Tripod Question

JWilbur26

Hi All,

So I am finally ready to upgrade from the $20 tripod that I have had for years which is so shaky...it scares me. I went to my camera shop over the weekend and took a look at the Bogen 785b. The appeal was the size and weight. It is exactly what I am looking for. The price then grabbed me. $80 for the tripod and head. BH has it here. The guy at the shop told me it would not be sufficient for my d50 and it isn't rated to handle a digital SLR.

Is this a load of bull? It is much more sturdy than the one I use now. I don't need more than a basic tripod at this point, but I would like something that will last. Would someone be able to recommend a better setup?

JESTER

I agree with the sales rep. BHPhoto is usually pretty up front with you. I've dealt with them for over 10 years. That tripod is only rated for 2.2 pounds. Not nearly enough for your D50 plus whatever else you put on it. If you are going to spend that much $$ on a camera you want it to be safe. Next Question: Which tripod? Well, that about like asking which camera. The answer is varied. I would suggest one with a rating of at least 8-10 lbs for your general use. BH has hundreds to choose from. Ask the rep to help you.

I looked at your site. Nice photos of Florida except for thay guy on a horse!!!! GO GATORS!!!

Hope that is helpful to you.

JWilbur26

Thanks
Thanks for the advice Jester!

You gave me the confirmation I was looking for. (someone who doesn't work for a camera shop)

I am a seminole and a die hard one. Congrats on your win though...I am glad to see the title come back to Florida.

HiSPL

FWIW, I bought from amvona over eBay. I can't say that it's the best out there, because it has a few niggles that aren't quite up to par with the expensive ones, but for the price I don't think you can beat it.

What I got was the AT-CF92 legs and the ATH-H92 ball head.

legs,
http://cgi.ebay.com/PRO-CARBON-FIBER-MAGNESIUM-ALLOY-CAMERA-TRIPOD-LEGS-92_W0QQitemZ200072240094QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30095QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

head,
http://cgi.ebay.com/PROFESSIONAL-CAMERA-TRIPOD-ACTION-BALL-HEAD-NEW-ATH-H92_W0QQitemZ200071753976QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30095QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The system is not quite *rock* solid but is quite acceptable. And for a carbon fiber tripod with a very nice ball head it set me back about 125 bucks after shipping. If the carbon fiber is not as important to you, then you could get a system for $60 to $100 dollars quite easily.

Having a ball head is great, and I would recommend the ATH-H92 readily. It is very strong and well built.

The legs are a little fussy when your extending or retracting. The rubber grip that is applied on the leg locks tends to slip, but if you give it a little squeeze it works OK. The center pole is reversable and the locking mechanism is very strong but it tends to get overtightened easily and is hard to undo. When the center pole is extended all the way out it will bend a little if you apply weight to it so you have to careful not to lean on it while your framing your shot.

I believe the system would hold alot more than it's rated 13.5 pounds. It is very sturdy.

I am happy overall with the setup, but If you are used to a high dollar tripod, you would probably be dissappointed in it. For me, it was down to this or nothing because I couldn't drop 300+ bucks on a tripod and head. It doesn't feel like I bought something cheap, "so I could save up for a real tripod". This 'pod will last for many years and I will keep using it even if I get something better. It is very nice for the price.

HTH!

Amvona's tripods and monopods on eBay,
http://photography.search.ebay.com/_Tripods-Monopods_W0QQcatrefZC12QQsacatZ30090QQsassZamvonaQ2ecom

JWilbur26

HiSPL wrote:

FWIW, I bought from amvona over eBay. I can't say that it's the best out there, because it has a few niggles that aren't quite up to par with the expensive ones, but for the price I don't think you can beat it.

What I got was the AT-CF92 legs and the ATH-H92 ball head.

legs,
http://cgi.ebay.com/PRO-CARBON-FIBER-MAGNESIUM-ALLOY-CAMERA-TRIPOD-LEGS-92_W0QQitemZ200072240094QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30095QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

head,
http://cgi.ebay.com/PROFESSIONAL-CAMERA-TRIPOD-ACTION-BALL-HEAD-NEW-ATH-H92_W0QQitemZ200071753976QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30095QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The system is not quite *rock* solid but is quite acceptable. And for a carbon fiber tripod with a very nice ball head it set me back about 125 bucks after shipping. If the carbon fiber is not as important to you, then you could get a system for $60 to $100 dollars quite easily.

Having a ball head is great, and I would recommend the ATH-H92 readily. It is very strong and well built.

The legs are a little fussy when your extending or retracting. The rubber grip that is applied on the leg locks tends to slip, but if you give it a little squeeze it works OK. The center pole is reversable and the locking mechanism is very strong but it tends to get overtightened easily and is hard to undo. When the center pole is extended all the way out it will bend a little if you apply weight to it so you have to careful not to lean on it while your framing your shot.

I believe the system would hold alot more than it's rated 13.5 pounds. It is very sturdy.

I am happy overall with the setup, but If you are used to a high dollar tripod, you would probably be dissappointed in it. For me, it was down to this or nothing because I couldn't drop 300+ bucks on a tripod and head. It doesn't feel like I bought something cheap, "so I could save up for a real tripod". This 'pod will last for many years and I will keep using it even if I get something better. It is very nice for the price.

HTH!

Amvona's tripods and monopods on eBay,
http://photography.search.ebay.com/_Tripods-Monopods_W0QQcatrefZC12QQsacatZ30090QQsassZamvonaQ2ecom

Thanks for the help. I like the setup and definitely the price. I had figured around $150-$200 would set me good. The lenght of the kits folded is a bit much for me. I am taking a road trip soon with some stops in DC, Philly, and NYC. I may consider getting a mono-pod for that.

HiSPL

They have a newer style that folds up shorter.

I also forgot to mention that you get a bag, a soft sleeve for inside the bag, a shoulder strap for when it's not in the bag, a toolkit, and a sling that attaches to the legs to hold junk, or fill it with rocks for more stability. All of this is included with the tripod.

This one is 29.5 inches when folded. It has a crank up center column though, you may or may not like that....

http://cgi.ebay.com/AMVONA-PRO-PHOTO-CAMERA-TRIPOD-KIT-BALL-HEAD-AT-3052_W0QQitemZ200071860602QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30094QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

wxwax

JESTER wrote:

That tripod is only rated for 2.2 pounds. Not nearly enough for your D50 plus whatever else you put on it.

Deal breaker, this is a key statistic.

JWilbur26

Thanks all...I have some time before I need to have it. Just starting to look has made me realize I need to figure out the best combination of features. And here I thought it was going to be a simple thing...

Treven

I have a Bogen/Manfrotto tripod (I'm at work so I can't look to see which one specifically). It's plenty strong enough to securely hold my Sony 828 & Canon telephoto lens in the wind in San Francisco.