NEED HELP FINDING A TRPOD

J

J_Wang

Member
Hey NS!

I recently broke my tripod and i am in the market to buy a new one, i only have $180 to spend and these are the think i am looking for

- 2 or 3 way fluid head (not ball head)

- atleast a max load weight of 15lbs

- good quality

- will be stable in the snow

I would prefer a manfrotto but its hard to find new ones for that price with the fluid head.

I am willing to buy used tripods if anyone has any.

I have been looking all night and seem to not be getting any where so i thought i would search NS for some help.

Please guys any help is appriciated, and if you find a tripod that i may be interested in, please put the link in the "reply"
 
$180 is pretty tight for a tripod and fluid head. I personally use a manfrotto 190xprob which you can find for $120 online (just google it or the 055) and a fancier 717 fluid head. However you'd probably be able to find a manfrotto 701 or something used (or just get a good deal new) for ~$100 ish.Don't want to start an argument over which is better, but basically the fancier is basically a chinese copy of the manfrotto one for $50 less. It's worked fine for me (had it since summer 2010 or 11 I believe, its held up fine), but haven't used a 701 so can't really compare them. Maybe you could find a combo deal with 701 plus sticks for under $200 but it would probably be hard.

Manfrotto is a good company and makes quality stuff, so it will last a long time.

 
i need atleast a 15lb because i have my slider, my 60d and what ever lens i use (anywhere from a prime to a tokina 11-16)
 
Ah, that makes sense. Then a tripod with those types of legs with the frame in the middle would probably be best (I assume it lets it support more weight? Not sure exactly what it does, it could just hold the feet at equal distances apart, idk).Doesn't look like there are any other tripods out there in the $120 range that can hold 15+lbs, but i'll keep looking.
 
You're not going to get a decent tripod that will support 15lbs for 180 bucks. Shit an fsb4 supports 9lbs and its 800 dollar. You might need to save up.
 
That one looks pretty good actually, I'v heard a lot of good stuff about that fm18 head. Not sure if it can really support a full 18lbs though. You might want to buy a second lighter weight tripod (hell even a monopod might work) just to put on the other side of the slider, so you can have support on both ends and not just one support in the middle. my .02
 
meh, tripods are like glass, the more you spend the better they are. spending under 500 on a tripod seems silly.
 
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^ not that wrong. him buying that $180 tripod is like buying a 18-55 kit lens vs a 17-55 2.8 lens.
 
I have this tripod and it is great for the money. It supports my varavon slider and 60d and lens quite fine. So i dont think it will be a problem for you. Eheath if you pay more for a tripod you will get better results but not every one has 500 on up to pay for a tripod. If you buy an inexpensive one you will still get alright results.... and honestly if you know what your doing you can make it work just fine. But in know way is buying a tripod like buying glass. You can shoot with a real nice tripod and shoot with this inexpensive Davis and Sanford and if you know what your doing know one will know the difference. But if you shoot with a nice 70-200L 2.8 and then shoot with a crappy 18-135 kit lens people will know the difference and be able to tell.
 
No amount of skill can overcome the laws of physics. Skill determines one's ability to function within a given set of physical limits defined by their gear and a plethora of other factors, but being experience won't make your lenses sharper, or your tripod more stable.

If you're using medium to wide focal lengths and most movements generally abide by the X or Y axii in a moderate climate, cheap tripods will get the job done. If you're doing any sort of diagonals in a cold climate, let alone with a telephoto on a large-sensor rolling shutter camera (which is what 98% of ski videography is), a cheap one will noticeably affect your footage.
 
Yes you are Right its tough. And Yes you cant break the law of physics. And Yes you cant take a less inexpensive tripod any where and expect it to perform great. But if you buy a tripod like the Davis and Sanford you can still use it in harsh in environments and have it perform alright. If you know that hey this tripod is not as durable as a manfroto.... i will treat it better and put in places where it wont get damaged. You can send the semi cheap route and get away with it.

A tripod is one of the most useful things in video that you cant really do without. So if OP only has a small budget to spend mine aswell get a good cheap one now that is not ganna break in the near future than save up a couple more months and be tripod less. (I am no professional doing this for years apon years and think i know everything, this just my personal opinion based off experience to help OP)
 
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