How do I know if a tripod will fit my camera ?

BADGER.BRAD

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Will all Tripods fit all cameras ? I have a number of Cameras and have a need for a Tripod for various experiments. There seem to be plenty on Ebay but I'm not sure if they will fit. How do I know ?

Thanks all
 

BrianShaw

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The biggest concern on "fit" is weight capacity. Make sure whatever tripod you are looking at is rated for the weight of your heaviest combination of body and lens, plus more. Aside that you need to assess the legs, head, and locking mechanisms to ensure stability.

If you mention what gear you are using you'll surely get plenty of opinions to consider.
 

michaelorr

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Also helpful would be a little more explanation of "experiments..."

The tripod and the "head" are usually separate parts, but many tripods come "bundled" with a tripod head.

Don't forget the screw post size though most all cameras use 1/4 and most tripods have mounting plates for that as well.

Personally, i do like having a level built into the tripod head in the two x-y directions when using a 35mm or 120 format camera. The level is easy to see, and there are no other leveling adjustments that can be made to these cameras, so it helps immensely. In my vernacular, the y is toward the scene. the x is the most important for me - but you need to make sure that there are no visual lines or cues in the scene that clash with that leveling. Just keep an eye on the image in the viewfinder to make it to your liking, and check the x for fine tuning if appropriate.

An alternative for 35mm especially is to get a hot shoe level if the head does not have spirit levels built in.
 

Sirius Glass

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There are four things to consider:
  1. Is the tripod sturdy enough for the camera without being overkill?
  2. Will the head keep the camera from flopping over causing damage by either flopping or causing the tripod to topple?
  3. There are two standards for treads, does the thread the right one for your camera?
  4. Is the tripod going to be heavy if you have to carry it a long distance? Consider wood, aluminum or carbon fiber.
 

Ko.Fe.

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Where is modern (small thread) size for screw/plate and where is old (large thread). On ebay they sell adapters from old to new, but they never worked well for me. I was buying cheap, MiC ones.
Modern tripods and tripod heads are rated for the weight of camera and lens. The heavier tripod, the better, IMO, for photography, but heavier for photographer as well
It is not uncommon these days to have tripod from one manufacturer, but tripod head from another. I have earlier ball head from this manufacturer:
https://www.ebay.ca/b/HORUSBENNU-Tripod-Head-With-Quick-Release/30095/bn_596752
And my tripod was made by them:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...dcat=30093&Brand=Benro&_trksid=p2045573.m1684
 

Leigh B

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The two threads are 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16. Both are extremely common threads here in the US.
The inch value is the male screw diameter. The dash number is the number of threads per inch.

I expect there are also metric standards, with which I'm unfamiliar.

- Leigh
 

MattKing

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I have a couple of cameras that have a native 3/8"-16 thread, as well as an included adapter for a 1/4"x20 thread. If you didn't know to look for it, you wouldn't see it.
 

removed account4

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with a 35mm you probably don't need a giant tripod
( guessing you use 35mm from your profile )
a bigger camera, depending on its size you might need something bigger
if you see a "TILTALL" on ebay you can even use a 4x5 with that
( both press / field camera as well as view ) bigger than that ( camera ) you might
need something a little more hefty .. some people love giant tripods it makes their camera
seem that much more important, but sometimes you don't need soemthing giant ..

good luck sifting !
 

Arklatexian

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I have always heard that 3/8-16 tripod sockets were European and 1/4-20 sockets were North American. Most of my cameras have both. Is this correct?.....Regards!
 

AgX

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These two threads can be regarded as generic. They are for instance a german standard and so far I have not come across any other thread.
 
OP
OP

BADGER.BRAD

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Hello again all and thanks for the info thus far, sorry I should have explained my experiments a little better. The main two things I would like to have a go at involve the camera either pointing up or down ! Astro or small creatures and plants. The lens I would use for Macro is quite long and heavy . That said I would like to be able to use the tripod for other stuff should the need/interest require. The most likely camera to use would be a Jennaflex or Praktica B100 although I would love to have a go with my Little Cosmic 35M and I say this very quietly for risk of being beaten up A canon DSLR (Sorry sorry).
 

John Koehrer

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Well, an aluminium(UK sp) plate drilled with one hole to hold the camera, one hole to mount to the tripod and a third
for the front(ish) of the lens. Manfrotto may have a picture of something like this on their site as a lens support.
You can use a small block of something to block upp the camera or lens to level it and go crude with a shoestring to
keep the lens from raising off the plate.


***Talk about Rube Goldberg. Sheesh!
 

Sheena Stevens

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I have a Nikon D3000 with a 18mm-55mm and a 55mm-200mm lens. Would it be wise to purchase a Manfrotto 3211 Tripod and Bogen 3028 head?
 

Gerald C Koch

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Most cameras use a 1/4" COARSE thread. Most contributors forgot to mention the thread type..
 
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David A. Goldfarb

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If you're doing macro in nature, you might think about a Benbo tripod, which is adaptable to a variety of low-angle positions, and then you might use a macro rail to position the camera precisely. In the macro range, it's usually easier to focus by setting the lens to a fixed distance or degree of magnification and moving the whole camera on the rail.
 

Svenedin

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As well as considering fit, I'd suggest considering where you are going to use the tripod. It is not fun carrying around a heavy tripod especially up mountains. A heavy tripod is fine for home use, studio use or if you are taking a car but if you are on the move in the wilds a lightweight model is a boon. I have a Bembo tripod that is extremely robust and versatile but it's too heavy for hiking use.
 

guangong

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I can only go by my own experience. The purpose of a tripod is not just to support a camera but to hold it steady, especially when using very long lenses. Therefore the heaviest tripod you can deal with is the better choice. In fact, if just shooting around my property I sometimes use the same tripod as for my Arriflex when using my 300 Olympic Sonnar, 400 Telyt or long Kilfit because the lens must be absolutely still.The old Tiltall or a Gitzo is a good choice for carrying in the car. A monopod ot Leitz tabletop is a good choice when walking around. My friend uses digital capture for birds and nature and can use a much lighter tripod because lens is lighter and digital stabilization.
 

Sirius Glass

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I found that any tripod gains weight as the distance from the car increases.
 

BMbikerider

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The threads are the old Whitworth coarse 1/4" and 3/8" (Whitworth was a British 19C era engineer) There is no metric equivalent the thread pitches are different. Even Leica subscribed to the 3/8" thread and all Japanese and Russian manufacturers did as well, eventually most converting to the 1/4".
 
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