New Tripod for Father's Day

[Steffie]

My dad is an amateur photographer, and I would love to get him a tripod for Father's Day this year. He has an old Leica tripod (like 30 years old) which is heavy and hard to manipulate. He currently shoots with a Canon 5D, but he doesn't have any super-long telephoto glass lenses which might need extra support. I just want to make it easier for him to take more pictures.

Any recommendations for a tripod + head combination for under $400?

Thanks in advance!

[Daniel W.]

Well Carbon Fiber legs are really nice, Gitzo legs are the best but may be out of the price range. I've seen some really nice stuff from Induro though. Bogen/Manfrotto also has a few CF offerings.

As for heads, the Bogen "joystick-grip" ball heads are pretty popular, quick to adjust and easy to use. There are two models, the 222 and 322, the 222 may be easier for some to grip but is taller, making it a bit more unstable and it's hard to go into vertical orientation. The 322 costs a little more but does a lower center of gravity, making it a little more stable.


Good luck! You're a great daughter for buying him more gear!