The Tripod

There's just no way around it. I'm going to need to outlay some real cash to get a tripod strong enough to support the Canon. My current inexpensive tripods just can't hold the weight convincingly.

I've been browsing for ages, and for budget videographers, it seems the top choice is the £106 Konig tripod sold by NetGadgets.

The reviews on amazon are overwhelmingly positive, the construction is largely steel and not plastic, and the recommendations are plenty. The fluid head seems to please a lot more people than it disappoints, and the whole thing is heavy and strong enough to easily support the Canon XL1s. People compare it favourably to tripods three times the price.

So I'm going to buy it. £106 is more disposable income than I have in a month, so I have to spread it across two months and tighten my belt. No more hot chocolates on my break (previously a thrice monthly thrill) for a while. No more budget dvd purchases. God knows I have enough unwatched movies on my shelves.

A tripod is too important to skip over, and this one is value for money. I'm getting a bargain here.
I'll let you know how it is once I finally order and receive it!

After spending £750 on a camera people are probably wondering why I'm suddenly so tight when it comes to the tripod, an essential piece of kit that I need to be able to trust. The reason is that the camera has been paid for by a colleague on the video project and I'm going to buy it back in instalments, because I am broke and frankly, living beyond my means. My outgoings are greater than my incomings, and I've already locked down every kind of expenditure. Things will improve in a few months once a debt is paid off.

Don't get into debt kids, it can screw you for quite some time. I should have known better, but it's too easy to lose track of things until it's way too late.

-------

4/03/11 14:02pm
Glorious update! A friend at my previous job (which I left in December) had a whip round for me for a leaving gift but they couldn't decide what to get me, so he's just going to give me the cash towards one of my projects. As it turns out, that money, plus the money I'll get this weekend when I return a camera case I bought two weeks ago (too small, this was before I mastered the packing foam conundrum), plus the money I was going to put aside this month, comes to excactly £106!!!

I can get the tripod NOW!! Holy mackerel, that's made my day!