Tripod?

[MrJulius]

Hey,

I am a bit of a newbie but I am getting more and more into photography since my dad bought himself a Nikon D80 this Christmas.

But, he did not buy a tri-pod and I think that is one thing that is holding me back from taking great shots, especially action shots that I am taking. (Free-running and parkour youtube.com Parkour if you don't know what it is)

So I am looking for a quality tri-pod that is preferably pretty lightweight (Can carry on my back) but sturdy enough to take a beating.

Thanks a lot in advance, I hope to be sticking around!

[SMcEvoy]

Hi Mr. Julius and welcome to Byte,

I use the Slik Pro 340 DX tripod and it travels well and doesn't break my back. It supports up to 11lb I believe and has been rock solid with my Nikon D50 and the 70-300 lens I have. It also has legs that flatten out so you can get really low with it and a pan head that adjusts to several different directions without requiring an extra ball head. The spreading legs are really handy if you're taking shots on the side of a hill, or low macro flowers. I've never found a position where I've needed more. There's also an optional short pole for the centre (I don't have it, but know it's available.)

Here's a UK site with the specs on it just to give you an idea: http://www.devoncamera.co.uk/index.c...th_sh705e_head

And here's a US site: http://www.thkphoto.com/news/news-pr062306.html

Here in Canada I paid about $130 for it. It's a great piece of equipment at a reasonable price. Good luck!

[MrJulius]

VeryVery nice price and looks like it will work for what I want!

I will continue looking around, but this looks like a great option!

Thanks a ton!

[Kevin714]

I use a set of Slik Pro 700 DX tripod legs, and a Bogen Manfrotto 488RC4 ball head. It supports around 16 pounds, but isn't what I'd say light weight.

If you want the best, I'd score a set of Bogen carbon fiber legs, and ball head. Light weight, yet pretty strong. Not in my budget thou.

[MrJulius]

I love the Silk, used it for some shoots a couple days ago and worked beautifully. The weight is manageable as well :-).

Thanks a lot.