Tripod question

paulusdu

I'm thinking of upgrading my tripod to something a little bit better.

The main reason i want to upgrade it is the tripod i currently have is not very sturdy. If i am taking a long exposure shot and there is a mildish wind about (im on the west coast so that is 90% of the time) i get a lot of camera shake.

I'm not too fussed about a quick release head, but more a tripod that is pretty solid without costing more than my camera.

So i have 2 questions for the knowledgeable folks here

1) Would upgrading my tripod make any diference really, can i get rid of my shakey shots?
2) If yes, then can amyone recomend one? I hear Manfrotto are recommended

DotOrg

paulusdu wrote: »

1) Would upgrading my tripod make any diference really, can i get rid of my shakey shots?

yes, if you are shooting slow shutter speed shots then yes, definitely

paulusdu wrote: »

2) If yes, then can amyone recomend one? I hear Manfrotto are recommended

manfrotto make great tripods, so do lots of other companies. the price you pay relates to quality of materials and build, manfrotto make tripods that are mid-range as well as top of the line pro models

go into gunns on wexford street and have a play with what they have. got my manfrotto in there after trying out lots of combinations of tripod and heads

Thecageyone

I have a pretty light tripod too, only cost €30 from Argos. The cam is heavy enough to hold it down in light winds at least. i will get a decent one some time, but I don't use it enough to warrant it at present. Manfrotto are supposedly one of the best makes.

mrmac

Have you tried to stabilise the tripod you have?

Even with expensive tripods, they often need extra weights applied to the legs, or on a hook directly under the head, to keep them rock steady.

It doesn't need to be anything fancy. The most resourceful weights I've ever seen, where sand bags made from a pair of jeans! Cut off the legs. Stitch a line across, at the knee, so you have two pockets. Get two large zip lock bags and 3/4 fill with sand, put one in each pocket, stitch up the ends!

Try doing this first, as it may help.

hbr

paulusdu wrote: »

I'm thinking of upgrading my tripod to something a little bit better.

The main reason i want to upgrade it is the tripod i currently have is not very sturdy. If i am taking a long exposure shot and there is a mildish wind about (im on the west coast so that is 90% of the time) i get a lot of camera shake.

I'm surprised your current tripod is that bad. Is the whole tripod
moving in the wind, or is it just a wobbly centre column? Maybe you
could hang your camera bag or something heavy off the centre
column to steady it up.

1) Would upgrading my tripod make any diference really, can i get rid of my shakey shots?

If the problems are caused by tripod movement, then a more
stable tripod will give better results.

2) If yes, then can amyone recomend one? I hear Manfrotto are recommended

Manfrotto make some very nice tripods. I would recommend the
Slik Pro 500DX. They are heavier and sturdier than the lower
priced Manfrotto models. I paid €114.95 in our nearest chemist.
(Sam McCauley). A bit cheaper than eBay!

paulusdu

cheers for the reply guys.

The tripod i have currently was a bargain basement special, and is fine indoors or when there is no wind. I have tried hanging the camera rucksack on the bottom of the camera, but i still get the shake. There is no hook to hang anything off the bottom of the tripod, so its a case of tying a wieght to the bottom rim.

I'm cautious of buying a tripod straight from the net, so i think the option of calling into Gunns and have a look alright.

Looking at the prices of Slik tripods, they seem reasonable enough.

IamBlip

I'm not sure if Gunns stock Slik but Birminghams do and also Manfrotto. I've got the Slik700 and it is solid...ironically the down side is the weight when lugging around.

Sleepy

Anyone tried one of these out?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15247

Seems like great value from the reviews... compatible with Manfrotto heads too...

cnocbui

Lower the height of the tripod as much as possible, hang a sand bag or other weght off the centre column, as already suggested. Being in the west, you could carry a small string/net bag and fill it with rocks, which are usually plentiful.

I'm going to put in a plug for Benbo tripods. Sturdy and highly flexible. No, that is not a contradiction in terms.