Tripod question

This might sound like a really stupid question.... but what should I be looking for in a tripod?

I have a Sony HDR-SR11... do I need to buy something Sony specific just to fit? Are there any good online accessory places? Like I said.. dumb question I'm sure.. but I'm pretty new to all of this.

Thanks!

Any tripod will work with your cam. All camcorders have universal mounting holes that will work with almost any brand/type of tripod. You do not need to use a Sony tripod.

B&H has a huge selection, from those costing under $50 to many thousands of dollars. Your SR11 is a fairly small cam so a smaller, lightweight tripod might work for you.

But small and lightweight come at the cost of stability. The heavier and beefier the tripod is, the more stable your shots will be. But the beefiest tripod in the world won't help you if it's too heavy for you to carry and you end up never using it.

For my tiny HC3s I use the Sony VCT-870RM tripod with the integrated LANC controller in the handle. But I think even these are a little flimsy. Someone else on these boards called them a toy and I think I now agree. But if it's a choice between these and no tripod at all, I'd go for these.

Congratulations on realizing a tripod is essential. Bad shaky video is much worse than no video at all.

There are many threads in the tripod section of these forums which discuss other well-liked makes and models.

Oh wow.. there *is* a tripod forum.... .all the way at the very bottom, lol. Sorry that I missed it.

Thanks for your post. I think that the only immediate work I plan to do w/a tripod would be in a house playing some drums... so I most likely wouldn't need the heaviest thing in the world right now. I'll keep that in consideration. Didn't even think about the weight of it.

But yeah, if an admin could move this down, that would be great. Of course, now that I see the forum, I'll do a little more research on my own and hopefully won't have to continue this thread.

One last thing though... good prices? What's too much? What's a good "bargain" price to look for?

Thanks

I can not recommend a specific tripod for you, but for video a fluid head is important to me and many other people. Good tripods are expensive. Read through the tripod forum to get an idea what people prefer. I have a Bogen/Manfrotto 3001BN Tripod Legs (Black) with 701RC2 Fluid Head which supports 9 lb. I paid about $170 for it a few years ago. There are times I wished I had a heavier tripod....



Rich

One last thing though... good prices? What's too much? What's a good "bargain" price to look for?
I think as you look through the threads in the tripod forum, you'll see some suggestions as to recommended heads and legs (sometimes not from the same brand) and the prices people feel are good.

Generally I'd say you should be looking in the $100-$200 range for a good solid unit that will outlast your cam. But I've found prices are not necessarily always a good indicator of quality, although sometimes they are. I have a couple of $200 Davis & Sanfords that perform almost as well as my $1000 Bogens. And there are brands that are many times more expensive, and some say many times better, than the Bogens.

If you have a really good large camera store near you I'd suggest going in and playing with a few floor models. See which ones are solidly built and steady, and which ones feel cheap and flimsy. Then buy the best one you can afford at B&H, unless your local store can beat their price (don't forget the shipping from B&H and the tax from your local dealer. Where I live the shipping from B&H is always much less than the local sales tax [which for me is also charged by Amazon and Costco Online]).

I am very happy with the setup I use.

The legs are from Amvona. They are a decent weight and very solid. Thay also have a unique feature that the center post also doubles as a monopod. Very handy at times when you are moving about a lot. And it comes with a nice carry bag. Here is a link to them:

http://www.amvona.com/?page=shop/flypage&view=1&product_id=2620#spec

The head I use is a Bogen/Manfrotto 701RC2 fluid head. This head is just incredible. Absolutely flawlessly smooth in operation:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006Z3IFI

To control my Sony HDR-SR1 without having to touch it, I use this wired remote control. You can either clip it to the handle of the head, or simply hand hold it to further isolate any movement from the tripod:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008ZGSO

But for a newer Sony cam like the HDR-SR11 you would need this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-RM-AV2-Commander-VCT-50AV-Tripods/dp/B0012GBBQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1218342701&sr=1-1

Amazon has it misrepresented as being for certain tripods. But it is for their newer camcorders. Here is what Sony has to say about this model:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665304384

I used to use a Sony VCTD680RM Remote Control Tripod before I put my current setup together. This was a piece of junk in comparison to what I use now. Very jerky starts and stops. And having the remote on the handle of a lightweight setup is a big mistake:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VCTD680RM-Control-Cameras-Camcorders/dp/B000063W8P/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1218343479&sr=1-6http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VCTD680RM-Control-Cameras-Camcorders/dp/B000063W8P/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1218343479&sr=1-6

I am surprised no one mentioned this yet, but the "bang for the buck" choice per the tripod foums is Velbon PH-368 head (sells for $35+$5 shipping at B&H, adorama) and Sunpak 7500 tripod (sells for $80 at Circuti City). Sunpak 7500 comes with a head too, just unscrew it (and throw it away or save it as a backup head) and put on the Velbon PH-368 head 2 way fluid pan head. You will get an excellent tripod for under $125.

That's what I was thinking of... just couldn't remember the exact ones. Thanks for posting that.

Dennis or Rich, maybe this thread should be moved and editied appropriately.
Agreed. Done.

Good luck.

Dennis

Wow.. there are some NICE recommendations in this thread.

And yeah, after looking at the tripod forum (after I found it, of course), I've been kind of leaning towards the Sunpak approach... not being entirely decided on the head.

I figured I could "learn" on the Sunpak head (found on the 757B), and after finding my strengths and weaknesses, I might know what to look for in a better head down the line.

I'm glad you mentioned the Bogen/Manfrotto line though, EScheidl, as I had been looking at some of those models but really had no clue what quality to expect from them (again... I'm very very new at this).

Thanks again for all the attention to this guys, it's really helped me go from knowing absolutely nothing to a general path of what I want to do!!