Tripod Recommendations much appreciated. Thank you :)

[geelong]

Hi everyone! Hope you are well. :)

Somewhat complicated. I'm the buyer. I'm the beginner. Family member I'm buying for is the talent. They aren't too proactive in making things happen at the front end but their output is great in terms of photos produced and has been for the last decade. Just wanted to explain why it's me posting to a forum and not them.

In the last week I have moved them from an old Canon 550D to what has been purchased by me in the last few days.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens Kit DSLR Camera with 5 Year Warranty
GODOX TT685C Thinklite Wireless TTL Flash for Canon Cameras TT685
Hoya UX UV 77mm HMC-WR Slim Frame Lens Filter
Kingston 256GB SDXC Canvas React Plus 300MB/s Read UHS-II, C10, U3, V90 Memory Card (MLPR2/256GB)
Lowepro FreeLine Backpack 350 AW (Black)

I assume I'm doing OKish so far, it's been a pretty penny.
Because recipient isn't much of a talker - feedback hasn't been forthcoming although I am aware this is their dream camera.

They haven't played with it really at all as they are waiting for the last item, the bag, to show up before we feel it's safe around the house (need to keep it away from a couple of potentially destructive kids so it's a cautious introduction to this new tool but so far on a quick play - main person is absolutely over the moon.

That's a very long introduction via this account to ask my question.
Tripod. I tried to research but I'm just getting confused. We are too poor to buy cheap - what are generally considered the best tripod out there for a 5D setup. I know nothing but I assume we want a ball joint? I assume we want one of those ones I've seen that can potentially have the camera like 6 inches off the ground - and otherwise can be high and stable.


TLDR: best tripod? Thank you!

[ricktas]

Tripods are something that really depends on what it is going to be used for. i have two. One that gets in water, taken to the beach etc. it is full of sand, grit etc and it works for what i want it to do. It was cheap. Then I have a second one that doesn't get the dirty work.

For me something from the Manfrotto 055 range is good quality, built to last and will likely outlive the camera.

[Cage]

Welcome to AP.

I went through this process some years back and did a write up on the exercise.

http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showlibrary.php?title=New_To_Photography:A_beginners_guide_to_buying_a_tripod_and_head

One thing I can assure you of is that there is no such thing as 'a good cheap tripod and head' Why would you trust $4000+ worth of gear on a cheap tripod/head set-up.

As Rick mentioned, the Manfrotto 055 range is good quality, built to last and will likely outlive the camera.

I actually settled on the Manfrotto 055CXPRO3, the carbon fibre model. Would I buy it again? Absolutely, because after about 11 years of being carted all over the place, mainly chasing birds in the scrub, it is still in tip top condition, both mechanically and cosmetically.

I decided to pair it with a Markins ballhead and was so impressed with it that I've acquired a second one.

Neither are cheap but this is one area where you really do get what you pay for. One of the cheaper ballheads I bought was rated at 15kg and it was fine if it was perfectly upright. But even with only 2.5kg on it, if moved even a tad off the vertical plane, it would slowly droop, leaving you with a dreadful blurry picture. As I commented in the article, it took me three tries, and about $900 in todays money, to realise that this is one area where cheap isn't really an option.

[Belly]

I always tell people that want to cheap out on tripods exactly what Cage has mentioned "One thing I can assure you of is that there is no such thing as 'a good cheap tripod and head' Why would you trust $4000+ worth of gear on a cheap tripod/head set-up".

My mantra is buy something you can't afford, you wont regret it as you'll only need to buy once. My carbon Induro tripods and heads are over 10 years old. Built like tanks and fairly lightweight but more importantly I trust them with my expensive gear on top:nod:

[Toddyh]

If brand suggestions are all you're after, then have a look at 3 legged thing. I've been using their punks range for a few years now and am a fan. I lug mine all around the place. It's been in saltwater, mud, snow, rain, -8 degrees, + 45 degrees and just keeps on keeping on.

[Cage]

An advantage of the Markins ball-head is that they make camera and lens mount plates to suit your Canon. And no, I'm not associated with them in any way, I just like to share the news when I find a good product.

[jamesmartin]

I've got a Gitzo gt1545t tripod with a ball head. It's been through a fair bit of abuse over the four years, heap of salt water, sand etc, I don't look after it as well as I should butit it's still going strong. Most likely can get better value for money with other good brands but Im happy with my choice

[EMGonzo]

Have a look at SIRUI, I was a little suspicious of them but after buying one, I really like it. A carbon fibre tripod that weighs only 1.3kg and can hold up to 10kg.
I love it!

[Jaded62]

How tall is the user?

[geelong]

You all are awesome. Really studying each comment and it is helping tremendously. I'm looking thoroughly at even product you mention. In terms of how tall user is - they are tiny. I'm just over 6ft but I can't see me using it. User is at their full adult size of 4'11'. :)

[Jaded62]

I'm 6'3" and for the last 18 months I've been using the https://sirui-photo.com.au/product/sirui-w-2204-carbon-fibre-waterproof-tripod/. Great bit of kit and no more bending when framing shots.

[arthurking83]

you will note that posts about folks using them in salt water give good feedback, and my guess is that the majority(if not all!) will have carbon fibre legs.
Carbon fibre has the multiple advantages of:

1/ fantastic light weight compared to Aluminium(Al) legs. You'd think Al shouldn't corrode, but it does. Sometimes hard to see, but usually the sign is that leg extension and compression(open and closing) gets steadily more resistive.

2/. Much stronger and resistant to vibrations. Vibrations can be a huge problem. At short focal lengths, usually not, as the 'talented one' increasingly finds more variety of uses for the tripod, this can be a factor. For landscapes .. usually not.
Actually, focal length really isn't the actual issue, it's magnification that's the issue with vibration.

3/. will not corrode. Much less tendency to bind over time as carbon fibre is resistant to almost any environment you can place it in. Leg lock design is also a factor here, I prefer the twist lock(the slimline types, not the key type twist locks) Flip locks also not as good. Main reason is 'serviceability' You can pull apart a "gitzo" style twist lock in seconds clean it, to free up any dirt build up, with no tools or hamfistedness required.


So the best way to think about it is, how long do you want it to last? If your idea is "forever" .. I'll tell you know .. "you're dream'n" .. tripod may last forever, but the user's preference may not. My prediction is they may use it for say 10 years or so and then lust over some new fangled model... maybe bigger or stronger or whatever feature, but I'm 99.99% confident that the user will want some other tripod in the future.
So as the buyer, an aspect to consider is yourself. While the other party will at some point want to replace it, would you want it after this decision is made. Consider this point too.

$'s are a major factor to consider. Very good Tripod can be had cheaply .. they may not be the ultimate go too but this isn't what you probably want .. just good value for money. Good carbon legs can be had for a few hundred. Don't get plastic, and don't spend more than a couple hundred for Al.
As the user is a small person, weight is very likely to be a major factor. Again .. carbon fibre would be preferable. Can be 1-2kg .. as opposed to 3-4Kg for the equivalent in Al.

I'm personally not a fan of the 'traveller' type tripod myself, but I see the advantages of weight(ie. looking at the question as a 5 footer) Try not to succumb to the illusion of greater height via the use of a raising centre column! Using the centre column in the raised position is equivalent to using a plastic ebay freebie tripod. Great way to topple the camera over accidentally too.

More leg sections(used) equals less stability(if required) for landscape photography, not an issue at all. Hence why even tho I'm not a fan of traveller tripods, I do understand their benefits.

Gitzo(that I know of) have a nice designed 'mountaineer' tripod where they do come with a centre column, but with no tools required can be removed in about 60sec. My Gitzo is not the 'mountaineer' model, but similar design. Mine is much older model. Still OK, but limitations are easy to find once you know how too.
I pretty much stopped using my Gitzo, but not because of any issues .. just that my two other tripods work better for me(weight for me is not a problem). If it were at some point .. I still have the gitzo.

My last tripod purchase was one from 'left field'.
I used to like Benro(still good value tho), but found Leofoto. Chinese brand, but like Benro, a decent one.
Their build quality is actually better than Gitzo(I've had issues with my Gitzo) .. so I'll put my neck out here and claim that Leofoto's quality is better than Gitzo. I'm referring to build quality here too, not ability of tripod in terms of stability, etc.

based on what I see in my large model Leofoto, for approx $500 I would suggest a Leofoto LS-323C + LH40 ballhead. Total weight is just under 2kg .. manageable for a short person. The ballhead is a direct ripoff of a ReallyRightStuff ballhead design(which I'm not a fan of to be honest). Nice and easy to use tho. My issue with the RRS ballhead is it's not the quality item it's supposed to be! Still nice design to use, easy to get fluid movement AND half decent stability at the same time.
Someone suggested Markins ballhead too .. apparently very high quality .. just a lot of $s for an advantage you(or your talented one) may never need.
If you think you may want a more compact folded up model, they also have an LS-324C(+LH40) combo too.

More legs = less vibration stability, why I'd suggest the 3 section leg model.

One final thing:
In another thread here, a Melbourne member has proposed a meet up.
Hopefully it will get off the ground and happen(haven't done a meetup for many many years now).
Anyhow, if we do get it up and running, if you(and talented one) can manage to make it to the meet, I can bring 3 tripod of various design types and you(and your talented one) can see for yourselves why each tripod type has benefits and pitfalls, and no matter what you read or hear anywhere, they all have benefits and pitfalls to consider! Your task is really to decide which benefits are worth it by ignoring the cons.

Hope that helps