Nex tripods, mounts (re-post)

I sent this message 24 hours ago and it still has not posted so I'm trying again.

Are there miniature tripod plates to attach to the small body of the Nex 6? There is not much attachment area.

I'd like to get tripod recommendations too. I assume I don't need a particularly beefy one due to the small size and light weight of the camera, but also want one that is solid not rickety (which probably rules out the cheaper ones).

I would most likely get aluminum not carbon fiber since ultra light weight for the tripod is not critical. The largest lens I'd eventually end up with would probably be a 18-200.

I would probably use the tripod for video sometimes but not the majority. I would also probably use it for panorama stills, but I'm not sure if I need any special features for that, or if there are trade-offs involved.

Any help appreciated.

Check out Sirui T-005X. I am using one and it goes along pretty well with my light gears.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0TZ2D26N5B2QSDH522QN

Thanks for the link. I'm not sure but I'm thinking the type of head with the lever positioning control (are those called video tripods?) would be better suited to these small body cameras, so you move the lever rather than the camera?

I've never heard of the Sirui brand, but then again I've never shopped for a tripod before so about the only brand I've heard of is Manfrotto. For all I know, Sirui could be one of the better brands.

As far as the mounting plate, are there miniature ones for these small cameras? If so, do they have a name they go by?

Professional, leveler, aluminum video/camera head.

I'd suggest going with an Arca Swiss compatible release system. The Arca Swiss system is a informally standardized system using a dovetail based plate on the camera and a clamp on the tripod head. Most larger cameras/plates clamp the front/rear edges of the plate. With the new crop of small digital cameras, some of these are set to clamp side to side.

One has the option of going with a simple plate on the bottom of the camera or with an "L" plate which allows for clamping with the camera in the usual "landscape" orientation or on end in "portrait" orientation. This improves weight distribution and can allow for less change in camera position/view if shifting orientations compared to flipping part of the tripod head 90 degrees to the side. Flipping the camera to the side can sometimes cause parts of the camera/head, etc., to bump the rest of the rig but probably not an issue with smaller cameras unless using some of the smallest heads.

The two most common types of tripod heads are the "ball head" or the pan/tilt head. A ballhead uses a ball and socket type arrangement and the pan/tilt uses pivots which allow the head to pivot or pan horizontally and tilt vertically frontwards and backwards/up/down - and typically but not always on video specific heads to flip to the side for a portrait orientation. There are passionate adherents for both types. Pan/tilts can be less expensive than good ballheads but are preferred by many. The panning base can be separately locked on many ballheads as well as on pan/tilts allowing for easy flat panning. If the pan base can't be locked separately on a ball head, one might have trouble having flat pans which might impact videos or use in stitching panoramas. Pan/tilts and especially those set up for video can have longer control handles. OTOH, this can make for bulkier and heavier gear.

It's also possible to get leveling bases or plates which can be attached between the head and the tripod or atop the tripod head to allow for more easily obtaining a leveled set up compared to trying to ease up and down and locking of the tripod legs. If the set up isn't leveled and one pans, for a video or stitch, one can lose the subject or have to do more cropping than otherwise needed.

Really Right Stuff has probably the most extensive web site covering tripod heads and accessories - and it goes into a lot of detail on the use of the various items. Kirk, Acratech, Photo Clam, and Markins are also worht searching out. Besides Manfrotto, RRS, Gitzo, Feisol, are some of the common names in tripods. As noted Sirui has some tripods which seem well suited to the smaller cameras, and Benro with it's MePhoto brand is also looking to become popular.

A search on NEX 6 L bracket, camera plate, etc., will turn up manufacturers and also searching the names mentioned will bring up sources as well. Many of the makers will have suggestions on whch of their products fit which cameras. I believe but don't know for sure that NEX 7 plates, etc., will fit the NEX 6 but especially in the case of L brackets, there may be some differences depending on locations of connectors, etc.

I tried the Sirui carbon fiber version of this tripod and I immediately sent it back to Amazon. The center post is fixed and I found it very limiting. I did 't care for the head as it was hard to work with.

I ended up getting a Giotto aluminum tripod and it's beefy enough to support my NEX 5N and a Tamron Zoom lens and reasonably compact to travel with. I took it to Costa Rica and it worked great.

Ben

Thanks for the info guys. Looking at some of the brands mentioned, I had no idea tripods could cost so much! The Manfrottos now don't look so expensive in comparison to some. I think I'll try to stay below $300 for the tripod and head, and below $200 would be even better.

I found this article to be really useful prior to buying a tripod:

Here are some NEX-6 specific plates:

http://reallyrightstuff.com/Items.aspx?code=BodySonyNex6&key=cat

I use for the NEX-5N:

http://reallyrightstuff.com/Product...=BPnS-S:-Narrow-Plate-for-Slim-Cameras&key=it

...Which is either mounted to a:

http://www.adorama.com/TPTLG.html?discontinued=t

...when long-distance hiking or a high-degree of personal agility (climbing, crawling) is needed...

or a:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/591774-REG/Giottos_MTL9371B_MTL_Series_9371B_Aluminum.html

+

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/490018-REG/Giottos_MH1300_657_MH_1300_Pro_Series_II.html

...for less-demanding transportation situations, or when I really need rock-solid support for either windy situations and/or very-long-exposures.

Check out the MeFOTO Roadtrip by Benro. Good balance of portability and stability for < $200.

There are a couple of recent tripods aimed at small cameras with either fixed posts or non-removable posts. While it seems to support compact backfolded size, one of the features that many people might look for is the ability to set a nearly flat leg angle without a centerpost. Also, the fixed post (as opposed to those that can be dropped through the spider for no extension) is potentially problematic as extending the center post on a tripod has always been a good way in increase vibration problems. The Sirui T-005x and T-025x (cf version), for example, are not the same as the earlier T-005. The center post on these is removable.

I think, as with a number of other tripods, the "weight" capacities can be optimistic under good conditions, let alone under breezy conditions. One "review" complained about the number of leg twists involved in using the tripod and that it didn't seem to support a Nikon D600 and 24-70/2.8 Tamron well. I'm not sure that there has been a lot of general use and discussion of these units yet.

While some of the ByThom article on tripod selection is generic and some applies to tripods aimed a a significantly different set of uses, some of it is important and applicable to any tripod selection. The "fixed" centerpost has as already noted, a couple of potential issues, vibration and limited ability to work truly close to the ground/floor, etc. Any tripod should also be considered against the weight of the camera, the focal length of the lenses to be used, the conditions under which it will be used. The small mirrorless cameras are quite light and one doesn't have the mirrorslap to deal with. But these tiny tripods start with less sturdy leg section diameters and when having as many sections as they need to get their short collapsed lengths, the final sections are going to be small, caveat emptor.

They do have an advantage that they are apparently Arca Swiss compatible. OTOH, one can't expect miracles from a tripod and head combination that comes in for less than pretty much any well spoken of AS compatible ball head did until recently. I do like the separate locking of the panning base that some have. I don't expect that we'll have good "tension" control and the ability to set it for the kind of control one might get on $300-$500 heads but not sure that's an issue for many users.

edit: Not meant specifically as a reply to Ben, posted in the wrong spot