Tripods for Tall People

[royg]

I've been an active 35mm SLR, Medium Format SLR, and now DSLR hobby photographer since 1973. In that time, I've owned half a dozen tripods ranging from cheap to expensive high quality, and they've all had the same problem when I use them. I'm fairly tall (6ft 4 Ins). Every tripod I've owned has been too short, when fully extended, to allow me to use the viewfinder without stooping down.

When I was younger, stooping down to use an view finder wasn't a problem. Then I moved to medium format cameras for ten years and used the waist level finder, so the problem went away for a few years. Now that I've moved to DSLR technology, and as I've grown older, stooping down to use the viewfinder on a low tripod has become harder to do.

Recently, I decided that a new Tripod was needed, and this time I'd get one that was tall enough for me to use without stooping, and stable enough when fully extended to support my kit. I checked out the largest local Camera store yesterday (PhotoContinental in Brisbane) who had a wide range of brands from low cost items made in China up good quality high end units like Manfrotto. I looked at their whole range on display and there was nothing that extended above about 5 ft 10 ins. Additionally, many of the lower cost tripods were quite unstable when they were extended to their full height. The only one I found that would be tall enough was a studio tripod and far too heavy for field use.

Has anyone found a good quality, well made tripod, that extends to at least 6 ft 4 ins and is able to carry the weight of an EOS50D with say a 300 mm lens?

[OsmosisStudios]

... where are you getting tripods from?

All the tripods I've ever owned and tried out have been, when fully extended, plenty high for someone 6'+.

[sk66]

B&H has a "sort by height" option for their tripods listing. Other sites too I would imagine. Coming from medium format, I'm guessing you don't want to use a center column...

[royg]

Thanks for the B&H suggestion. Looks like the answer - amd, no I don't want a centre column tripod unless it is super steady (which most aren't).

Thanks....