Recomend me a tripod please

Evening all, I've got £80 burning a hole in my paypal account so i'm after a new tripod for around this price.

I dont know the first thing about tripods so could do with some help.

Any suggestions.

You have two main choices. Very heavy and stable (which are the best but the most expensive) or Lightweight.

Neither is perfect, but what do you intend to use it for and how far do you need to carry it?

Get the best you can afford. A cheap tripod is a waste of money, and worse than useless.
Do not get one with the extra "braces" on the legs. Consider the height it will extend to - you don't want to end up with back ache from stooping over a tripod all day. Consider how low it will go - do you want it for macro work too? Then it needs to go low for those toadstools/wildflowers etc. How much weight does it need to carry? the heavier the load the sturdier the tripod and head must be.

Consider too the type head you want. Cheaper tripods come with a head very often - but they may not be very stable.

I'm afraid 80 GBP will not get you much in the way of a good tripod, though SRS do have a Benro aluminium tripod and head for 89 GBP.

I buy manfrotto.... my wife, giottos....
a knob and a foot fell off my wifes three year old giottos...
never had that problem with my 18 yr old manfrotto...

I have a Velbon CX540, cost well under £80, doesn't weigh much and is pretty solid when deployed. It's a bit bulky though, so I'm more inclined to take my ancient Slik 500G (£8 on ebay, works fine). The latter can struggle with longer lenses and high winds but has proved well worth what I paid for it.

Slik also make some very nifty mini tripods which can be handy for minimum space travel use. If you have a handy car roof/bonnet/picnic table/stone wall it can match much larger tripods in terms of putting your camera where you want it.

Another one to consider. I have a Benbo trekker with a ball and socket head which I have had for a long time now, over 12 years now. It is not overly heavey, and is brilliant for low down and mid height work. It has been out in all weather, dropped in mud and water, with no problems. It is good for marco, as the legs can sort of go in almost any direction, and to a very low angle as well. Also, it supports reasonable weight and length lens without any problems. When I first got it, from time to time, I had been known to swear at it, but once you get the knack of using it, it is very simple to use.

G

Another vote for Benbo here. The apparently limitless flexibility in positioning far outweighs any minor difficulties in operation.

I recognise that other manufacturers have been catching up, but the Benbo is so well built I can't foresee a time when I'll need to replace it.

Whilst the Benbo is undoubtedly an excellent tripod - it like most good tripods is more than 80 pounds, and you still have to buy a head for it too, pushing the price up further.

If Paul only wants to spend 80 pounds, including a head, then his options are limited.

The best way to choose a tripod imho is to try them out - find a shop which has a good range of manufacturers, take your camera and the heaviest/longest lens you own and try them out.
I was originally going to buy a Manfrotto, but on trying a Velbon for the same price I ended up with that. The height is better and it is just so much more stable. I already had a good ball head that I bought on a second hand goods site here in NL.

Red Snapper! £50, and they have a special deal which includes a free panning head which you can try out while you decide what type of more expensive head you want. If tripods are just an occasional-use item then I don't think you can go wrong with this one.

Several people on this forum have bought them (including me!) and as far as I know everyone has had nothing but positive comments. Excellent build quality, very sturdy, thoughtful design, and reasonable weight for this price bracket. It also comes with an excellent bag.

PS I bought mine intending to upgrade to a ball head, but it's now 6 months later and I'm still using the free head!

I'm happy with my Manfrotto 190X ProB - the centre post swings out and becomes a horizontal cross-piece, which is useful for macros.

3-piece legs are good, and you can have them at any angle once you release the detent.

The ball head is a 486RC2.

All up, it's not the most expensive kit, but it works well for me. The only caveat to date is that the wind vibrates the centre column if that is extended to any great length.

My experience is to buy the very best you can afford, for £80 you might get something very good second hand. My Velbon AE-1, I think that is what it is since the decal has worn off after thirty years of pro work, is still going strong although retro looking with silver legs and grey castings. The head wore out long ago and it now has a Manfrotto 3-way which is incredibly well engineered but pricey.

@ Gynn, why no centre braces?

Centre braces prevent the tripod going very low, or the legs being set at different angles (which can be handy on a hillside for instance). They tend to be only on cheaper, more flimsy tripods.
A good tripod should be able to stand on it's own three feet without bracing.

Also using the centre column up high reduces the stability of a tripod tremendously - witness i-Bergs comment about his 190X ProB. That is the tripod I originally planned to buy, but the Bigma just wobbled too much on it. I took the centre column out of my Velbon - it is tall enough without it, and is rock steady. I do not need to bend over to use it either.

We're not all short.

True, but there are tripods which go seriously tall without the need of the centre column. Mine is 157 cm, and there are others which are higher.

If you want a steady tripod then don't use the centre column.