OK, you budding Steven Spielbergs - I have a Canon Powershot A580  camera - so what type of tripod should I enquire about please?

I'm no expert, Ron, but I use a Vivitar tripod with my Olympus FE 190.  Legs extend to four feet, the centre column can be moved up and down on a ratchet, and the camera attaches to the head of the tripod with a quick-release plate.  I actually leave the plate screwed onto the camera all the time, as it's small enough to not get in the way of "hand operation."

As almost all tripod heads and cameras have a universal screw fitting it's really all down to (a) sturdiness amd (b) cost.

Thanks Tim, that gives me an idea of what to look for then.

I also have a very small one that can stand on the layout. They are very cheap and may not be all that sturdy but if used with the self timer then they should be ok.

Sol - generally speaking, the heavier the tripod, the better it is.  Naturally, things like portability and cost have to be taken into account but be careful of buying some of the "all singing, all dancing" aluminium wonders available today.  Their only virtue is that they're cheap !!

Vivitar (Tim's recommendation) have a good reputation.  The small "table top" minis spoken about are good for close up work on the layout but, in my experience, not very stable with a heavy camera.

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

 The small "table top" minis spoken about are good for close up work on the layout but, in my experience, not very stable with a heavy camera.

That's why I say use the timer as it gives time for vibrations to settle.

Bob - I didn't mean vibrations from the shutter - I presumed the timer was always used for close up work.  I meant the actual stability of the tripod.  When I use mine with a small "pocket" digital,  it's fine but I also use a Nikon 35mm and that's too heavy for it unless you place the legs very, very carefully and well spread.  It toppled over once - fortunately, I had a filter on the lens which took the impact otherwise it might well have scratched the lens.

I have a fullsize tripod from Aldi and I love it. It does all the things you'd expect such as having telescopic legs, a crank handle to raise and lower the centre column and the ability to tilt the camera onto its side for portrait style shots etc etc
 I also have three small tripods. The latest is from Aldi and its legs are made with ball and socket joints x10 so it can wrap around pillars, tree branches [full-size, not 00 scale] and it can splay its legs out pretty much anywhere you want them to go.  The only thing lacking is a tiltable camera mount.

 Mike

The problem with tripods is that the best ones for normal work need to be heavy, with the legs being able to unlock and go out at any angle, some alow for the head to be turned around ( IE come from under the ball joint ) this type of tripod is good for shots at the side of a layout not on it.

The smaller tripods are fine but will not hold the weight of a large SLR camera, for shots on the layout, you can use a bean bag, and also some boxs, which will enable you to get the camera into places that a bean bag might not ( such as single road track ) you can put a box the size of the gap down on the track ( with weight in it ) and then the bean bag on top, this will then be above any modelling detail that you might have done, but you will neally be down to track height.

This is how I will take my shots when the time comes. But as for buying a tripod try and puchase the best that you can afford as it will never let you down, for it to be good it needs to be a pain to carry !! I should know.