hey guys,
I'm shopping around for my first tripod right now and I had some questions. Do I need to be checking that the tripods I look at will fit into the tripod socket on my camera? I wasn't sure just how standardized the tripod socket sizes are. I have a small digital Nikon (Coolpix S6), but I also want to be able to use the tripod with my Nikon FE2 and I'm not sure if they have the same size tripod socket as eachother, (I don't have the FE2 with me at the moment).
Only some of the tripods I looked at specifically said that they have "3/8" & 1/4” screw camera attachments." Is this what I need to be looking for?

Thanks!!

Pretty much everything will have a 1/4-20 thread (1/4", 20 threads per inch). Some really big telephotos might use that 3/8-16 and that's also the common size for connecting a separate tripod head to a set of legs (such as a Bogen/Manfrotto 3001 with 3025).

Short answer, you can almost take for granted that it will be right. :)

go to wal-mart
they have a very good tripod there for only $30.
it can do height, angles, everything that you want it to do

go to wal-mart
they have a very good tripod there for only $30.
it can do height, angles, everything that you want it to do

Those are not good tripods, for any type of SLR or any larger cameras. There are not designed for heavy cameras. I have a cheap tripod and a good tripod a Bogen/Manfrotto. There is a world of difference doing night photograpy between the two tripods even using a light wiegth Olympus C-3030. Jest spend the $100+ and have a tripod for life, and that you can hang a view carmera on if need be.

I agree. I had a cheap tripod once that I must have used all of once or twice. Then it broke. You get what you pay for.

go to wal-mart
they have a very good tripod there for only $30.
it can do height, angles, everything that you want it to do

Been there, done that. Never again. Got a Dynatran 828 from Ebay. Strong. Solid. Heavy. I use it with a D70 and 70-200 f2.8 lens. Handles it easily. It even handle the Bigma with ease.

"A good tripod should also have a center column so that after you set your camera up and if you need to just raise it by a foot or lower by a foot you can do that, using the center column and just lock it down. Once you put your camera on here and you are doing a long exposure, you are going to want to use a cable release so that you don't get vibration from your hand pushing the shutter. Also if your camera has a mirror lock up you might use that if it is going to be a long exposure say right after the sun sets or if you are trying to shoot pictures of star trails or something like that you would want this as solid as possible."

This great advice was brought to my attention by a friend. It helped me, maybe it will help you. The video also offers other photography advice.
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/photography-tripods.htm

go to wal-mart
they have a very good tripod there for only $30.
it can do height, angles, everything that you want it to do


I bought that Walmart $30 tripod as an "emergency - need to have one now" and it's junk. It is cheap plastic and the first time I tried to loosen the locking screw for the height adjustment , the plastic finger grip broke right off. Also when shooting vertical with a big lens, the camera wants to swivel down. My camera doesn't have a hole for the tripod head locking stud to fit in so it swivels around the mounting bolt. :( Plus a heavy lens will pull that plastic head every which way and you never get a level shot. I'd go on, but I think we've made our point.

It did work in the emergency though. Homecoming photos at the last minute.

Fairy829,

Go to a better photo store and try out some tripod legs and heads before you buy one. For fast outdoor sports or nature action, I find the handle that is mounted for right hand use is counter productive. I want my right hand on the shutter button and my left hand on the tripod controls. For portraiture it doesn't make that much difference as I use a remote shutter release and don't move the camera much.

YMMV,

Tim