Home Forums Gear Photography What tripod should I buy

I am needing to get a tripod for my vortex spotting scope and my wife is also wanting me to get a good tripod to use with her camera. What tripods do you recomend? I mostly hunt locally with a mile or so walk a hunt, but I am planning on doing some backpacking in Colorado so weight is a factor, but not the only one. I want to stay around th $200 range. What would you recomend?

Manfrotto or Gitzo. Both make a carbon fiber model that is super lightweight (but pricey). you could get the aluminum equivalent in your pricerange pretty easily.

I have a manfrotto 190XB ($150) that is bombproof and can sit from 4" to 7 feet.

it does weigh 4# though.

Vortex makes ones that work well with their stuff...

Slik makes one that is pretty small for woods and hiking. It has a ball head and it works great. It is under $200 and high quality. Part of their pro series.

I don't care for it in a heavy photography session regardless of the locations (woods or urban). I honestly prefer my larger Manfrotto tripod that weights like 5 lbs (055 series)+ the head. I have lugged that thing many miles. Would love to pick up the carbon fiber equivalent ($300+), but it is still fairly heavy especially when the head will weigh a couple pounds by itself (another $200).

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/summit-ss-tripod-with-ball-head

The best bet would be the new Manfrotto kit
190XPROL w 496RC2 head
It's a great tripod. Very sturdy. Plus it does not break the bank!!

We can do that for you for 177.00 shipped in the USA

I have that same set up now. I've used it for the past 7 years. It is solid. Bit heavy though... I wish the weight was a bit lighter.
After packing it aroudn all day it is very noticable.

Any other options Joel. Just spent $1200 with you guys might as well spend more.. ;-)

I can do an unreal deal on the Promaster T525(. It is a 7x Carbob fiber tripod that is normally 299.99 just for the legs.
Here is a link to see it
http://www.cameralandny.com/tripods/promaster.pl?page=promastersystemprot525p

I can do this with a Promaster 595C Ball head, normally $99.99

Here is the link:
http://www.cameralandny.com/tripods/promaster.pl?page=promastersystempro595cballhead

I can do both for any members of the forum for $219.99 shipped in the USA
Email or PM me with any questions

I have no idea how anyone can declare any tripod, best! Just got the new B&H catalog and there are about three pages of them. Then you can go to different store with them and find many more! My tripod is a very old Bogen 3021, aluminum! Does everything I want and more. Deciding which tripod is best is like trying to decide which camera takes better pictures. Depends on who's using it!

Joel,

PM'd ya

DonFisher; I have the same tripod. If you use a tripod much you get used to the "controls" and do the adjustments almost without thinking "how to" do it. That's why I really don't like the screw type leg locks as I am so used to levers. I am still debating about the horizontal extension feature on the Manfrotto tripods as a replacement to my Bogen. I often like to get very low to take nature pictures of plants and I'm not sure how that works in practice. I lost a lever on the Bogen and matching up parts is very difficult as Bogen/Manfrotto seemed to do different things during different years and nothing is particularly standard. Already spent $50 to fix it only to find out I have a hybrid kind of tripod. $50 flushed.