Camera Labs

Hi. I'm looking for a tripod for my Sony A200. looking on B&H, I found two that look promising:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4 ... ml#reviews

This has got a ballhead, but apparently it's quite hard to adjust, and is unstable with big lenses, and I'm getting a telephoto soon, so that might be a problem

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1 ... ml#reviews

this one has a "fluid head" which I think means it's smooth, to aid videographers. I'm not sure if it can lock, so that if you nudge it, it won't move, which is a feature I really want. It can hold more than the other one.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1 ... ml#reviews

this one also has a fluid head, and can take more weight than the other two.

so, are any of these good, and, if so, which is the best? also, if anyone could recommend me another tripod, that'd be great too. my budget is around £20-£30 GPB

thanks.

If you are likely to be using heavy lenses then it is definitely better to get a 3-way head (like the last two) as they are much easier to adjust and can usually take more weight.

However, if you can increase your budget, you probably should. A tripod is one of the most important parts of a photographer's kit, especially for landscape, macro, and shooting with large lenses and you definitely get what you pay for. A good tripod can last you years and will be more stable. There's no point in having a sharp lens if you can't keep it steady. If you can't afford a better tripod now, you may want to save up for a while because if you buy a £30 tripod you are likely to regret it.

I am speaking from personal experience. I bought a cheap tripod from ASDA, thinking it wouldn't make much difference compared to, say, a £100 tripod. I soon realised how wrong I was and eventually upgraded to a Giottos MT-9242. It made a massive difference to my photography and let me do things I couldn't do before.

I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helped all the same.

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Olympus E-510 | ED 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 | ED 40-150mm 1:4.0-5.6 | 35mm 1:3.5 Macro | Giottos MTL8361B & MH-5001 3-way head | Lowepro Orion Trekker II bag

http://www.calummacnab.com