Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Photography advice

I bought a Fuji 3800 couple years ago, liked it at first, not so crazy about it now, not built very well.

Oh, yeah, Adam. I like the looks of that Sigma a lot. I'm not so crazy about the $850 price tag, although I do recognize it is a couple hundred less than the comparable Canon.

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. I've never thought of myself as creative or artistic, so I tend to approach these kinds of things as craft (constructing a series of pictures to document an event) rather than art. I've certainly had a keen appreciation for photography as an art form for as long as I can remember. Perhaps I will develop some sensibility along the way. I certainly enjoy the learning process.

I know I have lots of things to learn before it becomes relevant, but what do you say about tripods and heads? Remember, I'm cheap, so don't send me to Really Right Stuff or anything. I am thinking that something like this Bogen might be a good compromise between cheap crap and pro gear. Seems to me like quick release and a ball-head would be better than cumbersome attachment and a bunch of levers to poke me in the eye. What say you?

Heh. Don't worry Ken, my sights are set on Canon lenses. But not everyone wants/needs the very best.

That Bogen should be a great choice, Tom (and you're thinking is dead on re: quick release). It's relatively light, can handle enough weight to satisfy your needs and Bogen/Manfrotto is a top quality manufacturer - it should last you a good long time. I recently got one of their carbon fiber tripods (055MF3) that is just awesome. It's actually lighter than the 3001, but is taller and can support more weight. Of course, it's also twice as expensive. But for me it was worth it, as I need a tall tripod and don't want to lug around a heavy tripod while hiking.

Speaking of which, I recommend you get into landscape photography. You have some amazing scenery up in the PNW to take advantage of!

Gee, I feel so pitiful with my $20 Fred Meyer-sourced tripod...

I would give you my old one, but one of the leg locks broke. Not very stable if the leg falls off on it's own.

duct tape

Thanks, but I just bought it. It should do fine...

just another ploy to make me buy more lenses.