Do you think Tripods are overpriced?

[boochap]

come on lahh, everything about photography are overpriced...and that is the way to attract buyers....u pay premium for the brand name, the qualities and also your own ego. leica is so much more ex$$ than a nikon or canon, and u think most eyes could differentiate a different bewteen the prints?
anyway...with the same mentality i still bought a gitzo cf tripod recently..haha.

 

[glennyong]

If I find something that I want but I just can't afford it, it's overpriced!

My List
1. Car
2. Private property
3. Blah blah blah ...

i agree... to the certain extend of the overpricing of cars.. but for landed property.. it also depends on the number amt of yrs of lease it is and is it freehold of not...

like those in Sentosa.. cost a bomb.. maybe cost more den torpedoes and missles.. cuz in Singapore, anti-submarine torpedoes onli cost $2k, so hahah.. get it ?

as for car, its getting cheaper, wad can i say ? the ten year loan also not so bad la... unless u tell me now teachers cannot afford a car ? gov. nt giving a pay cut wad..... and look !! new emoticons !! :bsmilie:

 

[mpenza]

maybe the other question is do you need the expensive tripod? I make do with a sub$100, sub1.2kg non-CF tripod.

 

[yanyewkay]

I heard tripod manufacturers have 3 design considerations when designing tripods.

Cheap, Strong(/Tall), Light.

But due to technology limitations, they can only choose only 2 to implement.

Therefore,
a strong and light tripod wun be cheap,
a cheap and strong tripod wun be light or
a cheap and light tripod wun be strong. :blah: :bsmilie:

 

[Bean]

I heard tripod manufacturers have 3 design considerations when designing tripods.

Cheap, Strong(/Tall), Light.

But due to technology limitations, they can only choose only 2 to implement.

Therefore,
a strong and light tripod wun be cheap,
a cheap and strong tripod wun be light or
a cheap and light tripod wun be strong. :blah: :bsmilie:

It's same with services...

Cheap, Good, Fast...

 

[marcwang]

Yes I think Tripods are way overpriced, relatively to other goods.

Let me give u a scenario here. Take an amateur, decently good bicycle frame.
It'll cost you around $300 for a decent one, and what do you get?
You get top grade aluminum, you get some form of machining done on the tubes (butting) to lighten the tube and alter the metals resiliency (make some areas thinner than stressed areas). You get some trick markless welds.
You get lots of metal for very little weight. You get lots of strength. You get a trick paintjob. You get tons of fun.

I dont honestly think good tripods are difficult to make (at least compared to many other engineering feats). Light, stable nicely priced. I think someone should consider making them in SG sometime. :embrass:

I use a cheap SLIK aluminum tripod. The legs are all that I ever need, but the plastic head is terrible. Which means I'll be looking out for a manfrotto because there are no alternatives.

 

[reachme2003]

come on lahh, everything about photography are overpriced...and that is the way to attract buyers....u pay premium for the brand name, the qualities and also your own ego. leica is so much more ex$$ than a nikon or canon, and u think most eyes could differentiate a different bewteen the prints?
anyway...with the same mentality i still bought a gitzo cf tripod recently..haha.

with the same mentality and in a moment of weakness, i bought a second-hand Domke, he he!

 

[Ian]

You pays your money, and you gets what you pay for :devil:

 

[adamadam]

You pays your money, and you gets what you pay for :devil:

Yes! Pay more and get a better one, but even cheap one isn't that cheap!

 

[Kit]

If you think you are spending way too much...... take a look at the Arca C1 Cube gear head....... http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/tripods.htm#MHeads

Buy it right or risk breaking something more expensive.

 

[reachme2003]

i am no engineer. a sturdy tripod is an engineering feat. imagine a small but critical part of your tripod not working well, resulting in a slightly shaky camera. the result is.... you know.

 

[ykgen]

i used a cheap one... n it couldn't even support my D70 vertically... :angry:

 

[adamadam]

i use a cheap one... well, I don't use it much anymore.

 

[Xaler]

Yes I think Tripods are way overpriced, relatively to other goods.

Let me give u a scenario here. Take an amateur, decently good bicycle frame.
It'll cost you around $300 for a decent one, and what do you get?
You get top grade aluminum, you get some form of machining done on the tubes (butting) to lighten the tube and alter the metals resiliency (make some areas thinner than stressed areas). You get some trick markless welds.
You get lots of metal for very little weight. You get lots of strength. You get a trick paintjob. You get tons of fun.

I dont honestly think good tripods are difficult to make (at least compared to many other engineering feats). Light, stable nicely priced. I think someone should consider making them in SG sometime. :embrass:

I use a cheap SLIK aluminum tripod. The legs are all that I ever need, but the plastic head is terrible. Which means I'll be looking out for a manfrotto because there are no alternatives.

Buy a $300 bicycle frame and you won't want to carry it for more than 500m. Pay a $1,500 bicycle and you can easily lift it with just a hand. Tripods have to be stable, light, durable (extend, retract, extend, retract, ...) and these don't come cheap.

Semi-Pro bicycle frames comes in the range of a few thousands... ~$4k, a very good tripod ~$500? I'd say that's pretty decent.

 

[LimCB]

Tripods are not overpriced. Model shoots are..and of course, half-past six doctors.

 

[ortega]

it is getting there. but think of the years of support that you would get from one, not to mention the great pictures and the looks that people give you when you carry an overpriced tripod.

But pros don't carry their own tripod, their assistants do, hee hee

 

[sulhan]

True!

You'd also not want to buy the most expensive camera in the world and see it plummet to the ground because of a $20 tripod you bought at carrefour?

Cheers.

Well....

I think its the owners own judgement to see if he/she needs tripod that meets his/her requirements. True enough there are risks of equipment toppling over...but toppling over is not somthing that is discounted from even the most expensive tripods.....

Personally i still use al-cheapo dust-bin rated tripod(my first aluminium tube tripod) for simple no frills quick setup use. Even at times for travels too....
....and it works....

Well....if you do own lens like a Light anti-tank weapon + other stuff like flashes cables etc.....then...using a small little sexy tripod is basically calling for trouble....

So my advice....is...get what you can afford...to match your current equipment...and then upgrade where neccessary when the need arises....when you really understand what type of equipment exactly that you need...through your photography journey.......

Lets not let $$$$$$ high expenses kill your hobby and creativity......photography is for all.....sometime basic stuff
are still the best......

rgds,
sulhan

 

[Flyingpig]

Not really, somehow i think bags are overpriced...perhaps the brand?

 

[Stereobox]

if you open a company that only research, design, engineer and manufacture good quality tripods, you'll bet that tripods aren't overpriced! where does the money to pay the designers, engineers and workers come from? from the sales of the tripods. and you'll curse and swear those cheapo imitations that hurt your sales. it's just like software companies. they spend a few years of their life designing and coding the software, only to have their sales eaten into by pirates, just because some people think 'it is too expensive'.

and also flower shops. i have a friend who opens one, and receives comments from time to time, that 'it is just a bunch of flowers...why so expensive??" :dunno: i give up!

 

[Stereobox]

if your livelihood depends primarily on the sales of photographic equipment (e.g. Leica), it is up to your marketing side to project that image that, yes, it is worth paying extra. and it is true. leica engineering IS top notch, nobody will ever disagree with that, but still some people wonder if it is really worth paying more.

as long as people have that mentality, always wanting more for less, this will never end.