Birthday Present?

[Pete Askew]

Aim high!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I'll need a leg extension for that!

 

[Pete Askew]

You could always lift the tripod up!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I can't believe the price of some of these things - some are a few thousand pounds. Incredible.

 

[Pete Askew]

And they only have 3 legs. You could buy a table for less!

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

I can't believe the price of some of these things - some are a few thousand pounds. Incredible.

You obviously haven't learnt anything about photography then,

 

[Brian Moore]

I don't understand. What's wrong with a tumbler, a knee, a wall, a table, etc. What am I missing here?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I tried a table, Brian, but I had a hard time taking it on a bus with me...

 

[Pat Reehal]

I have a Giotto tripod and it is everything Pete says about the brand. Quality and very stable but it's a cumbersome bugger to lug around.

I bought a Joby Gorrilla Pod SLR focus with the ball head and it is a perfect tool to use with the Merrills. Light, easy to carry and best of all it clings to just about anything. I have used it with the XT-1 and the 55-200 lens and it has been perfect. I wrap it around my Hadley Pro bag strap which looks less than elegant but means a steady platform is always with me. Amazon have them for £50 or so. Plus it seems to suit the Merrill size as they look lost on a standard tripod.

Talking of bags, the Pro will take 3 Merrills with ease. As I am poor and only have 2 Merrills, they fit very nicely in the Billingham Hadley Digital which I bought for my precious as a satchel.

Sadly she did not like the sage green colour and said I could have it.

Ding dong!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers, Pat. More to think about there.

 

[Pete Askew]

A good idea. The Gorilla Pods are wonderful little things (unless you're in the middle of a field!).

 

[Davie Hudson]

I don't understand. What's wrong with a tumbler, a knee, a wall, a table, etc. What am I missing here?

exactly, what does the more expensive ones give you? I think mine was £40 and it holds the cameras up

 

[Paul Lange]

I quite like the Vanguard range as they are reasonably priced and the quality is good. IMHO I think with a tripod it is more than just sturdiness / weight. You have to goto the shop and try them out with your camera. Some heads are easier to operate than others and the legs on some can be a pain as well.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Only one camera shop left in Edinburgh, and they don't have much in the way of tripods. I'll look up Vanguard online, Paul. Thanks for mentioning them.

Davie, first you said you do hand-held shots, then you say you have a £40 tripod. I can't cope with these mind games, man!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Considering THIS or THIS

Thoughts?

 

[Paul Lange]

Both seem OK on paper. Did you find any online reviews about them? You have to take them with a pinch of salt but sometimes you can build up an idea of what it may be like.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Not yet. I'll look later today.

 

[Tom Dunne]

Years ago I was advised to get the best I could afford and the heaviest I could carry. And I did but I soon found that I did not need to. My Manfrotto remains pretty redundant and I generally use my very first tripod still; a little Cobra, light as a feather and perfect unless you are going to mount a centurian tank on it.
I find too that the snap lock legs are far easier to work with than the twist variety.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Thanks, Tom. Never thought about the leg adjusters.

 

[Pete Askew]

Asun has one these. It won a TIPA award some years ago.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alta-Pro-263AB-100-Aluminium/dp/B004OYUDG4/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1404390244&sr=1-2&keywords=Vanguard alta