Photo Tripods & Ball Heads

A sturdy tripod will greatly improve your chances of getting sharper images.  You need one that is strong enough to stop camera shake, is convenient to use and is not so heavy that you never take it with you.  Light weight and compact tripods for travel or for backpacking are highly sought after, but if it is too wobbly, you might as well not bother.  Carbon fiber tripods have taken a lot of the hard work out of carrying a tripod, but an aluminium one might be just right also.  Well chosen photo tripods serve for many years, so it is prudent to get one that will serve your future needs as well.  This does not necessarily mean the most expensive one either so be sure to look at the tripod and head selection guides and videos below the featured products, and get the best tripod for you.

In this video, Andrew and Akira show ways to reduce camera shake without expensive equipment, then explore the use of some photo tripods, to eliminate camera blur altogether.  They are using a Manfrotto 055 and 322RC2 ball head tripod, an old Manfrotto 190 with  a small ball head.  The monopod has a 3229 tilt head.

New Carbon Fibre tripods

Calumet has done just what we were waiting for, they have introduced a new range of professional 8 ply carbon fiber tripods at affordable prices. Calumet 8132 3-Section 8x Carbon Fiber Tripod Calumet 8156 4-Section 8x Carbon Fiber Tripod

The tables below are designed to help you choose the right tripod and head.  You will notice some features are particularly expensive, so you can decide whether faster operation or very light weight is worth the cost to you.  Ball heads are generally more convenient but 3 way heads offer great load capacity for a low price.  If you were mountain climbing, a carbon fibre tripod such as the Calumet 8132 or Manfrotto 190CX3 with a smaller ball head would be a good choice, but for casual hiking an aluminium tripod like the manfrotto 055 pro and a 488 ball head or the excellent value Calumet 7045 ball head are excellent choices that will give great stability for semipro to pro equipment.  For travel, a 4 section tripod gives a more compact tripod for packing. For a quick to use all weather pro tripod, the manfrotto Neotec fits the bill.

Other Highly Recomended Products:

The little Manfrotto 785 Maxi Modo is a great choice for travellers with small, lightweight cameras, like a micro 4/3 tops or bridge compact, I dont recommend putting a DSLR on it.  The Calumet 7100 gives much better support for an SLR for an extra 2 pounds.  Both of these include a head.

For the serious photographer travelling light, the Manfrotto 190CX3 Carbon fibre tripod with a Calumet 7042 mini ball head offers great support at less than 2kg and sub $350 for up to a semipro camera outfit.  The manfrotto 496RC2 and 498RC2 or 322RC2 grip action head would also suit.  Excellent value.

For a seriously steady tripod, the manfrotto 055pro with 322RC2 head is a great choice.  Many photographers I know have this setup, me included.  For a pro camera with integral or add on grip, get the Manfrotto 468RC2 hydrostatic ball head the 498RC2 or the Calumet 7045 medium ball head instead.  These will hold a taller camera more steady in the vertical position than the 322. 

A note on the heads.  In some cases you will notice the recommended use seems smaller than the manufacturers max load would suggest.  This is because we have taken into account a little normal wear and using the head with the camera set vertical, which often severely reduces the load capacity (in fact some popular heads have been omitted due to their poor performance in this regard).  Using a lens with a tripod collar negates the need to rotate the tripod head to acheive vertical composition therefore the manufacturers rec load is more accurate.  Also we have allowed for a little extra just to be sure you dont get caught wobbly or droopy.  We have not included heads for super tele lenses, specifically gimbal type heads in the table.

 

Prices shown below are a guide only, rebates may be available on some items, click through for details.

Tripod head selection Guide Link to Tripod Head	price range	Ball/3w	mass lb/kg	Cap in lb	Recommended use suitable for up to:
Calumet 7016 Three-way Quick-Release Head	<$55	3way	2.4/1.1		medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head (you may need to enter manfrotto 498 into the search bar after clicking thru sorry)	<$130	Ball	1.3/0.6	17	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Manfrotto 322RC2 Grip Action Ball Head	<$140	Ball	1.5/0.7	11	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Gitzo G1178M Magnesium Center Ball Head w/ Quick Release	<$160	Ball	0.88/0.4	8.8	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Calumet 7042 Small Ball Head with Quick-Release Plate	<$90	Ball	1/0.5	17	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Gitzo G1378M Magnesium Ball Head w/ Quick Release(smoooth)	<$300	Ball	2.4/1.1	17.6	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens MF
Calumet 7045 Medium Ball Head with Quick-Release Plate	<$110	Ball	1.4/0.65	26	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens MF
Manfrotto 468MGRC2 Hydrostatic Ball Head With RC2 Rapid Connect System	<$251	Ball	1.4/0.65	35	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens, MF
Calumet Heavy Duty 3 Way Quick-Release Head	<$100	3way	3.4/1.5		large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens, MF

 

Tripod selection Guide Link to Tripod legs	price range	head included?	mass lb/kg	height max/min	suitable for up to
Manfrotto 785B Modo Maxi Tripod With Head 5 section (verycompact,17.2"/43.5cm) very lightweight	<$70	YES	2.2/1	59/7" 150/17.5cm	m4/3, compact, small videocam
Calumet 7100 Tripod with Three-way Quick Release Head(value compact 21")	<$80	YES	4.5/2.0	58/9" 147/23cm	small slr med slr /med lens
Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod highly recommended classic improved	<$150	NO	4/1.8	57.5/3.3" 146/6cm	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Manfrotto 190CX3 Carbon Fiber 3-Section Tripod(great semipro travel)	<$260	NO	2.91/1.32	57.5/2.4" 146/6cm	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Calumet 7500 Tripod	<$130	NO	6.25/2.8	69/9.6" 175/24cm	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens
Manfrotto 458B Neotec Pro Photo Tripodquick to use, all weather	<$380	NO	5.3/2.4	61.4/4" 156/10cm	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens
Manfrotto 055XPROB ProTripod, Black great choice for pro or enthusiast	<$180	NO	5.3/2.4	70/4" 178/10cm	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens
Manfrotto 055CXPRO4 Tripod-4 Section(compact 4 sect Carbon fiber Pro)	<$425	NO	3.75/1.7	67/4.5" 170/11cm	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens
Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Kit, Black with 322RC2 Ball Head	<$400	YES	6.8/3.1	74/4" 188/10cm	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Gitzo GT2530 Mountaineer 6x Carbon Fiber Tripodconvenient use	<$660	NO	3.2/1.45	63/13" 160/33cm	medium slr, med lens, collared lens
Manfrotto 475B Black Pro Geared Tripod(Big, high pro tripod)	<$330	NO	9.25/4.3	74/17" 188/43cm	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens, slr with long tele, LF
Calumet 7800 Tripod	<$220	NO	9.25/4.26	75/16" 191/40cm	large slr, med slr w/grip, big lens, slr with long tele, LF

In some cases a monopod will do the trick by giving you a little more stability without losing much mobility.  They are also great for taking some weight off your hands.

 

 

Manfrotto 681 Professional Monopod Manfrotto Tripod and Head Chooser Robust three-section monopod. Features Sure rubber gripQuick-action locks with 45-degree flipLarge 2.3" camera/head platformDual 1/4" - 3/8" camera fixing screw

Manfrotto Swivel Tilt Tripod Head with Quick Release 3229 This Swivel Tilt Head is similar to the 3232, but with a quick-release camera plate system and secondary saftey lock. Simply tilt the head to allow a camera on a monopod to be turned 90° to provide either vertical or horizontal format.

 

(all product shipped from within USA)

This video goes with the selection table above.  Some of the choices are explained in a little more detail and some recommendations are made.  Recomendations are all repeated together at 7min10 if you dont want to watch the whole thing.

 

This video shows someone who is very happy with his new Manfrotto Modo 785.  There is a part two to this where he discovers some more cool features.  This is in Japanese and subtitled in english, but he is very descriptive and entertaining.  NOTE, this tripod is for very small cameras, that is, it is NOT for a DSLR

 

This one gives a great description of the Manfrotto 190

 

infoto@photography-studio-equipment.net    Spunchcorp Pty Ltd. ACN 142 575 942 skype:andrewh9mm