Comments

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  Ed Wetschler January 26, 2012 at 4:39pm

  Contest: Win a trip to Japan. See http://www.tripatini.com/group/travel-contests/forum/topics/win-an-...
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  Jacquie Whitt January 8, 2012 at 2:20am

  Thanks Martin.  I have both the small and the chunky gorilla.  And they are great for travel. 

  Thanks for the tips on what to look for in a tripod.
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  Martin January 8, 2012 at 1:41am

  hahahaha I hope the info all helps. ;-) 

  It can be a very daunting thing purchasing equipment. I often give advise in one of my businesses where I teach photography.

  * Two things things everyone should know about tripods. (if you are going to buy a large tripod)

  1. You want your camera to come up to your eye level (if you can)

  2. Try not to use tripods that you need to wind up the centre stem because if you have to wind that means you will have little gears and gears break.

  For the very small tripods checkout the brand name Gorilla. I do not think they will hold DSLR cameras though.
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  Jacquie Whitt January 8, 2012 at 1:29am

  Thanks Martin.  I got an education in tripods! 
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  Martin January 8, 2012 at 1:10am

  Hi Jacquie

  I've been an international travel photographer/photojournalist for 19 years so I have some knowledge in this.

  The basic rule with tripods is it will depend on the weight of lenses you are going to use.

  You will tend to find that shooting interiors you would use smaller lenses and for outdoor/some landscapes/sport/wild life you will use bigger lenses.

  I use manfrotto 055 ART my last one lasted 18 years but I broke it last year and got the same tripod to replace it.

  Ed is right you can improvise when your in a pinch BUT one can "never" make do properly. If you need a tripod and you don't have one or you don't have a good one then your images will suffer.

  Check carbon fiber tripods they tend to be a little expensive but they are lighter and very strong.

  Last thing to consider is the head you get on the tripod. If you are using heaver equipment then you will also need a heavy duty head. My tripods total weight it 5kg. It's a nightmare for a travel photographer but I need strength for the work I do.

  You can also use a high ISO to off set no tripod but this is more of a band aid fix, for the quality of your images you should use a low ISO where you can.

  I hope this gives you some things to think about.

  Regards Martin
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  Bruce Murray January 7, 2012 at 9:09pm

  I will be in Vegas next week at the Consumer Electronics Show, CES, covering it for my Facebook page WHATS NEW IN PHOTOGRAPHY.  If any of you will be in Vegas next week let me know we can grab a bite to eat.
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  Jacquie Whitt January 7, 2012 at 9:09pm

  That's a great tip Ed.  I think there are rocks in Bolivia!  Except on the salar I may have to use chunks of salt!  Great idea!  Will remember it for sure.
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  Ed Wetschler January 7, 2012 at 8:58pm

  Jacquie, I'm a writer who takes photographs, which is not the same as being a photographer. Even so, I want to get good images, so I carry a tripod. It's a lightweight tripod, so for stability, I also carry a cloth sack (weighs nothing), pick up a rock where needed and put it in the sack, and then hang the bag from the hook where the three legs meet. I figure there are rocks everywhere. 
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  Jacquie Whitt January 7, 2012 at 5:39pm

  Thanks!  I can already see that it is not easy to combine the sturdiness of a heavy duty tripod with the practical features of a light-weight model that will fit in my backpack.  Thanks again, Jacquie
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  Darryl Musick January 7, 2012 at 5:15pm

  We mostly use a mini tripod on the road but when we need a more heavy duty one, we use this Polaroid tripod that is quick to set up, light, comes with it's own travel bag, and has a carrying handle and hook to hang it in the closet: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LTB8GM/ref=oh_o03_s00_i01_details