I'll agree with what everyone is saying. I bought a cheap Manfrotto a while back for 75 bucks and it just couldn't hold the weight of my setup. The legs would bow under the weight and the head couldn't hold the camera where I needed it. I ended up selling it on craigslist.


Save your money and get a good tripod, I'm still saving up myself.


I did want to ask if anyone has used one of those gorilla pods? I plan on doing a lot of traveling in the future and I don't really feel like carrying a big tripod around. Anyone have much luck with them? They claim to be able to hold the 70-200 lens which is the heaviest lens I have (f/2.8 IS). I would think it'd be good to have in a pinch if you're out in the woods and and need to anchor your camera on a tree branch or something like that.