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small tripods

gb Offline Raukodur

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small tripods
on: April 19, 2007, 11:10:47 PM
I am thinking of buying a small tripod for my camera, for situations where you want a steady camera, or put yourself in the photo.

My brother got a free flexipod (search for it on ebay, can buy the thing for ~£3 inclusive of postage. I really like the flexible legs, compact and simple design, but the one problem is with non extendable legs. Sometimes you want the camera to have a little clearance.

But problems with small extendable tripods on ebay is they look like they are very very crap quality.

So, what kind of tripods do people have for their cameras, especially small ones that can still extend, but can be transported very easily. What kind of prices were they bought for.


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: small tripods
Reply #1 on: April 20, 2007, 12:00:14 AM
I don't like the flex-legs ones since I find they don't hold the camera very steady, especially if you have a heavy camera.  I got a solid plastic tripod (see pics) that has held my "big" camera, a Kodak z650 with no problems whatsoever.  The camera weighs about 350g which is no problem for this stout little tripod.  The one in the pic is my second camera, a tiny HP, which is maybe 1/3 of the size of my Kodak.

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,1097.0.html

It folds up nicely and fits in almost any camera bag or pouch without a problem and weighs only 49g.  I can get them locally for about $6-10 US.  If you want one let me know and I am certain we can figure something out.

Def
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Leave the dents as they are- let your belongings show their scars as proudly as you do yours.


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: small tripods
Reply #2 on: April 20, 2007, 12:01:28 AM
Oh, it also holds the video camera I showed a pic of in that other thread.  And that video camera is MUCH heavier than both digital cams!  Lets see the flexi leg tripod do that!

Def
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gb Offline Raukodur

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Re: small tripods
Reply #3 on: April 20, 2007, 02:12:16 AM
hehe, no doubt this is better than the flexi legged one. My brother also told me another serious issue with the flexi leg in that you have to twiddle with the legs quite a bit to make sure the camera is level.

However, I am right now considering what kinds of extendable legged small tripods are available. Doesnt need to extend much, just a level or two, to give the camera some clearance.


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: small tripods
Reply #4 on: April 20, 2007, 02:42:15 AM
I have a full sized tripod that I use for most things nowadays, and only use the small one occasionally.  I used to use it to hold my old cheap camera on my dashboard for "COPS" style driving vids!

Def
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gb Offline Raukodur

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Re: small tripods
Reply #5 on: April 21, 2007, 09:10:59 PM
What do you guys think about this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Digital-Camera-2-Level-Tripod-Stand-BNIB-Sony-Kodak_W0QQitemZ330111379589QQihZ014QQcategoryZ3325QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Dirt cheap, has metal legs which can extend slightly, and is supposed to be able to support a relatviely heavy camera quite easily. So for a few quid would allow my minolta dimage z5 to have some clearance off the ground, and be aimed in different directions. Also very easy to transport with the camera due to small size.


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: small tripods
Reply #6 on: April 21, 2007, 09:39:14 PM
Looks ok... and like you said, cheap enough to not worry too much about it.  Solid legs should hold just about any camera- it's just those flexible ones I avoid like the plague.

Def
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gb Offline Raukodur

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Re: small tripods
Reply #7 on: April 22, 2007, 12:24:20 PM
Well, I happened to find an old tripod my dad bought from a car boot sale. The thing seems amazing. It folds up to around 25cm, and fully extends to around 40 inches!

It has a fully movable head and is quite sturdy. Tried taking some pics for all to see. This is perfect for my needs so I've nicked it off my dad, I'm sure he won't mind  :grin:
PICT0195 (Large).JPG
* PICT0195 (Large).JPG (Filesize: 100.28 KB)


gb Offline Raukodur

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Re: small tripods
Reply #8 on: April 22, 2007, 12:24:52 PM
.
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* PICT0197 (Large).JPG (Filesize: 54.36 KB)


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: small tripods
Reply #9 on: April 22, 2007, 02:24:43 PM
Nice find!  I hope that you didn't already bid on the other one!

Def
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gb Offline Raukodur

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Re: small tripods
Reply #10 on: April 22, 2007, 02:42:53 PM
Nope  :D I had held off buying that one until I phoned my brother to ask him if he was using this tripod. He told me he didnt have it, was still at home, so rummaged around a bit and found it.

Is exactly what I was after. Most of the time I'll be using it with the legs fully unextended, or extended just slightly to give it a few more inches of clearance, but its nice having the ability to extend them fully when you need to.


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: small tripods
Reply #11 on: April 22, 2007, 02:45:25 PM
Most definately.  Tripods are very handy things.  I didn't realize how much I needed one until I got the cheap one and realized I should have invested a bit more money in one!  Mine is great, but I can now see why the better ones have more features and all of the other things they have- like more leg support, spirit levels and so on.

Def
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ph Offline edap617

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Re: small tripods
Reply #12 on: August 18, 2008, 09:13:24 AM
I use this inexpensive tripod take pics of my MTs and flashlights. This one cost only 250 pesos or 5.5 USD eqivalent. Very cheap but it serves its purpose.


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: small tripods
Reply #13 on: August 18, 2008, 10:40:22 AM
I have one like Raukodur posted... it's strong enough to support my DSLR with my larger lense without any problems. it's not really that adjustable when it comes to height, it's pretty much all or none if you want full stability. it was pretty cheap when I bought it, I think it was 10 or 15 euros.

The small flexy leg ones are useful sometimes as they can give you an even shot on an uneven surface... the fixed legs can't do that so well...

In the end there's no substitute for a good tripod with fully adjustable legs...

Another thought is if you're heading out into the countryside, a mono-pod with a spike on the bottom should do just fine to get those shots with the timer...
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


us Offline WhichDawg

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Re: small tripods
Reply #14 on: August 23, 2008, 02:19:36 AM
a very good photographer and friend ( http://www.mikespinak.com/articles/Essays/e002obtainingmaxsharp.html ) told me good shots come being at the same level as your subject (if possible). So since then I've been trying to use my tripod less and less.


us Offline NutSAK

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Re: small tripods
Reply #15 on: August 26, 2008, 04:16:39 PM
That is good advice.  I've taken lots of pictures of my dogs, and the ones where I'm down at their level are the best.  That way the dog is more of the subject instead of "dog from a human's perspective".

I use a tripod frequently, but only for landscapes and macro shots.  I use a full-size collapsible tripod though, and it can be set to nearly eye level.
- Terry


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: small tripods
Reply #16 on: August 26, 2008, 06:49:17 PM
some good advice... tripod+remote trigger! (I just use the timer) I find if I'm not touching the camera when it snaps the pic, the images tend to be a lot sharper!

He also mentions having the tripod extended minimally (making it more solid)

my brother and law and I were discussing this yesterday, as he picked up a 70-300mm VR lense (which is 1.5x on a DSLR so 105-450mm!) to take pics of his kid playing football (soccer for some of you) and I said get a good tripod...
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


us Offline NutSAK

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Re: small tripods
Reply #17 on: August 26, 2008, 08:38:05 PM
I use the timer also.  Definitely the way to go for macro shots if you don't have a remote.
- Terry


us Offline WhichDawg

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Re: small tripods
Reply #18 on: August 27, 2008, 02:40:41 AM
I luv it when camera's have a multi-timer for shots, or a remote, that really helps.
the next one will have it for sure!


 

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