• Joined: March 28, 2014

Topic: Sturdy animation tripod?

So lately, I've been looking into purchasing a new tripod, since my ancient old one is causing me a lot of trouble, and it's fit for stop-motion use. I've been reading about tripod heads, and chatting around, and learned that the Manfrotto 410 seems to be the very best stop-motion tripod head on the market.

However, I'm unsure about the tripod legs. Lots of tripod legs are very expensive, and the less expensive ones are cheaply made. I'm wondering if anyone here can recommend tripod legs, whether it be the ones they use, or not, that aren't gonna blow the bank (I'm more or less thinking about $100 max if possible).

Also, if anyone has any experience with other types of camera mounts (like the bar with tripod head and sandbags that's similar to a monopod, or an overhead mounting mechanism), I'd be happy to hear what you have to say (since I have heard that those are often better because tripod legs get in the way).

Thanks!

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Re: Sturdy animation tripod?

If I had a ton of money to spend I would get something like this, what I would recommend is going to used camera stores and looking for an older heavy tripod. I'm using an older Manfrotto that is pretty heavy that I got used for around $100, a good set of legs can be expensive, but with a lot of run and gun film makers and photographers light weight seems to be the most important thing which is not idea for stop motion.

If you act fast this looks amazing, I find the craftsmanship of Manfrotto's is just wonderful.

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Re: Sturdy animation tripod?

I don't have any suggestions on had, but you shouldn't have to pay too much. Most expensive tripods are expensive because they are both sturdy and light, but sturdy and heavy is pretty easy to find. Try going on BandH and browse tripods and look at the weights, find something heavy. Vanguard is a pretty good, reasonably price brand, that's what my tripod is. It might not be a Manfrotto, but it's really well built.

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Re: Sturdy animation tripod?

The cheapest new Vanguard I see on B&H is $140, the ebay tripod I linked is $10 more and has a geared center column which could be used in animation and looks like a heavier build, I would be willing to pay a bit extra for a used heavier high end tripod, of course if you don't plan on doing any fancy camera movements a $30 tripod can work just fine. But if you are adjusting a 410 head in animation having something sturdy (which is why I want a tripod with leg supports at some point) to screw your head into.

Edit: Got some info wrong, but this Vanguard does have a geared column and looks pretty good at $15 less then the Manfrotto I linked, I still think the used one will be heavier, but I'm sure you could get great results from this.

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Re: Sturdy animation tripod?

The manfrotto brand is a really good brand, and even their budget friendly compact tripods are sturdy enough for stop motion (unless you have a really really heavy camera). The other thing I like about their range of compact tripods is they have 4 extensions on each leg, other than the standard 3. It probably doesn't really change much, but I feel it gives more flexibility. They do come with a basic head already attached, but I think a couple of screws, and you should be able to take the head off.

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Re: Sturdy animation tripod?

Thanks for the replies! I learned a lot here. I'm not really looking to buy right away, but I thought I'd go ahead and start looking and doing my research. I'll definitely take all these suggestions into consideration.

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Re: Sturdy animation tripod?

Major bump:

Just thought I'd let everyone know that I ended up getting a Manfrotto 410 tripod head and a set of Bogen 3001 tripod legs.

I got the stock head with the Bogen legs, but since it's a fluid head and I bought a geared head, I took it off. However, the fluid head tightens so it would work for stop-motion if you can't afford the Manfrotto head. I recommend the Bogen tripod legs because they are super heavy and durable, which is great for keeping your shots stable. Of course, there may be other types of heavy tripod legs out there, but the Bogen 3001 just happened to be the one I bought since I found it on eBay for about 50 dollars.

Obviously, I spent way more than 100 dollars on my setup. The head cost about 177 and, as mentioned, the legs cost about 50.

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