Tripods for tall people UNDER 200. 00 ?

[David]

Yeah well Im over six feet and Im getting tired of pumping the elcheapo tripod extension to the top, still having to bend over for landscapes, finding the extension makes the camera abit wobbly on the top and having movement mess up the shots..

Plus Ive recently got a Battery Grip and Speedlite for the camera and with that extra weight the extension ised elcheapo tripod might get worse to control...

So, without going nuts money wise and a whiz bang Manfrotto thingamywhatsit for 400-500 plus dollars , anyone know of a tripod that can carry the above mentioned weight with my Canon 400D, is TALL enough for me and costs 200.00, give or take ?

Or am I dreamin

Footnote: It also has to be capable of dropping down to a foot height off the ground when I want to do seascapes and pick up the cloud reflections on water or rainforest waterfalls or waterholes from close to the ground.

[yummymummy]

My new one is a Manfrotto David, and would be tall enough for you. It cost me $249 and I got it locally here in Warwick.

[David]

Thanks Yummy,Ill check it out when I can find the thread and identity the model you got.. think theres a heap of different ones.. not that cheap what I saw though, ta.

[mongo]

Mongo says try "BENRO" - good stuff reasonable prices compared to Manfrotto etc.

Look up Photo Shop Studio on the web. shop in Liverpool st, sydney with a list of these tripods.

[yummymummy]

The model I got is 190XDB, sorry I should have mentioned it

[DJT]

How far over 6 foot are you ???

I am 6 foot on the dot
I have a Manfrotto 190PROXB with a ball head With my camera with battery grip attached & centre pole fully extended it is a fraction to high for me to see through the view finder. without the battery grip it is fine.

If you are a fair bit over six foot you would/may be better off looking at the 055 ($300 from DD) in the Manfrotto range & then you need a head to put on top.

Good luck in your search

[Kym]

Slik are not bad either. OwenS had one at our Whale watch meet and I thought is was good for the price.

Height is an issue, you have to be comfortable. Best advice is to try it with your camera in a shop.

Ebay?

[Karl]

Hi - I am 6'2" and I have a Manfrotto 190 and it is the right hieght for me; however, mine about 10 years old and I got it for free (it was going to be thrown out as it was surplus to requirements ).

Karl

[David]

Thank you all for the feedback on this; once thought a tripod was something you didnt have to pay much attention to or money on....doh.

I am six 3 (wife says Ive shrunk in the wash so more like six 2 these days).

I am going to check out all the suggested brands and places offered here and take Kym's very good advise and check them out in shop with my camera on board first before I buy one - I dont want to have to remove the BG and I am tired of having to wrestle with a wobbly centre pole so Im just going to have to bite the bullet- Im learning that you get what you pay for more often than not in photography.

Will come back to this thread and let you know how it panned out: thank you for taking the time to offer thoughts and suggestions-

[arthurking83]

first up, I'm going to suggest save it and get a better one later when you got the money.

Depending on requirements of course!!

The professionals all suggest the same advice, that if you want to save yourself money long term, don't go the cheaper option unless you know what you want and why you want that option.

I recently got myself a Gitzo 3531, and the difference in stability over the similar looking Manfrotto, is unbelievable!

I suggest if you want cheap, then look to secondhand, or Benro.
I reckon Benro may be the best value for money brand out there, as for the same priceas the others(Slik, 'frotto, Velbon, etc) you get what seems like a much more sturdy and robust set of legs. Their heads are also good.

find them on ebay, figure out what size is the one you want in their range, and if you have to spend up to $300, stretch it that far and feel happier in the long run.

Benro!!

[David]

Benro!!

Arthur Ive opened a can of worms for myself here -

After doing some research Ive told myself that going elcheapo aint going to work for me.

The following have to go into my calculations

1. The tripod has to be able to support 8Kg plus (because I use a Battery Grip and have to include weight of the camera, lens and Speedlite as well i) if I want it to hold still in vertical shots and not go sloppy/wobbly on me if I happen to get one with a centre pole and need to extent the centre pole. That means looking for a tripod which is at least 25MM in circumference (heavier I dont mind, unstable I do).

2. The tripod/ball head combo has to able to stand at the right height without the need to extend a centre pole in order for the veiwfinder/eye peice to be level with my eye.

From the ground to my eye it is 178 cm. Take away the distance from my the veiwfinder to the bottom of the battery grip underneath the camera (12cm) and the top of the ball head where the camera screws on needs to be 166 cm from the ground.

I have to decide on the ballhead I want, find out how long it is and then deduct that to discover the ideal non extended height of the tripod for my height. I want to avoid using an extension/centre pole on the tripod because no matter how good they are bought they eventually get sloppy and unreliable.

Why am I being such a fuss pot about the height ? Im too tall for my current tripod and read that NOT putting your eye over the veiwfinder can impact on the exposure (diddnt beleive it, tested it on my camera and found out it can happen) and bending my back and contorting for EACH shot throughout the compositon -shoot stage kills me, makes me sloppy and all on a wobbly tripod set up fully extended.

Hence, the end result is going to be the need to pay 400 + for what I need and maybe even 500.00 or more in the Benro or Manfrotto range and thats gonna hurt...watch this space for the options I come up with

[Nicholas N]

I am 6'4" and I use a Slik 300DX and I have no issues. Only cost me around $150 and it has heaps of features.

[rogklee]

Hey I use the 190PROBX Manfrotto. Absolutely love it, esp. the fact that you can switch the centre column to the side. Taken a few shots with the camera extended over into the water and lets you get REAL low. Highly recommend (The 055 might be better for you though since your tall... but then again, it's the price)

Roger

[arthurking83]

Just a FYI on Benro prices that's one of the top of the range aluminium version with a nominal height of 1680mm without head. Once you add the head and camera on top you'll find it may come up to exactly where you require it.

ps. if you make do and save the rest for the carbon version, carbon is so much nicer to use, carry, own, and look at

I've used(albeit for only a few hours) member N.A.M's benro, and I can tell you it's a very solid unit. it's not cheapo, it's just cheap.

I think you can get these tripods a little cheaper from ebay.

[David]

Well Arthur came up trumps again, thanks mate.

Ive decided on the A-357 Benro that stands at 1570mm and add 102 mm for the ballhead and bingo: height is spot on, support weight is 10Kg and a mid range ballhead (KB-1) and Im away for 347.00 delivered. Sure its heavier than the C series carbon fibre and less 'sexy/professional' to look at but with the noggen on my shoulders nothing is gonna make me look good .

Sincere thanks to all for your input here: AP rocks

Now all I have to do is hit the BUY button on Ebay and shrug off the cost...here goes.

[Nicholas N]

$347 is considerably more than the "under $200.00" posted originally.

Look at the Slik 300Dx or 500DX, they both have great pan heads and under $200.00.

Are you really going to do any better with a $347 tripod than you can with a $170 tripod?

[David]

$347 is considerably more than the "under $200.00" posted originally.

Look at the Slik 300Dx or 500DX, they both have great pan heads and under $200.00.

Are you really going to do any better with a $347 tripod than you can with a $170 tripod?

Yeah it is more than planned but the models you mentioned, for example, would require me to use the centre pole (which eventually gets sloppy at the top height) which I dont want, are too short without the pole for what I want, have a pan head rather than a ball head, can not meet my support weight needs (4k on the dearer one u mentioned) and the screw on the pan head will not fit my camera, so no the 300DX and 500DX are not for me.

Ive got what I want and paid alot more but in photography you get what you pay for more often than not. or so it seems.

[Bill44]

I have the Benro A357 with the B2 ball head and it is rock solid. Where solid makes a big difference is when there is a bit of wind. With the head the unit weighs 3.4Kg, but using the supplied bag I have no trouble marching round with it all day, and I'm 65.

Edit. A nice feature is the 3 grub screws to stop the head unscrewing.

[David]

I have the Benro A357 with the B2 ball head and it is rock solid. Where solid makes a big difference is when there is a bit of wind. With the head the unit weighs 3.4Kg, but using the supplied bag I have no trouble marching round with it all day, and I'm 65.

Edit. A nice feature is the 3 grub screws to stop the head unscrewing.

Thanks for the encouraging comments Bill: the weight is nothing for me to carry around and Im looking forward to having a rock solid frame to compose my images from. Better stop spending money for awhile though

[arthurking83]

.....

Are you really going to do any better with a $347 tripod than you can with a $170 tripod?

generally speaking.. YES!

I've gone through it(although voluntarily I may add!) and the man most knowledgeable says the same thing.. with tripods, probably more than any other photography accessory, you only get what you pay for.. and I nearly paid for a $2500 tripod(legs only )

pay less and you get less.

Whether you need more is only for each individual to ascertain. Your usage and requirements will determine that.

Now I'm waiting for the funds to complete my tripod, but I can't find the necessary $1k for this damned ballhead now