Landscape gear

[navcom]

Originally Posted by a_drummer

I would consider myself quite serious about photography, but I'm nowhere near ready to spend (roughly) £8/900 on a tripod.

You don't need to spend £900 on a tripod to get a good quality product but David is right...buy as much as you can afford. What he is trying to say is that many people buy based purely on cost, so their gut reaction is to get the cheapest they can so they have "something". The problem is that the really cheap stuff will work but not to the standards required by anyone who is even remotely serious about their photography.

As a matter of fact, many times cheap equipment is the cause of many image quality problems you may face. I've heard the story many times: "I don't understand why I can't get crisp images. I used a tripod. What else can I do to make it better?"....when the problem IS the tripod. It's a $20 Walmart special that sways in the wind. But the user doesn't look at it that way...only that they "have a tripod so what's the problem". Same goes for filters.

The bottom line? Be as serious about your equipment as you are about your art...to the extent your wallet and your ROI goals will let you.

[a_drummer]

I completely understand the point, but seeing as how I mostly take pictures for my own enjoyment (at the minute) it seems a bit excessive it be spending more than I can get away with.

I did take a few trial shots with the tripod and on the camera monitor they appeared sharp. This is probably more to do with the fact the it weighs so much that it would take a lot to shake it enough to show up on the images, even with the massive Sigma lens on it, rather than down to sheer quality.

I know the same trick will not work with filters, which is why I am contemplating the Lee ones, even though they are more expensive than I would have been looking for.

EDIT: ROI goals?

[navcom]

From the sound of it, you have a decent enough tripod. The big thing is the weight when you are starting out. As you get more experience, you will want more flexibility with the head as well as the range of height (including how low it will go). Cheap ones generally are made of plastic and they sway quite a bit...not only adding blur to your photos but also jeopardizing your equipment. If it's a heavy tripod, it should work for you now.

One of the things David was referring to was how low the tripod will go. For many of my sunrise shots where I'm along a water front, I need to get down within inches of the ground. That means the legs need to spread out flat so the tripod head can practically touch the ground. Here is an example of one I shot a couple nights back...



The tripod legs are literally parallel to the ground and the camera is only about 7 inches off the ground as well. Believe it or not, those rocks in the foreground are only about 16 inches wide. I could easily jump from the first rock to the last rock out there without issue. It looks like they are really big but getting down so low only gives it the illusion that they are.

Having this capability is a necessity for me but it may not be for you. This feature usually adds some cost to the product. Most cheap ones have a straight section that makes this feat impossible. Their legs also only angle to about 30 degrees...no farther.

But this particular tripod did not cost $1000 either...it is a carbon fiber construction with a ball head...combination cost me about $300 total. I've used it for several years and it works great in all conditions.

Oh geez...sorry about the abbreviation. ROI = return on investment. You have to justify the expense as it relates to your own goals and aspirations. You need a good-enough tool to do what you need it to do reliably but not too much where you loose money on the investment. A business will use their ROI to determine if it is prudent to invest in a tool or not.

[a_drummer]

The legs do go almost flat on this tripod, but, as you say, there is a straight section.

So, the bottom line is: buy the best quality you can reasonably afford, especially with tripods, ND/grad filters and polarisers.

Thanks everyone for the help.