thanks to the feedback i received, i've definitely narrowed down the options for what will be my first tripod, based on my needs and my budget. what i'm looking at now are the slik sprint pro, the velbon maxi 343e, and the bogen/manfrotto 714/718 b/shb. now i've got some more specific questions.
-heads. with the bogen/manfrotto: the big difference between the 714 and the 718 seems to be the head: ball head or quick release 3-way pan/tilt head. i know the quick release is preferable, but i have no idea if the hassle of having to adjust each axis independently (as i understand the 3-way heads to work) would outweigh the advantages of the QR. we also have a video camera; i'd imagine that needs the pan/tilt head so that it can be locked and pan smoothly.
-height. i'm 5'1, my husband is 5'7. would we be better with the more compact model which is easier to carry and has a max height of 4' or with one of the others which max at about 5'5"?
-uneven ground. generally, i also want to be sure that whatever i get is going to be functional in many situations, whether that's rocks or stairs or a hillside or my living room. i know the slik is good for that, but i'm not sure about the bogen/manfrotto. the velbon doesn't have independent leg spread, so it seems like that might be a problem as well.
-the slik and the velbon have removable heads and spikes on the feet, but the bogen/manfrotto doesn't. i'm not sure how important either of these are.
i know a lot of this is probably personal preference, but since i've never used any tripod other than the bendy-legged tabletop one that came with my camera, and since i haven't been able to find an easily accessible camera store around here, i'd really welcome everyone's opinions on the options i've narrowed it down to.
thanks again. :)
(i posted this as a response in the previous thread initially, but after a couple of days and no responses, i thought i'd try a new thread with a title more specific to the new questions. i hope that's not crossing any forums etiquitte.) |
