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Hey guys! I know have bought myself a sigma 170-500 lens but as im sure you all know it has no OS so i need to look at buying myself a tripod to take of birds! I have a bean bag that my mom made for me so need to test it out!

What tripod do you guys have ? I went to outdoorphoto and they showed me the benro tripod which costs R 1159. It looks nice and it opens so that you can get really close to the ground level!

Im looking at buying one that allows me to get to ground level but looking to spend no more then R800 as i spent all my money on the lens !

Thanks guys

Massimo
A good quality tripod, made by somebody like Manfrotto and brand new will cost a lot of money. New modern tripods are made from carbon material
Consider second hand - look in camera type shops, charity shops and pawnbrokers.
A cheap alternative is to consider a monopod.
Regards
JDW

You pay more for groundlevel shots
The question is:
Are you into mushrooms, plants etc.
Shooting birds and wildlife generaly happens from the waist up

Could be that you were offered a carbon one
try for aluminum. much cheaper, a little heavier but still great

Iv been to catz and other stores and they all have cheap ones and expensive ones! I had a look at the cheap ones and thats what they are CHEAP! complete plastic and looks like they will break within a week! I had a look at the expensive one's and they go for R4k! and they also dont look the greatest! So i dont really think that R1.2 k for a carbon fiber M8 Tripod lens is to expensive! and it looks pretty decent also !!

With a tripod you have to watch at what weight it will take.
Your 500 mm plus camera, flash etc will weigh at least 2.5 kilo. So the tripod must be able to comfortably carry at least that weight.

My setup, 100-400, 20D and Grip and such weigh like that, so I bought a Manfrotto 190XPROB, which is built to carry up to 5 kilos.
I know the locks won't slip, it won't be blown over, and I can still extend the camera away from the center of the tripod.
Not unimportantly for me as international visitor (and for on walks) it only weighs 1.8 kilo itself.
Cost me around R2000, but will last a lifetime.

Don't go for cheap, go for what you need! And the stability of course, that's what a tripod is for...

Massimo, I shoot hand-held with a 170-500mm all the time and have no problem. I also use my beanbag, and a split pool noodle on the window, quite a lot. I have no problems using it this way (should be posting latest photos tonight).

Years ago when I started out, I bought a R50 tripod from Stax. I used to use it a lot. It was light, easy to set up and did the job. I even used it with the large Sigma on occasion. Eventually the column gear mechanism gave up and I stopped using it. I then bought a Manfrotto 055 Pro BX which is pretty much a professional tripod. I don't use it that often these days (except for sunrise, sunset photos and with a spotting scope).

I'd say I'm not sure you need a tripod, especially for birds, since they move a lot. Buy a cheap one to see if you need, then save up for a decent one if you do need it.

My sister gave me the choice between a tripod and monopod for Christmas. I'm not sure which one will serve me best seeing that I mostly use my camera either in the car or around camp. I obviously don't want to break her bank so it needs to be "budget" orientated. I'll be using the Canon 50D with a 100-400mm lens.
Any advice on what I should choose?

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I always move around with my camera and love my monopod.....

Enjoy your decission

I have both and tend to use my mono-pod far more than my tri-pod.Mono-pod smaller, easier to handle, carry around.Only time I have used the tri-pod is when shooting the moon or stars.

I have both, but hardly ever use them.
I am much fonder of my beanbag.

100-400 will be used for wildlife/birds around camp
And with IS on the monopod will do just fine

Or with high ISO (400) you will still get great frozen images

Thanks for the replies!
Looks like a monopod is my best option for now. Can anybody tell me which one will be good enough for my camera and lens combo and will still let my sister speak to me? The guys at the camera shop was so useless and just gave me the most expensive one to look at!
Any recommendations?

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Hi Bushbaby,

For my Nikon D90, I use a VANGUARD Tracker AP-244 monopod with a Vanguard Ballhead. Not so expensive but works fine for me.

Just a further thought . With only one leg extended a tripod becomes a mono-pod, and you have the best of both. I also prefer a beanbag but as I shoot with "L" lenses, in camp I hand hold the rig.

good news for those traveling to SA (plane) or those wanting to have a small,packable tripod
New line of tripods (made in China, but with european quality)
Sirui
Bought myself the t-005 with C-10 head
Paid 99 euros
Tested it
A sturdy, quality, well manufactured tripod/head.
And fits into my backpack
Weight: just over 1 kilo
http://www.sirui-photo.us/Sirui/Sirui-T ... eries.html