Budget light tripod

[bertbert]

I'm going to travel to Vietnam in July and I need a light yet sturdy tripod. Does anyone know of any decent ones that cost less than US$30?

[Dafer]

I got a cheap cheap one at Radio shack for $9.99 I think its regularly $14.99. Its a Targus TG-50TR Comes with a bag and all. It serves the purpose. It is very lightweight but would not say its all that sturdy. They have others for $20.00-$40.00

[dodo]

hi bertbert,

welcome to my country. Which places do you intend to visit?
About the tripod, I have the same question as yours

[mjsneddon]

I can't vouch for how steady it is but Slik makes a model U6600, I believe, that sells for about thirty dollars. It is not designed to support much weight, however.

Best of luck to you.

[bertbert]

dodo ho chi minh city and hanoi. U have any suggestions of places to visit?

[Guns90]

I have the Silk U6600. I bought it years ago just to steady shots with my Kodak DC280 (2.0 Mp). It is NOT for use with the S3!. It's completely plastic and does not give steady support for a camera as heavy as the S3 with attachments. With the teleconverter on, I can't even get it to take a steady photo using the timer. I understand budgets that have to be stayed within, but the more you can spend on a good tripod, the better off you'll be. Stay away from plastic ones. They are just very limited in their abilities.

[dodo]

hi bertbert,

Ho Chi Minh City is just a busy city. In my opinion, Ha Noi is much nicer with lakes and ancient towns.
Some more places that you should consider if you have time:

- Ha Long Bay which is just about 80 km away from Ha Noi.
- Sapa is a nice place for trekking if you like, there are a few photos in my flickr album and http://www.flickr.com/groups/23527690@N00/. It takes about 8 hours by train from Ha Noi.
- Nha Trang and Da Nang, middle of VN, where the beaches are very beautiful. Nearby Da Nang, you can also visit Hoi An ancient town.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimbalina/sets/72157594484231422/
http://www5.flickr.com/photos/tphoangviet/sets/72157594521286688/

That's it. Hope you would have a nice holidays.

[bertbert]

dodo yeah halong bay is one of the places we're thinking of visiting. The thing is we have only 6 days and we're planning to visit at least Hanoi, HCMC and Halong bay.

thanks for recommending Sapa but I think 8 hrs train ride is a little too far. We'll consider Da Nang too, one of the photo mag in Singapore listed it as one of the top places for photo trip in SEA.

By the way, what's your suggestion for travelling from Hanoi -> Halong Bay (fast and not too expensive).

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm really looking forward to this trip. :)

[dodo]

Hi,

You can take the bus provided by some tourism agents. As in the below link, one of the most well-known agents charges 5$ for 1 way, or 9$ for 2 ways. It would take you 1.5 - 2 hours.
http://www.sinhcafe.com/english_info/halong_informations.htm

Hope it helps

[Graystar]

I'm going to travel to Vietnam in July and I need a light yet sturdy tripod. Does anyone know of any decent ones that cost less than US$30?

If you search through Amazon reviews, Epinion reviews, and other sites with product reviews, you will realize, as I did, that what you're asking for simply doesn't exist. Inexpensive tripods get horrible reviews. There is no such thing as a light and study tripod for less than 30 bucks.

I would recommend the Slik Sprint Pro. The ball head version is about 80 bucks while the 3-Way version is 85. I have the 3-way head and it works really well. This tripod weighs just over 2 lbs, but can open up to 65" tall.

That's a lot more money than you want to spend, but if you buy a cheap tripod now I can almost guarantee you'll be buying another tripod soon, and that will cost even more. Just do it right from the start and not worry about it.