Good tripod for DSLR camera

[peppy]

Looking for a good tripod for the wife for Mothers Day.

1. Sturdy

2. About 60" of height

3. Under $150

4. Can take a bit of abuse

[vash]

my BOGAN tripod is 13 years old. it is so sturdy. i bet i could survey with it.

i love it. i have sold and traded cameras..i will keep that bogan forever.

[javadog]

It's Bogen, by the way. Only brand worth looking at....

JR

[vash]

opps. BOGAN is probably a cheap chinese knockoff. sorry for the mistype.

[TimT]

Slik tripod


Giotto a wee bit over your budget

Spend some time on B&H and you will find one that suits.. There are many brands of tripod that are worthy

[sc_rufctr]

I've had a Manfrotto for more than 20 years. Still looks like new and I use it often.
I don't even know what they would cost now, it's been so long.

If you could find a good one second hand it would be a safe buy.

[masraum]

Bogen and Manfrotto seem to be the standards these days, but they aren't cheap.

I've got a slik, it's a great, sturdy tripod for a fraction of the cost of the other two.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by javadog

It's Bogen, by the way. Only brand worth looking at....

JR

Actually it's Manfrotto (Bogen) now, under the almighty Vitec Corp. It is definitely the largest player in the market, but not the only brand worth looking at from my experience.

If I had to narrow it down to only one brand worth looking it, it would be Gitzo (another company/brand now owned by Vitec). I've had a couple Bogens in the past, and they felt cheap by comparison. Plus the Gitzo locking system/colars are tons more user friendly (and far less bulky) than the Manfrotto/Bogen wing-nut variants. They are actually manufactured in the same facility (Italy) as the Manfrotto brand/line. If you do go with a Manfrotto, I'd at least stay away from their "budjet" models, which are made in China.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by javadog

It's Bogen, by the way. Only brand worth looking at....

JR

hardly true - Gitzo is outstanding & I'd say usually better than Bogen

there is also a Brit. tripod that is great for marshy ground - the larger part of the leg is at the bottom and they use a bent bolt to set the angles, so you can do all sorts of contortions with it on uneven ground - I forget the name tho

not sure you can get a Gitzo with head for < $150

Slik is not a real quality tripod, but the prices are good on them

[campbellcj]

Gitzo stuff is the bomb. Here is one of mine. However not for the faint of heart, price-wise, and I don't know if they have anything near $150 and definitely not including a decent head.

[enzo1]

B&H Photo Video | Digital Cameras, Camcorders ... Gitzo

[javadog]

Originally Posted by RWebb

... Gitzo is outstanding & I'd say usually better than Bogen....but....not sure you can get a Gitzo with head for < $150

Slik is not a real quality tripod, but the prices are good on them

So,

Does that get us back to Bogen/Manfrotto?

Methinks it does. Imagine that.

JR

[Noah930]

I don't know if you can buy a quality tripod at your price point. You can buy one that will get the job done for about $50, though.

[peppy]

Thanks for all the info. I went with the Slik that Tim had shown.

Some of the others cost more than the camera.

[vash]

i think you chose wisely.

mine might be a bit overkill.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by javadog

So,

Does that get us back to Bogen/Manfrotto?

Methinks it does. Imagine that.

JR

probably - unless he finds a used Gitzo

[GH85Carrera]

Gitzo is the one to get. I suspect it is out of your price range, but I have not priced one.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by javadog

So,

Does that get us back to Bogen/Manfrotto?

Methinks it does. Imagine that.

JR

Not if you consider used (and for a tripod, why wouldn't you?):

Don't know how far the OP is from Raleigh, but I would have jumped on this one: Gitzo Professional Tripod w. Mounting Plate

[javadog]

Y'all realize that several posts ago he mentioned he bought a Slik....


JR

[BeyGon]

I know it's too late but we use a Manfrotto 3021, pretty sturdy, and a cheaper lighter FOCAL when out and about. I haven't ever had a problem with either one.