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Hi all

I have been considering a mono or tripod.

I dont know that I want to spend quite as much as a gitzo and head would cost (onlyl just getting going and while they are nice . . .)

What do you suggest might be a cheaper alternative that would be useful?

thanks
Glenn

Glenn

For starters:

Have a look at the feisol link here

and the responses on this thread here

I'm basically in the same boat as you and so far decided to get a Manfrotto 679B Monopod (~$85). Had I waited an extra week I'd have got a Fesiol one after seeing Glen's last Saturday.

My current thinking is to hold off on a tripod & buy either a 24-120 VR or an 80-400 VR first.

And remember - it's not just the tripod, it's the head.

Cheers

With VR, It's less chance to use mono or tripod, I mainly shoot VR without the leg, it's more flexible then attach it to the legs

and it never stop there with the leg(s), head, plate, bracket etc....
A long list for yourself to think of.

Glenn, take it from someone who's just sold a tripod which I had considered was all I needed. Go straight for the top of the range solution. It's very much cheaper that way, than getting half-way solutions and then trading up when their inadequacies show...

Fair enough, I like quality even if it is more expensive, thats why I bought a d70!

So which would you guys suggest? a monopod or tripod?

Glenn

Glenn,

It's horses for courses.

We have several tripods, plus one (soon to be two - Fiesol ordered toay) monopod.

Their usage is similar, but different, and I would think that at least one of each is warranted.

And as a general rule, buy the best you can afford; the Fiesol for us is an experiment in price vs quality; it certainly seems to be the goods, and looks to me as if it could be a perfect companion at Albert Park in March.

Remember too that different tripods are capable of different tasks in different manners. Many comment that Manfrottos - particularly manfrotto heads - aren't as good for panos.

I quite readily accept this.

I also quite readily admit to never having shot a pano, and to not having any great ideals towards that aspect of photography. So while the criticism is quite valid, it's also totally irrelevant in my situation.

That's why I say you need to come back and consider what your're shooting, and determine what your true needs are.

Gitzos are wonderful pieces of hardware, but Manfrottos are overengineered to my exact needs.

Thanks Gary

Very informative. The biggest problem I guess I have is that I am shooting a bit of everything that I can for the time being to figure out how to use the d70 (been a LOOONG time since I did any real photography) but I have noticed that some of my shots are little blurred and figured a mono or tripod would certainly help stabilise things a little.

I had a look at that Fiesel mono that you had and it certainly looked good, and light!

If you happen to be ordering an extra fiesel mono, count me in

Thanks
Glenn

G'day,
I bought a cheapo tight-arse tripod and it's a pain to use for anything other than single set shots, awkward and takes ages to setup for a pano... Does the trick for me, but might be only because I don't do much tripod stuff due to the cheapo tripod issues, only cost me about $40 new... It gets "jiggy with it" in the wind etc.. Usually hang my camera backpack under the centre pole(?) tho which seems to help...

Bought a Manfrotto 679B monopod ($70) and have added a cheap bracket/swivel head thingy and it's a pearler... Easy to use and lug or move around... Especially at places where public (or kids) is/are around like Zoo's etc. or room is limited. Tends to fall over when I let go tho

Bracket/swivel head thingy was cheap ($30):
http://centre.net.au/Manfrotto_234_Swiv ... 006Q5.html

Dunno if that helps...

Cheers,
Mudder

Glenn, I have a manfrotto 680b monopod and currently pondering the three-legged varieties.

Whilst you can probably opt for a fairly cheap mono (my 680b cost me $90 and the feisol is about the same)... a tripod is a whole other thing and requires a frightening list of extras (Head and L-bracket at least).

Take some time on the tripod decision... common advice round these 'ere parts is that a cheap tripod is probably worst than none at all and will probably cost you the purchase of two tripods in the end.

In the end (depending on your style of photography) you're more likely to get better mileage from a tripod than a monopod.

If you're just looking for something to improve your handheld shots and not to hold up anything too heavy, do panos etc, maybe a chest support would do the trick.

We just got hold of one of these, for those situations where you aren't allowed to take a tripod in - we find it does help to steady our shots and is very light and convenient. Of course, it's unlikely to support a bigma or one of the other larger lenses.

If you have a shirt with a pocket on your chest, you can just hang it around your neck and leave it in your pocket when not in use.

It's not immediately evident from the photo, but it does have a quick release on top, and a small tilt head so you can get the right angle for your viewing (although we tend to use it with the head straight up as the D70 is not quite as long as a video camera )

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=48526&is=REG