Advise nedded

[veekay]

HI,
I am going to Red land orchid show next month,need advise on the type of Tripod I need to buy.
I own a Nikon F-100 SLR ,Canon7D DSLR and have A 100 mm Macro,Zoom lens along with a prime lens.
Can some one give me an advise about choosing a good Tripod.
regards
Veekay

[silken]

You might want to check with show administrators. I haven't been to any huge shows but the ones I've been to don't allow tripods. They take up too much room and prevent people moving about freely.

The rule of thumb that I have always heard is to buy the best one you can afford. The more expensive they are, usually the more sturdy and lightweight. That's what you want if you are hauling it around. Also a good ball head is worth its weight in gold. It makes using the tripod much nicer and you will soon be hooked on using a tripod.

[veekay]

Originally Posted by silken

You might want to check with show administrators. I haven't been to any huge shows but the ones I've been to don't allow tripods. They take up too much room and prevent people moving about freely.

The rule of thumb that I have always heard is to buy the best one you can afford. The more expensive they are, usually the more sturdy and lightweight. That's what you want if you are hauling it around. Also a good ball head is worth its weight in gold. It makes using the tripod much nicer and you will soon be hooked on using a tripod.

Thanks for the advise.
veekay

[tucker85]

Silken makes a good point. This year will be the third time I've gone to Redlands. It's a very popular show and it does get pretty crowded. I don't think the vendors would appreciate someone setting up a tripod next to their dispaly and keeping paying customers away. I can't remember ever seeing a tripod used at an orchid show.

[silken]

For the show in particular, you might do better investing in a good flash for one of the cameras or a ring flash for close-ups although I'm not sure how effective the ring flash would be with a 100mm Macro. I have a 105mm Nikkor Macro and I do still get fairly close to small blooms. I don't have a ring flash tho.

If you do much photography, a tripod is invaluable and will likely improve the quality of your photos, especially scenery and orchid portraits

Both Montreal and Ottawa shows that I usually attend have a special time (Sunday from 9 to noon) designated for photographers with tripods and equipment.
If tripods are not allowed, you could get a monopod. It is less crowding, but gives you a good support to avoid vibration.
Honestly, I have both but never use them at the show. Last time I took monopod, but ended up just dragging it around without much use, but that's probably I also have no patience with equipment.

Miy tripod is made by MANFROTTO and I find them very good quality.

[Gage]

I would recommend a monopod, so that you're not taking up extra space and you can pick up and move quickly.