures you like versus going without because you can't have the "best"?
jmw44
Loc: Princeton, NJ USA
I had a cheap tripod break and ruin my expensive camera. There's a lot to be said for a reliable tripod and they don't come cheap.
jmw44 wrote:
I had a cheap tripod break and ruin my expensive camera. There's a lot to be said for a reliable tripod and they don't come cheap.
How few dollars is "cheap"? How many dollars is "no longer cheap"? How many dollars is "just too damned expensive"?
Is a $150.00 tripod rated for 12 lbs. not any good, while a 2-3 times more tripod rated for 12 lbs. is "necessary?
Where does it all end?
jmw44
Loc: Princeton, NJ USA
nadelewitz wrote:
How few dollars is "cheap"? How many dollars is "no longer cheap"? How many dollars is "just too damned expensive"?
Is a $150.00 tripod rated for 12 lbs. not any good, while a 2-3 times more tripod rated for 12 lbs. is "necessary?
Where does it all end?
Good questions. I've always needed a tripod rated for more than 12 lbs.
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