good tripod for under $100 for photography?

JordanD · Nov 27, 2012

hey im wiling to put up to $100 into a tripod for photography but it needs to be sturdy and hold more than 5 pounds. Thanks for your opinions. :thumbup:

tirediron · Nov 27, 2012

Good luck with that! You MIGHT find a used set of Manfrotto 055 or 190 legs on Craig's list for ~$50-60 dollars, and if you're lucky a 029 head can be found for around $40. I would strongly recommend waiting until you have a little more money. The first rule of tripods is don't buy cheap! Only a fool would trust hundreds or thousands of dollars of glass and body to a cheap offshore POS tripod. You don't need an $1100 set of legs & head, but I would aim to spend at least $150 on a set of used legs & head and $250 if you're buying new. Rule #2 is buy a combination which supports at least TWICE the weight of your heaviest body/lens combination (not sure if that's factored into your 5 lb requirement or not).

unpopular · Nov 27, 2012

Bogen Manfrotto 3126 Head and Bogen 3001 Tripod Italy NICE! 719821280309 | eBay

tirediron · Nov 27, 2012

unpopular said:
Bogen Manfrotto 3126 Head and Bogen 3001 Tripod Italy NICE! 719821280309 | eBay

Good eye! Not a huge fan of that head, but it's better than some cheap Best Buy POS.

unpopular · Nov 27, 2012

^^ definitely. And you can always upgrade later, something you can't necessarily do with a cheap-o; you get one of these WAY overpriced POS with a plastic head, and you're stuck with it.

I own these legs with a basic 3030 head. It's very sturdy, if not a little heavy. I paid $250 for the kit, iirc. So yeah, tripods depreciate.

Honestly, OP. I'd just pick this one up. It's going to be WAY better than anything you can buy for $100 new.

Rhoads238 · Nov 28, 2012

I agree that 100 dollars is a little low. For that price point you are going to end up with something that vibrates in the slightest wind. Ruining your shot. Its worth it to save up a bit to buy something in the 200-300 dollar range. it will be worth it. Unless you can find a used tripod of good quality. then you may be able to spend 100 dollars on a tripod.