tripod..wildlife photography

[LaurieA]

Looking for a decent tripod for wildlife photography, entry level. He is thinking about film school but loves taking wildlife photography, film making. He has an entry level canon EOS digital camera.e is 24 years old so responsible. I have looked and tripods are very costly..So not top of the line but not a cheap one. Is it possible to find one about 100ish? Suggestions please, I do not know anything about them except they hold the camera lol

 

[zackiedawg]

You can definitely find a decent tripod in the $100 price range. It's not likely he needs the superior weight ability of the super-heavy duty carbon-fiber and pro models, or any serious specialty heads at this point such as gimbals or Wimberleys. The el-cheapo $30-50 tripods will actually do OK too, but they tend not to last as long - I find the $100-150 tripods a nice middle ground. Smaller and light enough for most jobs, upgradeable (changeable heads) for future needs, and more durable and long-lasting than the cheapies.

I've had very good experience with a Slik Sprint Pro EZ tripod, that I use heavily for the past 3 years for night long-exposure shooting, which has also served some double duty for wildlife shooting on my 300mm F4 lens or 200mm-500mm lens when birding. I tend to do much of my wildlife shooting handheld, but sometimes the tripod can come in handy especially if I'm bringing two camera bodies because I can mount one on the tripod and hold the other, making switching between them a breeze. Velbon is another brand that I've had past experience with and heard good things about, in that middle price range.

 

[LaurieA]

going to order..is this the tripod http://www.amazon.com/Slik-Sprint-T...822&sr=8-1&keywords=Slik+Sprint+Pro+EZ+tripod

 

[LaurieA]

Thank you for taking time to reply. He will be starting film school in January I think this tripos will work well.

 

[zackiedawg]

You're welcome. It should do the trick - and should last a while. He'll really only need to think about upgrading if he ends up getting really serious about wildlife and starts moving to big 500mm+, heavy lenses where a heavy-duty tripod and specialized head will be needed.