Camera Labs

I've spent some time browsing the internet looking at the homepages of different tripod makers as well as reading many topics on this forum concerning tripods. Yet, I'm unsure which one to buy.

What am I looking for and what am I going to use it for?
- I travel a lot and want to take the tripod with me.
- I'll use it mainly for landscape / cityscape photography.
- I'd like the tripod to be high enough for me to stand up straight without
the middle column extended - I'm ~1.70 m / ~5.57 feet tall.
- My current budget is not too big.
- Will be used for Nikon D90 with the biggest lens being 300 mm.

Thank you for your suggestions.

You'll need a big tripod to reach your face without the centre column extended. For example, the Manfrotto 190 and 055 models are around 122 and 140cm tall with their columns down, although of course once you add a head and a camera, it'll be higher.

Thank you for the quick reply, Gordon.

Reading up on tripods, I've found some people claiming that extending the middle tube would equal using a monopod on top of a tripod in regards to preventing camera shake.

If that were true, how come almost all tripods do have a middle column? When does it come in handy?

Hi Tikva, raising the centre column will reduce the stability but it's still better than a monopod. I have some tests coming up next week which I think you'll find interesting...

Can't wait to see them!

I can easily delay buying a tripod right now as I'll go on vacation in three weeks. As I won't be travelling with fellow photographers bringing along a tripod seems not a wise idea.

Hi Tikva, check out this thread:

http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=189091

I'll lock this one now...