Whgat size should I look for? I went to the store and found a 6", a 14", and a 42" Would the 6" be good enough? stainless
Size don't matter STABILITY is more important than size. Tall tripods that are stable cost more. BUT they allow one to place the tripod above other surfaces, like a table top plus they can be made "smaller". Small tripods tend to be more stable/per $, but can not be made TALL, which can be a desirable thing if you ever take it on the road. I'd say forget the 14" plus using a remote shutter control or the camera self timer can make a cheap tall tripod viable.
I use a full-size tripod; probably about the 42" one you describe, but the legs telescope, and I can make it as short as about 16 inches. I like it because I can use it for something other than photographing coins (I know...what else could I possibly want to photograph?) Anyway, I bought it used from a camera shop for $20. Best twenty bucks I ever spent.
I prefer camera stands. I had a tripod but had trouble with one or two of the legs getting in the way. Here's my setup:
If your working on coin photography only, get a camera stand. If you getting into photography in a more general sense of the hobby you should get a nice full size tripod. You can use a full size for most aspects of photography from coins and low light photos to portraits and family gatherings. Night time photos are easily obtained by a amateur with a good tripod. The smaller/budget tripods are often flimsy with poor control that wears out over a short period of time. Like RUFUREDDOG said stability is most important. btw Nice set up Kanga
