Best affordable tripod for 7d

[kostas]

Best bang for the buck

http://www.amazon.com/Fancier-Professional-Heavy-Camcorder-Tripod/dp/B003UOHPQU/ref=pd_cp_p_2

Yes. This Manfrotto knockoff is very sturdy. Truly value for money. But you have to live with some plastic screws here and there that may break in an unexpected moment (one tighting screw of the handle broke on day 1 for me). Nothing to worry about though, there is a customer support in China that may resell you spare parts. If you are on a budget you have to accept these shortcomings.

 

[zeke]

Check out this one. I have a libec designed for a DVX100, they make good affordable tripods. This has a ball head for easy leveling.

It's 149.00

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/628720-REG/Libec_TH_650DV_TH_650DV_Head_Tripod_with_Brace.html

Next step up is this one.
for 389.00
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/458956-REG/Libec_LS_22M_LS_22M_Single_Stage_Aluminum.html

I have an older version of this. Very smooth pan and tilt. No kickback when you release the handle.

 

[daveswan]

Well I bought a Sachtler FSB 6 head on Miller 1630 legs when I got my 550D. Why? Because while I will certainly swap out the 550D for something better, and outfit it with monitor, FF, matte box etc, I'll keep the 'pod for years, perhaps for ever.
As was said on these boards earlier (Can't remember by whom, if the poster is reading this, sorry), "You buy cameras, but invest in tripods"
Dave

 

[Michael Carter]

"You buy cameras, but invest in tripods"
Dave

Like glass and c-stands, that's always a very good point. But the issue is often having a $400 budget and needing all kinds of gear; as a young musician I fought that battle for years, when I started my photo studio, same deal.

Sometimes you simply have to buy something and hope you get a year out of it, hope it has some level of resale value, hope your kids can use it or you'll find a secondary use, etc.

I bought a kessler crane a few years back, for a paying gig that needed those kind of shots. At the time, the only external monitor solutions were multi-thousand dollar pro gear, or one guy who was repurposing car screens for $300, with a poor mounting system and even poorer color and view angle. After dropping a grand on the crane, I had to go with the cheap monitor, and it served me well for two years (after several trips to the hardware store).

I got the shots I needed in that time and learned to deal with the cheap screen. I own a Marshall now, but without the cheap stuff available, I could not have bought the crane itself. Luckily, today we have forums such as this, where people can point out the pros and cons, and share their cheap-gear success/failure stories. (Me, I make my living from stills, video, audio editing and composing... right now I have a speedotron pack and two lenses that need repair, an under-rammed computer, a broken turtle base, I need something like an HMC 150, a Gibson Les Paul and more field-audio stuff, I'm remodeling my 1930's house and need about 40 modern windows, and have a kid at NYU and one headed for film school - I still have to stretch every dollar!)