Want to buy a tripod

[Ripper]

The other day i was taking pictures of my girlfriend in the shadows of trees. I wasn't liking how the pictures were turning out with the flash on but without it on i couldn't hold the camera steady enough to get very many pictures without blurryness.

So i want to buy a tripod but don't want to spend a fortune. I don't need any kind of professional tripod. I won't be using it THAT much, just would like something for situations like the other day. I see some at walmart and circuit city for like 50 bucks. Whats your guys take on these? not worth it? Like i said i don't need anything real fancy just something that will work well enough when i do want to use it.

Thanks for the input and help

[mjs1973]

Welcome to the forums Ripper. My first tripod was a Wal-mart special. It wasn't bad for the price I paid, but it wasn't great by any streatch of the imagination. I still have it, but I stepped up to a much nicer Bogen setup that I love. The Bogen, is much sturdier and will hold much more weight than my Wal-mart tripod, but it cost quite a bit more. Just about everyone on this site, will tell you to get the best equipment that you can afford, including myself.

That being said, if you don't think you will use it that much, then maybe you can get by with a cheaper tripod. I did for a couple years. But be aware that there are some limits to the cheapos. For instance, most of the ones that I have seen, do not have independent legs. They are connected in the middle. Most of the time, it's not a big deal, but depending on the situation, could prove to be useless. Also, almost all of them have plastic "heads". The part that you mount your camera to. Again, this is not a big deal, if you are using a light weight camera. I had problems with my DSLR, with battery grip on mine. I would get the camera all set up, and tighten down everything, but as soon as I would let it go, the camera would start to creep a bit. There is just too much give in the cheap plastic parts, and mounting plate for a somewhat heavy camera. But on the bright side, all that light weight plastic, and usually aluminum legs, make the tripods very light.

So the walmart tripod will do in a pinch, but if photography is something you are serious, or semi-serious about, I wouldn't waste your money on it. Get something that you can trust, and rely on, that will last you for many years to come.

Ok, I'm done babbling...