Tripod System (1) - Overview

[Birthday gift - a new tripod]

For those who are serious about photography should consider buying a good tripod system.

I got a new tripod this year on my birthday. My wife bought me a light carbon fiber tripod. I am so happy for I finally get a tripod that I can carry around when I am on a trip.

There are many tripod brands on the market. Many professional photographers consider Gitzo makes best tripods. Unfortunately, Gitzo has a very steep price tag. Gitzo's tripods are built like a tank, many say buy one Gitzo and you are done with buying tripods. Even with that statement, Gitzo is still too much for my blood. I can't afford it. Especially if you know I am the one who thinks having only one tripod system is not enough.

Other than Gitzo, there are tripods from Manfrotto, Silk, Benro, Giottos, Velbon,... Manfrotto might be the most popular choice among photography enthusiasts. The reasons are quite simple. Their tripod systems are well made and reasonably priced. They also have many models for different needs. I personally use Manfrotto tripod systems.

A tripod system consists of two parts: legs and a head. One thing worth to be mentioned before we go into the details is that you better spend some time doing your research before you invest on the system. Changing tripod system is not a fun business. This is like buying camera system, you have to decide whether you want to go with Canon or Nikon. I will explain why when we look into the details of the tripod next time.

The budget for a good tripod system should start at around $300. The breakdown is around $150 to $200 for legs and $100 to $150 for the head. You can easily buy a good system with this budget among the brands other than Gitzo and the system will give your life time support (no kidding).

How to choose a tripod system? Let's talk about that next time.


[one practical but affordable system from Manfrotto]