for a dslr

not mega expensive, but not cheap shite either.
ta

What DSLR? What lenses are you using, or planning to use on it?

Some thoughts here:
http://bythom.com/support.htm

I had £30 one, it was awful with my Nikon D200, ended up with a Feisol carbon direct from http://www.feisol.com/ Was very reasonable for the performance but got it when the exchange rate was over 2:1 £/$.

Redsnapper do some great stuff at reasonable prices.

As gravity-slave says though, depends a lot on the body and lenses (and their respective weights) as to what will be any good.

It’s a Nikon D3100, at the moment i’m using a 35mm lens, but that’s likely to change in the future with addition of a telephoto.

I was looking at the Hama traveller compact pro, seems small enough and light enough to lug about when i’m out on my bike.

I just bought a benbo one second hand.
Very nice design, not light or compact though.
http://www.ffordes.com/product/11032515314381
J.

And what’re you shooting? I rarely take a tripod when I’m out just wandering, ‘cos I absolutely HATE flimsy lightweight ones. As in the article gravity-slave linked, there is NOTHING worse than a crappy head that moves when you tighten it, won’t point where you want it and creeps down during long exposures.

**edit** and I REALLY hate cheap ball heads. I’ve used a Manfrotto Modo with a ball head – just about managed with a compact, complete waste of time with my D60 with anything other than the lightest of lenses.

And what’re you shooting?

Anything really, there’s been a few times when i’ve been out in the evening just for a pootle on the bike and taken the camera with me and I have seen something that i wanted to take a picture of, but because i wanted a long exposure, trying to balnce the camera on a dry stone wall or whatever isn’t ideal.

I have the same problem, always seem to want my tripod when it’s not with me!! I’ve got a manfrotto tripod, not the lightest but very sturdy and well built, easy enough to bike with if it’s in a tripod bag. Normally got a wide angle, a telephoto and a 100mm macro in my bag when i go out and never had any problems with it being stable with any of them on a 550d. Have you tried a gorillapod? the dslr specific version is pretty good and if you wrap it round your handlebars your bike essentially becomes your tripod!! lol

Manfrotto.

Any full sized tripod worth having for a DSLR will be a pain to carry on a bike. I would also suggest Gorillapod SLR – I have the small one for my compact camera and it’s brilliant.

Yup, I’d agree. Though anything much bigger than a kit lens and a Gorillapod (even the biggest one) will start to struggle.

My Wife has a Nikon D80 and wanted a tripod, I got her a Manfrotto 190XB plus a head for it, after I asked a similar question on here.

See Manfrotto 190XB

It cost about £140 last Christmas and she loves it to bits – unfortunately that doesn’t seem reflected in her attitude to me sometimes 😥

Another vote for Manfrotto kit, mine must be over 25 years old now.

I do like the single lock action on Benbo’s mind, did have one for a while too.

I’m using a Manfrotto MKC3 at the moment which is great. Very light and compact and can support up to 1.5kgs IIRC. Cheap too at £40.

Takes my Canon 50D no problem but I only use small lenses on it (50mm, 28mm).

I’m using a Manfrotto Compact (link). The ball-head and QR tilt mechanism makes leveling shots very easy. Highly recommended. I got mine at Jacobs for £40.

i literally bought this yesterday, not used in anger but looks good and seems to get good reviews. i’m under no false impressions its cheap at 30 quid but i’m no david bailey.

HanhelTriad 30 tripod

Redsnapper are great for the price but pretty heavy.

Manfrotto 055 has always been my choice, got a very old 055CB and just recently bought a 055XPROB

Bit heavy, but very stable, good height without using the centre column (not a good idea turning your sturdy tripod into a monopod)
All parts available as spares so can be practically rebuilt if required although I have never needed to.

Have heard good things said about the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT, but wouldn’t want to recommend anything I hadn’t personally used

That Manfrotto Compact is very similar to the Modo I hated. I found the ball head wasn’t up to holding a DSLR with lens, and worked looser with time. The legs would also wobble pressing the shutter (though that can be solved a bit with a remote shutter).

Personally I much prefer something more weighty and solid. No point having a tripod if it wobbles all over the place in the wind and your camera creeps down.

Giottos. I bought one from there travel series. They seemed good value at the time and despite being quite light it’s quite stable (if it’s not windy!). Very well made too.

I can’t recommend you one as I’m not in the loop with regards to equipment but can give the following piece of advice: spend at least £100. That’s what good tripods tend to start at (might be a bit more now as the last time I bought one was ages ago).

Don’t get a cheap crappy one, it will not be strong or stable enough to hold the camera securely and eliminate vibration, thus defeating the point of using one in the first place. Buy nice or buy twice. Manfrotto, Slik, usual suspects…

Oh and get a tripod bag for it.

Pretty good advice there from Alejandro, you can also buy shoulder straps that attach to the tripod, prefer it to a bag myself

If they don’t already come with anything on the legs, bit of pipe lagging makes them much nicer to the hand in the colder weather

Three extension legs will be more stable then the four variety and if you don’t need the full height use the larger legs out first. Legs are either twist lock or clip type, much prefer the latter, but opinions are divided on that choice

Don’t forget you will also need a head, ball or 3 way type and again a matter of opinion although in my view a good solid ball head takes some beating. Make sure it has a Q/R plate too, so much easier to attach and detach the camera, friction control is another handy feature to have

That Manfrotto Compact is very similar to the Modo I hated. I found the ball head wasn’t up to holding a DSLR with lens, and worked looser with time. The legs would also wobble pressing the shutter (though that can be solved a bit with a remote shutter).

I haven’t experienced similar problems with the Manfrotto and my DSLR. It may well come to work loose after some time, but I’ve got a 5-year warranty so won’t worry about it.

I really like my Cullman one but I don’t think you can get them here. I got a Magnesit 928Q which has cast magnesium parts, goes all the way down to the floor for macro bits and also the centre column flips down. Despite all that it’s rock solid. Big though.

I would not discount a monopod though, along with a bit of creativity. It’s remarkable how often you can find a way of bracing it against something for a support as good as a tripod. You can also take a couple of straps and secure it to a tree or fence post or something. Importantly though it weighs a fraction of what a proper tripod does, and it takes seconds to erect.

Actually – you could probaly strap it to your bike and make a tripod that way.. hmm gives me an idea 🙂

Another vote for manfrotto. I’ve had a 055 for over 20 years, using it for everything including 5×4. It’s just a great design, and money well spent.

Gitzo

I use a Manfrotto 190CX3 with a 701HDV head for holding a pretty hefty Opticron spotting scope. The tripod weighs nowt but It’s very sturdy & I’ve never had any trouble keeping the scope steady.
Not cheap though!

My manfrotto classic…

Click me

£58 for this one from Red Snapper is pretty good VFM.

Solid and sturdy and pretty versatile.

Troy verner apparantly

I have a Benbo and a carbon Manfrotto and a carbon monopod… all have their uses – agree a good tripod costs a fair bit… cheap ones will just be replaced…

paul

Just ordered the Hahnel Triad 30 from Play for £35. Seems to suit my needs and will only get light use.

I bought a Calumet tripod about 5-years ago. Might not be as well finished as some of the major brands but for £65 it’s a solid bit of kit.

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/eng/product/calumet_7300_tripod_with_three_way_quick_release_head/ck7316