Getting a decent tripod

Greysoul · 11-06-2006 6:28am #1

Where's the place to go here in Dublin to get a good, professional-quality selection of tripods? The very few camera shops I've seen so far only carry cheap and lightweight ones - and the only place I know of that does appear to carry a good selection, Conn's Cameras, is a store I've been strongly warned against (putting used merchandise back in boxes and selling them as new, etc).

Thanks for any help!

Dimy · 11-06-2006 8:41am

Try Jessops, they might not have them on display or in the store at all, but they do have Manfrotto tripods in their catalogue so you should for sure be able to order them.

qwertz · 11-06-2006 12:04pm

I don't think that Conn's sell used merchandise as new. What they might do is let a customer have a look at a product and put it back into the box but most if not all camera shops do that.

There is a place in D8 called DML. They seem to be "the" Manfrotto dealer in Ireland.
http://www.dml.ie/contact_us.htm

MyStuffForSale · 11-06-2006 1:06pm

Have used DML on that front. Another crowd worth considering are http://www.miniphoto.com/ are suppliers for Benbo. Trade suppliers, but I think they are fairly happy to do direct sales.

Valentia · 11-06-2006 7:31pm

Gitzo tripods look good but pricey. They are distributed by Hasselblad in the UK so DML may stock them. They have no Irish distributer listed tho'.

I need a light rugged tripod too at a decent price and the Benbo look interesting. I have a Manfrotto from a previous life but it weighs a shaggin' ton. Any pointers would be great. Light, strong, portable and at a reasonable (say less than €200) price.

rymus · 11-06-2006 10:09pm

how much does a neotec go for these days? My awfully cheap and cheerful Argos tripod is slowly biting the bullet and I'm lusting after a neotec with a decent head.

Deacon Blues · 11-06-2006 10:15pm

Gunns in Wexford St. have a selection of Manfrotto, (tripods and heads) amongst others ...

Fenster · 11-06-2006 10:43pm

I wandered into Jessops today and found they had a decent selection of tripods on sale.

Greysoul · 11-06-2006 10:52pm

Valentia wrote:

Any pointers would be great. Light, strong, portable and at a reasonable (say less than €200) price.

Yeah, *that* would do the trick - even three out of four wouldn't be bad... I had a Bogen ball head tripod that I was very happy with strength-wise, but lightness and portability weren't among its virtues.

Thanks guys for letting me know about those sites, I'll check those out if I can't find a decent place here in town. (As for Conn's, I was told that by a guy who worked in the Temple Bar gallery and had dealings with them all the time, so... *shrug*)

Fionn · 12-06-2006 7:55am

iv'e got stuff from these Ffords Photographic UK based
they have a pretty good second-hand collection too

dalk · 12-06-2006 8:33am

I just bought 2 tripod legs and 2 ball heads off of Ebay, from Hong Kong with no hassle whatsoever... The two ebay stores i used were SmartRedButton/HKCarris & Digital iSHop

Both were Benro tripods & ballheads, who are either OEM manufacturers of Gitzo tripods in China (and rebrand them as Benro) or are wholesale ripping them off... Because they are almost identical to Gitzo tripods, BUT are almost half the price of Gitzo tripods.

The 2 tripods & ballheads i received are excellent btw.

peter1892 · 12-06-2006 9:25am

I got this one in Gunns last year:

http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/2052

It was €65 - lightweight, quick release plate, carry bag etc. It's more of a travel tripod but fine for everyday use (although taller users may find it awkward).

JMcL · 13-06-2006 8:07am

Has anybody bought a tripod from Feisol? They have a very good rep as an alternative to Gitzo (though the Benro tripod that dalk refers to looks interesting).

I was trying to figure out how much I'd get hit for on duty/VAT, but couldn't figure out much from the revenue website.

John

Getting a decent tripod

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