Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 or Canon EOS 1100D?(ITS HERE :)

[shepgti]

Black rapids are a good strap from what I've heard, i may get one soon.

[DubFan]

Those straps a very pricey. I wouldn't buy such a chunky strap until I was using a much heavier camera and lens combo (my Sony a350 and Sigma 28-70 f2.8 lens are 1.3kg). Otherwise you just look silly with a smaller camera and kit lens dangling off the tripod mount. The only advantage I can see with them is that when the camera hangs, it hangs with the lens pointing down rather than out from your body, so you're less likely to knock the lens.

I would have rather spent £50 on a good bag or going towards a 50mm lens. But it's your choice.

[shepgti]

Think my new tokina 11-16 weighs 1kg on its own! Thing with the rapid is that it sits in a ready to shoot position as well as being secure around your body. depends what kind of pics your taking i guess..

[LowlifeDubber]

I went with the more expensive one as I was hoping it would do me for a good few years and I liked the way the camera hangs.
I've ordered a decent bag although I do have a smaller one.
Been looking at them Gorrila pod tripods. Are they any good or just an amateur novelty thing?

[Ridg]

Gorrila pod tripods. Are they any good or just an amateur novelty thing?

in a nut shell they are flexible.

I use mine (gorilapod focus) for travel photography, it's lightweight and a hell of a lot smaller than my Manfrotto 055XPROB.  the main advantage is the gorilapod can be used in pretty much any location give the flexibility of the legs, I use a ball head (Manfrotto 496RC2) on mine which then allows you to point the camera at any angle.  The main limitation is the size, the gorilapod is only about a foot high meaning unless you put it on a wall / rock etc all your photos are going to be shot from a foot or lower, this is fine for some photos but say you want a group shot, your photo is going to be a knee height pointing up (not necessarily a flattering angle).

Before you buy a tripod read;

http://bythom.com/support.htm

[LowlifeDubber]

Nice link that thanks i will have a read tonight.

I have a 3 stage telescopic tripod which i have had for a while.Granted it is a cheap one but it seems to do the job.Although id like to get a better one,im not sure of the benefits of getting one would be but i will scan that link later and see if it gives me a bit of an insight.

[Ridg]

Nice link that thanks i will have a read tonight.

I have a 3 stage telescopic tripod which i have had for a while.Granted it is a cheap one but it seems to do the job.Although id like to get a better one,im not sure of the benefits of getting one would be but i will scan that link later and see if it gives me a bit of an insight.

Basically it's how much weight it can support.  A "cheap" tripod will often only support a few KG, making it quite unstable due to exsess stress on the tripod when in use.  The same applies to tripod heads.

[LowlifeDubber]

Ah right,ive just read that article as i might as well get a new one while im at it.

Ive seen some second hand ones with a crank handle and geared rotation heads with quick release heads for about £40 give or take a tenner.
Id prefer only a 2 stage adjustable as the one i have has 3 and its a pain in the arse to unclip them all the time when im travelling from place to place in the car.

[Ridg]

Ah right,ive just read that article as i might as well get a new one while im at it.

Ive seen some second hand ones with a crank handle and geared rotation heads with quick release heads for about £40 give or take a tenner.
Id prefer only a 2 stage adjustable as the one i have has 3 and its a pain in the arse to unclip them all the time when im travelling from place to place in the car.

You might want to look into the pros and cons of the different heads.  geared heads are mainly aimed at macro given the precise movement they allow, most people use a hydrostatic ball head as it allows quick large movements and re-framing.  Like most things in the photographic world there is no "best" solution as each type has it's strengths and weaknesses.

You might also want to consider the special features of the tripod e.g reversible column, removable column, height and minimum height, for example mine can go as low as 10cm and as high as 178cm (with the column down (maximum stability)) it's 142cm which is pretty much eye level for me 6' 2".

As a starter I'd recommend going for a ball head.

[LowlifeDubber]

Ok mate thanks
I was looking at the ball heads but after reading that article it put me off them a tiny bit.I wont be doing any macro shots that i can envisage so i will go with the ball.