I am pretty good at knowing what I want most of the time, at least materially speaking (relationships are harder). My search for the perfect tripod is not going that way. I have decided I need a new heavy tripod because in certain conditions my tripod has too much play with the D60. I have looked at Amazon, Adorama and 47th Street Photo and there are way too many options (Amazon alone has 428 options). The specifications of the tripods do not tell me anything and the pictures tell me even less. The customer reviews of each product seem to be helpful, but not enough to be able to narrow down to my specific case. I believe I am going to have to go out into the world and fondle some expensive tripods.

I know I want a heavy tripod, something at least 10 lbs (I have my light tripods for hiking and travel), and I also want the ability to rotate to all sides, move up and down, as well as flip the camera to the side for portrait pictures. I have considered some of the ball head models, but I’m not sure that any of the ball head models will be the quality I am looking for in the price range I am looking for them in.

The issue I am trying to fight against is a slight vibration in the head of the D60s current tripod when I use heavier lenses, such as the 55-200mm or especially the 500mm reflector. I need more stability than the current tripod offers.

If anyone has a stable tripod they would like to recommend, I am open to suggestions, since I really do not have a clue as to what I am doing and could really use some advice.