What works best for T2i. Please be reasonable pricewise.

Would you mind indicating what "reasonable" is? Means many things to many people. Probably would be helpful to indicate what you need that tripod to do. If you plan to put the camera on it for static shots, that won't cost much.

However, if you expect it to stay still outdoors, or give smooth motion on pans and tilts, and/or hold a tilt without you having to touch the handle, then you've just raised the price by a factor of 5.

target area is events (weddings,...), music videos and possible use with "glidetrack".

"reasonable" - I like to stay around 150-200 and I don't mind getting a used tripod as long it is the right tripod.

I've got my eye on this one. Comes with a fluid head, but you could buy a decent ball head for photography for $80 or so.

Manfrotto - 055XDB Tripod Legs (Black) with 700RC2 Mini Video -

I'm interested in this topic as well. I need to mount a indiSystem UltraCompact (lets hope if it gets here soon), T2i, DR-100, etc to it. It needs to be able to accommodate all of that.

tg

I've got my eye on this one. Comes with a fluid head, but you could buy a decent ball head for photography for $80 or so.

Manfrotto - 055XDB Tripod Legs (Black) with 700RC2 Mini Video - (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/506627-REG/Manfrotto__055XDB_Tripod_Legs_Black_.html)

You see how the legs are single tubes? That means they are going to flex. And you see how the legs aren't cross-braced? That means they are going to torque when you pan. Any wind or ground vibration is going to travel straight through those single tube legs right to the camera. This is why I asked the specific questions I did.

Yes, you can get that tripod, or one like it for $200 or $300. But it will NOT stay still when you have to pan, or you are outdoors, or you are on a surface that will flex. Been there, done that. Twice. If I had taken the money I wasted on two cheap tripods (and I say cheap as in $300 for one and $375 for the other) and spent it on a decent tripod, I would have wasted less film, less tape, and had lots less headaches and ruined footage.

That's just my view from a guys who's stood where you guys are standing.

I've got my eye on this one. Comes with a fluid head, but you could buy a decent ball head for photography for $80 or so.

Manfrotto - 055XDB Tripod Legs (Black) with 700RC2 Mini Video - (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/506627-REG/Manfrotto__055XDB_Tripod_Legs_Black_.html)

That's fine for a *lightweight* package. One should use a heavier tripod and head for more stability and smoothness, but there are several from Manfrotto that should do the trick for less than $400. I see no reason to spend more, and I shot industrial video for decades.

That's fine for a *lightweight* package. One should use a heavier tripod and head for more stability and smoothness, but there are several from Manfrotto that should do the trick for less than $400. I see no reason to spend more, and I shot industrial video for decades.

Did you shoot them in HD? Or 35mm? Because that is the resolution we're talking about. The cheapo tripods I had were fine for VHS, not so great with DV, and absolutely unusable for HD.

I have two Manfrotto tripods (one with 3221 legs and a 3130 head, and the other with 3205 legs and the same head) and I wouldn't recommend either one. If that's the best someone can do, fine. But I wouldn't feel comfortable telling them that they would get good results with them. Not shooting in HD or beyond.

How could I have shot HD for decades when it did not exist decades ago?

In any case, what does resolution have to do with quality of tripod? I shoot HD now with a very lightweight tripod and head often when traveling, and get excellent results.
Like hand-holding, much depends on the skills of the person shooting. Obviously, the heavier the camera, the more solid the tripod needs to be, and the smoothest fluid head is always best.

How could I have shot HD for decades when it did not exist decades ago?

In any case, what does resolution have to do with quality of tripod? I shoot HD now with a very lightweight tripod and head often when traveling, and get excellent results.
Like hand-holding, much depends on the skills of the person shooting. Obviously, the heavier the camera, the more solid the tripod needs to be, and the smoothest fluid head is always best.

Sam, what I meant by that, and to a large extent why I mention resolution now, is that HD and 35mm film tend to show a lot of detail. You can make out a single eyelash depending on the quality of the glass. Back in the days of VHS/8mm, you could get away with a lot more vibration and shake before it was really too noticeable. I notice the same now when I shoot multicam with my DV camera and my HD camera. The same tripod does not produce the same result.

Regarding the larger issue, I would say that you don't need to spend a fortune on a tripod to get great results, but I've seen little in the $150-$200 range I'd feel comfortable recommending. And if at all possible, get something with cross-braced legs.

When I first got into tripods I was just shooting stills. I wasn't moving the head during shutter release, so "smooth" had a very different definition. As I got into video work I began to understand that those early heads weren't smooth enough for desirable results. It wasn't until I was able to try out the $1k+ units that I understood how it SHOULD and could feel. I couldn't afford that at the time, but it gave me some perspective on what I should be looking for in a unit nearer my price range.

What I am trying to convey here, is exactly that. Some of that hard won experience that says look for certain features if you can afford them, but once you get past a certain price point, you're just not going to find those features in anything.

I don't disagree with anything you say, and certainly the sturdiest tripod and smoothest fluid head one can afford is desirable.

That said, I recently bought a Slik 340 DX and a Manfrotto 700 RC2 head for about $170 total. I wanted something extremely light for travel, as I have other, heavier tripods and heads. I found that I could shoot steady, smooth video with this light, cheap combination with my T2i.

I don't disagree with anything you say, and certainly the sturdiest tripod and smoothest fluid head one can afford is desirable.

That said, I recently bought a Slik 340 DX and a Manfrotto 700 RC2 head for about $170 total. I wanted something extremely light for travel, as I have other, heavier tripods and heads. I found that I could shoot steady, smooth video with this light, cheap combination with my T2i.

Then THIS is very valuable information. And I hope folks heed this. I am not against small and light, I am against cheap and bad! :)

I've got my eye on this one. Comes with a fluid head, but you could buy a decent ball head for photography for $80 or so.

Manfrotto - 055XDB Tripod Legs (Black) with 700RC2 Mini Video - (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/506627-REG/Manfrotto__055XDB_Tripod_Legs_Black_.html)

I got this one too, just with the 701 head (the plates fir my 501 head, monopod and figrig too)

/Ulf

You see how the legs are single tubes? That means they are going to flex. And you see how the legs aren't cross-braced? That means they are going to torque when you pan. Any wind or ground vibration is going to travel straight through those single tube legs right to the camera.


Oh yes, I completely understand the physics of the whole video tripod situation. That being said, when us low/no budget folks are trying to put together thing to earn the money to buy the right stuff, sometimes concession need to be made. And as was also said above, a tripod like this most certainly can do the job well enough.

I also understand and believe in the buy cheap, buy twice principle, but again, it all depends on application. This tripod certainly isn't a $30 velbon, but its also not a $2000+ sachtler.

Then THIS is very valuable information. And I hope folks heed this. I am not against small and light, I am against cheap and bad! :)

Certainly cheap and bad is not desirable!

Weight is relevant, DSLRs (T2i in particular), unless using a very heavy lens, is very light. It's small weight can be well supported by a light tripod, unlike a heavy camcorder. Also, it seems to me heavy duty fluid heads really require a bit more weight to function properly. So, consider weight when buying a tripod/head combination.

I got this one too, just with the 701 head (the plates fir my 501 head, monopod and figrig too)

/Ulf

I tried the 701 head, but it was much heavier than the 700RC, didn't really make it with the light Slik tripod. 701 was extremely smooth, smoother than the 700RC, but the 700 was smooth enough, and I now have an extremely light package that I wouldn't hesitate to take on any outing. I live in NYC, don't own or use a car, so light is extremely important to me. I used to do video jobs with an assistant and a van - but that was a different time.

I also think a missed opportunity here is that with these cameras being so light it opens up to other ways of rigging, especially when traveling and lightweight.

Some examples being clamps and tubes that you can pop a small fluid head on (for my dSLR i have a little gitzo fluid head which is actually really nice (for this weight). And super clamps, suction cups or other types of clamps.

Monopods are cheap and great for stablisation (even just to add weight to the bottom of the camera when handholding, poor mans steadicam (and i have pilot anyway but the monopod is a damn sight easier to set up!))

I see lots of people 'modding' their cameras with follow focus, big matte boxes and rails who i don't really think they need to. Embrace the size and the lightness and see what other methods you can figure out for shooting and composing.

I have also tried the joby twisting things and wouldn't recommend those for video, too much twisting in that case. Neat idea, great for stills.

cheers
paul