Pete H
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Small Tripod
I thought some of you might be interested in this.
I found this small tripod in a Meijers store, similar to a Walmart.
It is 8" tall and extends to about 10"What caused me to purchase this was it's nice wide base, that will easily and with stability hold my 35mm camera; even with my 80-200 Zoom. No; it's not a SLIK or Bogan or Lowe-Pro, but for 12 dollars, how can ya' go wrong?
Great little tripod that will fit in my soft bag, and come in handy in a pinch. I've had other small tripods, but they were quite flimsy that had lousy stability.
Seems to be of better than average quality from China. Made by "Vanguard."
Has rubber feet so it could be placed on a car w/o fear of scratching. Only drawback I see is that it has no ability for vertical shots.
Pete
1/16/2006 5:57:02 PM
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This may be a good tripod for pos (point and shoot) cameras, but I'd be real leary bout putting my slr on it. Though cameras have gotten much lighter since the days of my dinosaur, when you add lenses and battery packs an new camera can still be quite heavy. This may overpower the tripod head, making it dip towards the lense or body. Another point-how many picnic tables do you see in the wild? You may still want to look for a good tripod. Promaster has a line of tripods that start at about 40 bucks and can be found at Wal-Mart.
1/16/2006 6:12:18 PM
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Pete H
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Hi Mark; I thought as you did..but really, this baby is quite sturdy. I pushed down on it with maybe 20 lbs of pressure..It didn't budge. I even tried to break off the legs before I bought it! Shame on me! LOL I'm soon going to be shooting some Orchids at a Botanical conservatory and want to shoot in natural light. Many of the Orchids are at ground level, so this will be great!..all except for me laying on the ground to frame the shot! LOL
Pete
1/16/2006 8:10:23 PM
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Kerry L. Walker
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Don't worry Pete. When you get my age, getting down isn't the problem. It's getting back up!
1/17/2006 6:41:02 AM
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Christopher A. Vedros
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Mark, I'm sure this isn't Pete's only tripod. He was just pointing out that among small table-top tripods, this one is unique in that it has a wide, stable base. That's a neat find, Pete. Vertical shots are very tough to pull off with a tiny tripod, becase the CG of the camera gets off the centerline of the tripod and makes it unstable. Years ago, I had a nifty little table-top tripod with flat legs. When the legs were folded, you could also use it as a window clamp - you roll your car window down halfway and clamp the camera to the top of the window. Handy for a quick "pull over & shoot". They found the Dead Sea Scrolls, I'm sure Kerry's Red Sea Rolls will show up eventually! Priceless. ;-) Chris
1/17/2006 8:54:41 AM
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Kerry L. Walker
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LMRO!
1/17/2006 9:11:05 AM
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Pete H
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Hello Mark; Thanks for your input..and quite right; it is definetly NOT my only tripod. LOL
It fits nicely into my soft bag..think I said that already. :)...perfect in a pinch or when I go to shoot the ground hugging Orchids in natural light. My other tripods would never allow me to get that low to the ground. Maybe I need a course is writing and communicating, but you seem to have gleaned what I was getting at. I am impressed at the low cost and the wide base to hold my 35mm. I haven't seen one like this,and not this inexpensive. My camera travels with me often, but unlike MasterCard, the tripod I often leave home without. LOL Pete
1/17/2006 9:46:40 AM
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Bob Fately
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FOlks, I can offer up another alternative stand that I have used over the years - a ball head on a vice grip. Buy a vice-grip locking pliers (or a few different sizes if you want to go nuts) and have a muffler shop weld 1/4" x 20 standard tripod-type threaded bolts to a few select points - near the jaws and another towards the end of the handle. Get a sturdy ball head (I use a 25 year old Leica model, but anything decent will do). Disassembled, the two pieces are easy to stick in a bag. Connected, with the vice-grip clamped to a bench/fire hydrant/tree branch/fence/whatever I have held my 80-400MM lens without a problem. Yes, a bit more than $12, and certainly thise small tripod has its good uses too, but I just offer this as an alternative thought.
1/17/2006 9:53:18 AM
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It wasn't you that I was aiming my comment at, Pete. I was thinking about the folks that have yet to purchase a tripod. These folks may decide to purchase an item like this thinking that it may be a cure-all. And Kerry, are they translating the Dead Sea Scrolls correctly?
1/17/2006 3:28:33 PM
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Pete H
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I understand Mark. No prob.
..and just to clarify..NO, I would never use this one as a primary tripod.
...unless of course one wishes to lay on the ground all the time! LOL
Pete
1/17/2006 6:04:27 PM
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Bob Cammarata
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I have a similar one of these compacts,...which extends to about 12".
It fits inside my back-pack while my full sized 'pod is slung over my shoulder in a soft case.It's a little unstable with bigger lenses but works great when used with a timer.
I built leg extensions for the compact from three equal lengths of pvc to extend the height an additional foot off the ground. This keeps me from lying on the ground too much,...though sometimes it's kinda' fun to get dirty.
1/18/2006 5:02:56 PM
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Pete H
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C'mon Bob, Everyone knows to be a great shooter ya' gotta' get down and dirty at times! Do we not as great shooters face adversity in the eye and say, "I'm gonna' getchya' baby!" ? LOL Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night will keep this photog from hand holding 1/4 sec @ f/2.8 Heh-Heh
(No VR) Ha! If your jeans ain't worn out at the kness, you ain't shootin'" LOL I hope you take this in the fun light it was intended.
Seems some people get too touchy and misread. ;)
All the best,
Pete
1/18/2006 8:33:39 PM
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