when it comes to tripods, lots of photographers go with the idiom "buy nice or buy twice". i, however, have worked out that sometimes it's better to buy something that's only just good enough to do the job, knowing it'll probably get smashed/ lost when out riding/ taking pictures, and feel no sense of grief. something are worth spending on if you naturally take care of it well and get a lot of utility out of, and some arent.
First i think you should establish your minimal requirements, e.g.
1. how sturdy it needs to be (i.e. in windy situations etc)?
2. how much weight it's likely to need to support?
3. how quickly do you need it deployed from backpack to set up properly and back in pack?
4. how tall does it need to be at full height?
5. how compact/ light does it need to be when in bag?
6. what is your absolute max budget for the tripod?
etc
when you have a decent idea on these, you can first rule out a bunch of tripods. browsing thru those that meet your minimum requirements would probably give you a better idea of whether you wanna invest in a more pricey one for long term use, or a cheaper one to help you 1) figure out how much you'd actually use one 2) fine tune you requirements 3) not feel shit if you happen to fuck your bike into it
personally, after having bought and broken a few cheapo tripods and bought a more expensive gizmo one, i've gone to a lighter camera/ lens setup. The gizmo is, although quite compact, still overkill. i've attached a head with quick-release onto a lightstand, and quick-lease plates onto my camera and flashes. so now the lightstand can work as both a lightstand for my slave flash AND a camera tripod.
the heavier Canon 5D and bigger lenses have been gathering dust at home for a couple years now
Topic: Searching for a good carry around Tripod (Read 8019 times)
