Sound Advice/Help Required

I just took delivery today of another tripod. It cost £25 and its about as good as a handbrake in a canoe.

My K-x mounted with Sigma 150 500 is super wobbly and the camera keeps falling over front and back end.

This is the second tripod I am sending back and am really beginning to despair. I simply dont like using them BUT I WANT to try and get used to them for bird photography.

Can someone please recommend me a decent tripod that will take my siggy under 100 notes?

Cheers in advance!

QC

Redsnapper 283 or 284. Just over £100 with the ball head and around £70 with the panning head. Solid as a rock.

RED10 used to give 10% discount and might still do.

Hi QC

I use a Manfrotto 055X which can have the legs splayed way out to horizontal, whilst the column can be repositioned to horizontal also. A variety of heads can be fitted. Comes in new at more than £100 but second hand versions often pop up for 1/2 that.

My biggest lenses are a Sigma 70-300 and a Tamron 500mm mirror, so whilst they are not the heaviest going I've not experienced any feeling of insecurity.

Others on the forum give glowing reports of the Redsnapper tripod, but I have no experience of that.

regards
Bernard

cheers lads - checking those out - whats the best head I can get?

http://www.redsnapperuk.com/camera-accessories/RS-283_tripod_and_RSH-24_3-way_he...

would this tripod setup be good (pan head included)??

Another vote for Redsnapper 283 from me, although I have just snapped the dual-threaded bolt that attaches the head to the centre shaft (no fault of the tripod, I seriously over-tightened it).

This tripod easily takes the weight of my K-5 and 40 year old Tamron 300mm lens and would be capable of supporting much heavier kit. It also has allen key type bolts on all areas that may need periodic tightening, so is easy to tighten up if joints become looser.

Highly recommended.

Regards
David

cheers dave - good to hear - will buy on the strength of that



That link i posted above - does that seem a good deal and more specifically is this a good head to use?

QC

I have the 284 because it folds up slightly shorter for backpacking, but they are the same to all intents and purposes, in terms of stability and weight bearing.

I opted for the RH-12 ball head which is a lovely solid head with a 10kg limit. Feels like it would easily take that.

The panning head and 283/284 combo is a very good price and I was tempted. I doubt you can do better than Redsnapper for double the price.

Don't forget to try the discount code - worked in January! Might not work with the special offer of 283/284 and panning head, though. Did work with the 284 and ball head.

A quick update on my post above - Redsnapper have just demonstrated fantastic customer service by promptly sending me a replacement for the broken connector, despite this not being due to any manufacturing or quality issue. Well done Redsnapper, may your tripods sell in bucketloads!

Regards
David

excellent dave thats good to hear and thank you Milamber

I dont know about ball heads and all that so I think i will opt for this 3 way head deal.

So the 283 tripod and 3 way tilt - is this good enough sorry to ask again its just a lot of money for someone who doesnt have it

Thanks guys great help!

QC

hey, sorry for hijacking the thread

I have been looking at tripods for a while now. Being 195cm, will the RS-324 be better and worth the extra £50 compared to RS-284/3? As they seem to be the same with exception of height and price

Cheers,
Aleks

I'm sorry to say this, but are you sure you know how to use it? In particular how to lock it, sometimes it isn't that obvious.

That really depend on what you want to do.

I had a pan/tilt head with my 055 but soon discovered that it was limited to a maximum of 30 degrees upward tilt (great for looking down potholes, no good for gargoyles etc).

A ball head overcomes that problem but you lose the ability to pan smoothly whilst retaining a tilt angle.

regards
Bernard

edit Oh yes and ball heads are often lighter and don't have sticky out bits that get in the way when carrying

I did a comparison of various heads with the 150-500 fairly recently
https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/topic/tripod-heads-for-longer-lenses-32417
Different makes of head but I personally found the pan/tilt head to be preferable for this weight of lens. As others have said, a decent size ballhead will do the job but I found the pan/tilt head is a bit easier to control with a fairly heavy lens.

Hi Ken, just reading updates to this thread and I'm not sure which post in the thread your question is directed at? Is it relating to me breaking the connecting bolt?

Thanks in anticipation of clarification.

Regards
David