Tripod Advice...

[pAthdoc]

I've been planning on buying a tripod, and research has gotten me nowhere. There are so many options out there that I just end up confusing myself. I'm looking for something in the $300-400 range that is travel friendly (light and compact). The Gitzo travel tripods sound great, but are a bit out of my price range. I've gone to local shops to see what they have and most of what I've seen has been somewhat bulky. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[OsmosisStudios]

Start off with the head you want to use. A ball head? Pan-Tilt? How about grips? You want a pistol grip? Or not? Once youve got that figured out, figure out what you can mount that head to. Narrow it down by height (packed and unpacked), weight, load capacity, etc.

That should help you.

[inkista]

What are you going to use the tripod for? The basic reasoning is you can have any of the following two things from a tripod, but never all three: light, sturdy, inexpensive. If you don't need the tripod to be particularly sturdy, you could probably spend even less. But if you need it to be sturdy or hold a heavy lens/body combo, then you may have to go spendy with the carbon fiber to keep it light.

I have both a small light Velbon that I use for cubic panorama shooting indoors with faster shutter speeds, and a larger heavier Manfrotto that I use for the longer shutter speeds or holding my 400mm lens. There is a night and day difference between what each tripod can do for me. The Manfrotto tends to go in the trunk of the car if I'm going somewhere I think I'll need it, but the Velbon can be strapped to my backpack all the time.

[pAthdoc]

I'm thinking about going with a ball head, and I'm not too particular about the grips. I'd prefer something light and sturdy....light so that I can strap it to my backpack, and sturdy enough for a 200mm lens. I do plan on getting a 400mm soon so it would need to be able to accommodate that lens as well. Thanks for the advice so far....looks like I'll be doing more research tonight!

[kirbinster]

I'm very pleased with mine: Manfrotto 190MF3 tripod & 322RC2 ball grip head.