An Expensive Tripod Overkill for Most Youtubers?

[Drew Palermo]

So I spent most of yesterday researching tripods and tripod heads. There is such a wide range for how much you can spend on these, and really it has a lot to do with the smoothness of the tripod head when panning/ tilting.

Then I was looking at these big time youtubers and they actually don't use panning and tilting very often. Even Smosh uses it very little from the videos I've seen, just a lot of cutting back and forth to the person that's speaking. The other channel that mostly keeps their tripod stationary is MisterEpicMann, rarely uses panning and tilting.

So between a tripod setup like the Sachtler Ace (great reviews) going for about $560 and the Pearstone VT-2100 (great reviews) for $70 I would probably go with the Pearstone. I haven't purchased anything yet, but for a while I was looking at the Sachtler Ace because that's supposed to be a super setup, but looking at some of the test footage of the Pearstone, the smoothness looks good too.

And when you're not going to be making one of those more dramatic scenes that usually requires some panning, then I don't see why you should spend $500 more on a Sachtler, especially when a lot of the big youtubers I follow focus more on the comedic element and panning is negligible.

 

[Lanorc]

well my tripod was 150 euro on a tripod... and there is a guy that reviews cheapo tripods ( 50 dollars he said) to one for 200 dollars like mine... the thing is,, do you want something to last you even if it falls over? do you want something that can ACTUALLY hold you camera without shaking and being VERY stable? These are things you would want. if you just want one because you want to film yourself? i would go cheap with the risk of breaking it if i go a bit extreme on it if i didnt plan on going extreme.

The tripod profesionals use wont break... ANY time soon. you can throw it down the stairs.. kill a elephant with it and nothing would happen as they are really rubust!

 

[WickedSightArtist]

My tripod was £14 in asdas, great bargain still using it a year later

 

[Drew Palermo]

My tripod was £14 in asdas, great bargain still using it a year later

Right on, and it should last you many more years. yesterday I bought the tripod and went with an $80 Pearstone model. Soon after I placed the order for it I found a video of the guy from MisterEpicMann explaining how he makes videos. The tripod he has cost him $20 which he got 10 years ago! Like a boss! And I was about spend $350 on a setup

 

[markkaz]

I have a few tripods. For a short product demonstration, I like the GorilaPod because it is very easy to adjust.

When I need to use regular, taller tripods, my favorite one cost around $35 as far as I can recall. It has a pistol-grip so that I can easily adjust the camera angle.

 

[Bchizzle]

A tripod is one of the most important pieces of gear you should invest in. A decent one will outlast any camera you decide to upgrade. That having been said, the Sachtler Ace is more than enough for any DSLR users. If you are doing stationary talking videos, then perhaps a simpler one will be sufficient. Movement (and lack of movement) is one of the key things to a polished video

 

[WickedSightArtist]

Right on, and it should last you many more years. yesterday I bought the tripod and went with an $80 Pearstone model. Soon after I placed the order for it I found a video of the guy from MisterEpicMann explaining how he makes videos. The tripod he has cost him $20 which he got 10 years ago! Like a boss! And I was about spend $350 on a setup

Trust me you can get good deals, I got my light for £30 on amazon, and my studio backdrop for £40 on amazon pretty cool!

 

[IftiBashir]

I want to get a Manfrotto - but one where yu can tilt the camera 90 degrees so I can film top down. Would be good for some reviews and unboxings etc. Something like this....

 

[Skapo]

It really all depends on how in depth you want to use your tripod. I've always been a more run and gun kind of guy and keep my tripod movements to a minimum. Partially because of my experience in skateboarding, my camera techniques tend to be a lot more acrobatic and fast paced. However some of the filmers I respect most actively use the pan/tilt techniques. Jason Hernandez, who is Nike's go to skate filmer, uses his tripod all the time.

Really, I wouldn't look to the success of any particular YouTuber as your reason to use a tripod or not. I would take into thought the film makers who you respect most and do your best to take those styles and make them your own.

 

[TrentVlogsTV]

I'm looking into getting a tripod too. I don't know much about them so I need to research. Hoping to get one that is less then $100. Any suggestions on one that can be used for sit down vlogs?