romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

Do you mean6 ft tall Column unextended?

Bob Boner

The mistake I made (only once) is to not anticipate future needs, and buy a tripod that is not sturdy enough. With your long lens you need a substantial tripod. You can spend money on a cheap one now and realize you need to replace it before long. Get one that is substantial, Gitzo or Really Right Stuff, if you can afford it. The RRS B55 ball head is the best I have seen. If you plan to follow focus on birds with your tripod, the Wimberley is excellent. I have a Gitzo 5000 series and 3200 series (carbon fiber) that work well with a 600mm f/4. I have an Induro CF 300 series that I use only for landscape with small lenses. My advice is: buy enough tripod for any possible future needs. Gitzo and RRS will have them that extend to the height you need. Gitzo is somewhat cheaper.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

Weigh your camera and lens, then buy a tripod that will hold at least twice as much. Only you know how much money you want to spend. My advice is to buy one tripod in your life. That means don't buy a cheap compromise - buy the best and if you can't afford it now, save up. You'll save money in the long run. In my opinion Gitzo makes the best tripods in the world, next I would have to say Really Right Stuff and then Manfrotto. All of these companies have web sites where you can find all the specifications and models available. Do some research and you will have more confidence in your choice than if you buy one on some stranger's recommendation (not that us Hoggers consider ourselves to be 'strangers'.