what is a good height for a tripod for my dslr?

[chris1184]

I want to get a tripod mainly for recording some video and maybe a few photos of myself performing a song... do people have different height tripods for different uses? just wondering because i see a lot of 50 inch ones and as well as some taller ones...i have a nikon d3100

 

[h1r0ll3r]

A 50 inch tripod is pretty good for just about any use really. I've seen people with 6+ tripods so I'm guessing each one of those has its purpose. Some tripods can invert the camera and spread out into weird configurations for shots. As you're needing a tripod for "regular" stuff, you can probably get by using a cheaper tripod. Just check out your BestBuy or whatever electronics retailer that's near you and check out the ones they have. A Rocketfish or Sunpak tripod should suit you just fine unless you're itching to drop some paper on a Manfrotto or Gitzo tripod. You could also check out some thrift stores or Goodwill and see if they have any older ones on hand.

Depending on your height then how tall a tripod should be can vary. The Manfrotto one I have (fully extended) makes me stoop down just a little bit. I don't use a tripod regularly so it's not a huge deal for me. The four section tripods are generally "travel" tripods while the three section tripods are a little bigger, beefier and used for more regular shots.

 

[chris1184]

A 50 inch tripod is pretty good for just about any use really. I've seen people with 6+ tripods so I'm guessing each one of those has its purpose. Some tripods can invert the camera and spread out into weird configurations for shots. As you're needing a tripod for "regular" stuff, you can probably get by using a cheaper tripod. Just check out your BestBuy or whatever electronics retailer that's near you and check out the ones they have. A Rocketfish or Sunpak tripod should suit you just fine unless you're itching to drop some paper on a Manfrotto or Gitzo tripod. You could also check out some thrift stores or Goodwill and see if they have any older ones on hand.

Depending on your height then how tall a tripod should be can vary. The Manfrotto one I have (fully extended) makes me stoop down just a little bit. I don't use a tripod regularly so it's not a huge deal for me. The four section tripods are generally "travel" tripods while the three section tripods are a little bigger, beefier and used for more regular shots.

thanks for that! ill look into those

 

[h1r0ll3r]

One more thing, since you're going to be using this for video purposes (primarily), you'll probably want to look at the bigger, beefier tripods as they'll provide more support than a flimsier travel tripod. The smaller travel tripods have a tendency to sway a little bit since their legs are a lot thinner than their beefier counterparts.

This tripod is the one I have. You can see how skinny the legs are on that. It hold my T3i up pretty well but put anymore pressure on it and the tripod will probably collapse.

This tripod is a bit beefier which is what you're going to want to look at. Once you get a chance to look at the tripod selections, you'll see what I mean. Most are pretty inexpensive but any of them should work for you.

 

[chris1184]

One more thing, since you're going to be using this for video purposes (primarily), you'll probably want to look at the bigger, beefier tripods as they'll provide more support than a flimsier travel tripod. The smaller travel tripods have a tendency to sway a little bit since their legs are a lot thinner than their beefier counterparts.

Image
This tripod is the one I have. You can see how skinny the legs are on that. It hold my T3i up pretty well but put anymore pressure on it and the tripod will probably collapse.

Image
This tripod is a bit beefier which is what you're going to want to look at. Once you get a chance to look at the tripod selections, you'll see what I mean. Most are pretty inexpensive but any of them should work for you.

thanks!

 

[fitshaced]

I want to get a tripod mainly for recording some video and maybe a few photos of myself performing a song... do people have different height tripods for different uses? just wondering because i see a lot of 50 inch ones and as well as some taller ones...i have a nikon d3100

The height of a tripod should be based on how high it is without extending the center column. The reason for this is because there is more stability when it is not extended. This obviously adds more size and weight depending on your height. If you have to stoop a little, no big deal.

I use a manfrotto trigger type head which gives a bit more height and gets close to my eye level.

 

[harcosparky]

Consider this .....

A 50" tripod will go to 50" fully extended, which means the legs are all the way out.

An 84" tripod will go to 50" partially extended which means the legs are not fully extended and you can keep the skinnier portion up inside the leg using only the larger portion.

Fully extended tripods make me nervous!

I feel this makes the tripod a little sturdier.

For your use you would want the tripod to go high enough to frame you standing up, and low enough to frame you sitting in a chair.

FTR: I use only Manfrotto tripods and buy units that tend to be heavier than what I need.

It makes no sense to sit a $1,500.00 +++++ camera on top of a $49 tripod.

If it is supporting the camera, it is protecting the camera as well.

 

[chris1184]

thanks for the input everyone

 

[AoxomoxoA]

Think about this.

http://bythom.com/support.htm