Greetings!

Saw introductions section and figured I'd get my first post out of the way.

Short intro purchased the Premiere Elements 7 Guide so that's how I found this site.

Longer story...

I'm 50 years old, married. Work for a huge company that's always out sourcing folks, products and what not and that part of my life is starting to suck.

I have two sets of kids a 22 year old son and 18 year old daugther, first marriage.
Now second time around I have a 3 year old daughter, so I'm dealing with MiniDV now and converting over old VHS from the first go around. Would love to learn more about film and try to tweak my creative side.

For now most of my creative stuff gets scratched by doing some web stuff like my chess site.
You'd have to google "chess master coach", or something and you'd find me (or just add the 3w's and the end).. Can't post a link as newbie status but if you want to get a feel that's sort of what I do...

Guess I'll toss this into my first post any recomendation on a tripod?
Would like to use it to put the camera in the room and just capture the little one playing, also have a Nikon D40 that I might use it for some still shots, however mostly for video.

I saw something on eBay called a Alzo 66" 3 way pan head tripod, but for $42 I assume it's just as likely to be junk as good. What's a realistic price range for something that will "meet the requirements" and not be disposable.

OK did I mention that I ramble?

R,

Paul


We

Like most of the 49 reviewers, I am very happy with the $64.99 model at the top of the list.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=tripod+velbon&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

Hi Paul, Welcome to Muvipix



No one here will ever shoot you down for rambling, its a character trait of many members

We are about the same age and my oldest is 26, youngest 8, with two more in between.
14 years between the youngest and his next oldest sister.

If you just want something to stick a camera on there are tons to choose from.
I paid $8 for a Samsonite tripod a few years ago. It isn't anything special but if the camera is going to be unmanned and remain still it is perfect.

Now for a tripod that you might actually move, and want a nice fluid movement, you will need something more.
Can't imagine finding a very useful tripod for under $100 but maybe somebody else, like George posted above, has better experience.

Here is a couple of good tripod topics from awhile back
viewtopic.php?p=17326#p17326
viewtopic.php?p=2545#p2545

Hi, Paul.

You may want to make sure it has a quick release plate so that you can remove or attach it quickly if necessary.

You could always start with a good but basic tripod and add a pro fluid head later.

Relatively speaking, I do not use my tripod so much that a 'pro' fluid head is necessary - the 'standard' head that came with it is fine for my needs. I bought a Libec 650 which comes with a neat and useful carry/storeage bag. Link to a description here:

http://www.videogear.co.uk/index.php?ac ... oductId=14

I consider a quality tripod a good investment. If you get something like a manfrotto with a fluid head, it would have a good resale value and be very sturdy. This would also be a good idea if you want to take it outdoors, and they can take a fair bit of punishing (will last a lifetime).

I think you probably just want to mount the camera and have it steady maybe whilst you play with the little one, clearly for that the tripod is king, however, if your budget will allow, give the humble monopod a try as well they are fantastic for getting really steady shots, but so much more flexible than a tripod and much quicker to move and shoot, tilt down and pan etc. The other bonus is you can hold the camera up high to look over crowds and all sorts of crazy angles for kids and pets etc. I only recently tried one and I wish I had bought one years ago. Not much good though if you want to leave the camera unattended.

Chuck, I went to a local photo store (which I'll leave unnamed so as not to get the clerk in trouble), and all he had in stock were tripods costing hundreds of dollars--NOT including the tripod head.

He said,

"We also sell a very good tripod for under $100 that comes with a fluid head, but they always sell out as soon as they arrive. They're Velbon 607s, and they come with a fluid head, quick-release mount and a carrying bag. And the unit is not even much heavier than those that sell for hundreds."

Based on that conversation, I ordered one from B&H, and I am very pleased with the result. The leg adjusters are the quick-release type rather than those that must be screwed tightly--open them up and the legs drop to the floor without having to pull them out. And I find the bubble leveler to be VERY useful. With the fluid head, my pans and tilts are VERY smooth.

When used with my Canon HV30, it seems very sturdy, however, some of the reviewers on B&H thought that it would not be appropriate for a larger and heavier camera. That may be true, however, my experience is that, when not being used for panning and zooming, the unit secures the camera VERY tightly.

You sold me George

Thanks for the suggestions, several folks jumped in with the Velbon 607s suggestion and given the fact that I'm a newbie figured it would be a good start. Now I just have to sit down and spend some time learning the software and burning hours of film to DVD so I can actually see how the little one has grown...

R,

Paul

I have the Velbon DV-7000, nice and smooth movement. The Velbon products are good for the price.

So what are you using to convert the VHS tapes to editable video files Paul?