tripods
 

is this tripod any good?
http://www.hqproducts.com/eng/produc...tl_HQ-TRIPOD35

it will be carried a good bit...and i want to be able to look up at the sky with it too..

its £30something quid so its not bad...

will a sony A200 fit on it?

Cheap tripods are a false economy, it may be light but it will almost certainly lack stability too. Have a look for a secondhand Manfrotto, a set of 190 legs with a decent head would be ~£75 used (assuming it's in good nick) and will be much better than the one you've linked to. If you can't stretch your budget to a better tripod then it may be worth looking at monopods instead. Personally I'd rather use a decent monopod then a poor tripod, heres one to look at - http://www.cleyspy.co.uk/manfrotto-6...pod-i1759.html

how stable would a monopod be?
like say if i wanted to take a photo of the moon and needed a really slow shutter speed like 20 seconds would it be a crisp photo or will it blur..

i like the thought of a monopod...easier to carry etc

a monopod wouldn't be any good for long exposures for that you really would need a tripod (though a beanbag on a car roof would probably work quite well). With a 20 second exposure of the moon you'd probably get motion blur!

A 20 second shot of the moon will be blurred with any tripod. The moon moves across the sky at a fair rate of knots.

As Peter (postcardcv) says, cheap tripods are a waste of time and you'll only end up getting rid of it and getting something better later. As an alternative to a Manfrotto 190, take a look at the Velbon Sherpa range. The heads aren't as good as the Manfrotto range, but they are very good value for money.

Some typical prices and range availability.
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/cate...=257&Range=570

Duncan

I'd agree the Velbon Sherpa are a good range, I like the 600R - variable leg positions and splitable central column (great for low level stuff) make it a very versatile tripod... and only ~£85 new.

Hi Richard, following on from the camera question I use a Manfrotto 055MF4 Magfiber tripod with a Markins M20 Ball Head and Arca Swiss/Kirk quick release heads and matching plates on all my camera bodies and lenses, A Manfrotto 055V tripod with an Arca Swiss B1 Ball Head, and a Manfrotto 679 Monopod with a Markins Q3 Ball Head.

good tripod resource
 

Here is a good resource for tripod with detailed description of its features:
http://vesnakozelj.com/photography/e...amera-tripod-1

There is also an article about monopods:
http://vesnakozelj.com/photography/e...camera-monopod

Hi Andy,

Sorry for butting into this thread, but I'm looking at a Manfrotto 055MF4 that a friend has for sale. Can you use the handle strap to hang a bag off for more stability (thinking high winds mainly)? I was looking at the newer CF Manfrotto tripods but they seem to lack that ability, i.e a hook!

Cheers

Graham

Check out the Redsnapper Tripods excellent build quality and cost around £50.00 + they will support upto 10kg.
Cheers
Brian

I use a Velbon Sherpa Pro Carbon 635 which I love. Warehouse Express £156 without head. Or go to Bristol Cameras - £145 with free Velbon 157Q head. However I agree with Duncan about the Velbon heads.... so tell Bristol Cameras you want a Manfrotto head instead and they'll knock ~£20 off against the Velbon head you're not having, which means you're getting a set of CF legs for ~ £125 :D

I recently bought a Manfrotto light weight tripod 055MF3. It's magnesium fiber tripod with 808RC4 three way pan tilt head. Pretty good for travel photography especially after my 058 Manfrotto. :)

photos of the moon
 

I took some pics of the moon you dont really need any tripod because the moon is very bright and if its of the moon only not moonlight on somthing else
you need manual exposure of about F8 1/200 sec or abouts at 100 asa to get any detail ,if you use auto exposure it will measure the darkness around the moon and the moon will be to bright to see any detail

Hi. My first Tripod was an Argos £29:99 job. Lasted about a year before the plastic camera plate gave up on me. Of course it was impossible to buy a new plate alone. I invested £130 in a Manfrotto tripod. Four years later its still good as new, perfectly stable and looks like it will last me and probably my Grandchildren a life time.

The link you posted taking me to a different page, not showing any tripod at all.

Hi Richard, I doubt wether any £30 tripod would be any use for anything but as a frame for growing tomatoes.

I have had an assortment of cheap and not so cheap tripods over the years.
my latest one Is my favourite, it is a Coman brand which I think are the same as Sirui.
it is carbon fibre with 5 leg sections, weighs almost nothing and folds down very small.
I regularly stick my 5dmkiii and sigma 300-800 on it with no, problems.
It is not that cheap though at $300 but not as expensive ase some better known brands.

Once you've considered new, have a look for them on Ebay I got a Manfrotto befree (lightweight but excellent for fell walking & travel) for £85, RRP around £140 upwards

There is one on at the mo http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Manfrotto-...item418b2552e3

Car boot sales are a great place to look for tripods, back in the Summer I purchased a SLIX U9000 of £10.