Need a lightweight Tripod and Head

anonymouscuban

OK... I'm in serious need of a new tripod. After living a few years with my old manfrotto tripod and pan & tilt head that feels like it ways a ton, I've decided to buy a new one. My main requirement is it has to be light and compact when collapsed since I primarily use the tripod for travel. I want it to fit easily into a carry on and also be light for lugging around. I really don't care that it be a fancy brand like Bogen or Gitzo. Actually, I don't want to spend a ton of money so an offbrand maybe be a better route for me. I'd say my budget is about $250 max but if you can keep me in the 100's, that will be awesome. It has to be able to support my D700 and 28-70mm f/2.8 which I think is a total of about 5 pounds. Main use will be for landscapes so a max height of 55" plus is fine.

Hope that's enough to give me some recommendations.

Thanks,
Alex

Andy

In my opinion, tripod is NO PLACE to skimp. But if you don't want Gitzo or RRS, then go for maybe the smaller Induro CF tripod, though I've never used 'em - they are essentially Gitzo knock-offs. And do get the BH-30 or BH-40 head from Really Right Stuff.

kdog

Alex, you sound like you're on the classic tripod upgrade plan. Here's how to save $700. http://bythom.com/support.htm

Brendan

One option I've found interesting is Feisol. They lack a center column, which I view as a positive feature (some of their tripods seem to be able to reverse the legs up around the ballhead for easier storage), and seem to be competitively priced. Any thoughts on this brand?

anonymouscuban

I think my trusty old tripod is going to live with me for a while longer. I'm not sure I'm ready to spend $700+ on a new one and I don't want to buy some piece of crap I will regret buying later.

paddler4

Having gone through this recently, I think it's a minefield. First, lots of people will tell you that you absolutely need the most expensive stuff. Some people probably do; many of us don't. Then if you decide you don't, the array of choices--both designs and brands--is completely overwhelming. Do you want a center column that splits, so you can go lower, or one that reverses? Do you want a hook on the bottom for holding extra weight? Do you want retractable spikes? How tall does need to be, with and without the center column, to be comfortable for you? How much weight are you willing to carry? do you want four-section or three-section legs? And on and on. Nothing I found had everything I wanted. I ended up with an Oben (B&H store brand), which has been fine and has all but one of the features I wanted. What I ended up doing is making a list of all the features I wanted on a spreadsheet and then going through a bunch of brands and models (all carbon fiber, because that choice seemed clear).

And then when you are done with that, you have to deal with heads. I opted for a ball head with an independent pan, which is the most common choice, but then which one? I wanted one that was light (for hiking), and I did not need a huge load capacity because my equipment is not that heavy. One person representing one (unnamed) vendor of expensive heads told me that I had to buy an expensive one because it would have a larger ball, which would give more fluid motion. However, I found cheap ones with larger balls than his company's. I ended up with an Induro BDH-0, which has been fine, but I have no comparison.

Good luck. I found this the single most difficult purchase decision I have ever made in photography.

Art Scott

After buying into Manfroto / Bogen ....I bought into Giottos because I could not find a 4 section legged tripod I liked...most would not hold the weight I wanted them to be able to hold.....and 3 sections are too long for getting on and off buses, trains and such with the pod attached to a back pack......so I ran in Giotto's by accident and for under $200 it was a great investment...I have no complaints...it is able to hold ~~26 lbs, center column is totally removable and I can get with a few inches of the ground...if I need center column I have it and the norm for me is to use it to get a weird angles with camera and then sand bag the center column for more steadiness....By Thoms article is great...but not ever one needs to spend $500 to $1K+ for a pod... not even all working pros need them that expensive.....Aluminum is less expensive than carbon fiber but a tad heavier..... Over 30 yrs I have owned 5 tripods and I have no where near $500 invested so far......the others were used and did not fit my style as I grew into MY style of shooting....now I will run with Giottos and maybe Benro as I am looking for a 2nd tripod....not a replacement mind you but a 2nd one there have been times i really wished I had 2 with me shooting nature and wildlife.........

If one lives in an area that you can go and attach to you camera and play with them then one might be able to do that and find the exact one for you...but in my area there are no good stores that anything near a pro tripod and if you order then there is no return and they charge a special order fee......I might have $400 invest counting all the shipping feees I have paid returning tripods to BH and Adorama and Philly Photo and a few others trying out tripods for 2 or 3 weeks......but when I try something out, I make it work...HARD.....I am sold on Giottos

JimKarczewski

All depends on what you are shooting too.. If you need it to make steady 1/5 sec shots, then sure, go cheap. But if you are going to do anything over a couple of second exposures I'd never again buy cheap. I had special requirements (height) when I bought mine, yeah, it set me back $800+ but it's one of the best purchases I've EVER MADE. EVER. Rock solid, won't shake for anything and nice auto-leveling head to boot (I skipped any tripod with a center column. Way too much movement IMHO)

Sam

Alex,

Last year I bought an Induro Ct114 carbon fiber tripod and an Acratech GV2 Ball head.

I have had no problems with ether. Much lighter than my Manfroto aluminum tripod.

Unfortunately I think the cost was $750.00 or so.

Sam

roakey

In my opinion about the best price/performance point you're gong to find close to your $250 budget (and it's still a miss) is the Giottos Lava Series coupled with a Markins Emille. Unfortunately you're talking ~$400.

Roak

UbuNoir

I recently got this Sirui carbon fiber tripod http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032XZM3M and LOVE it. I carried it all over Iceland. If you get the legs only, it's just a bit over your price range ($280). 1.76lbs and the legs fold over backwards for super portability. It held my 5D with both the 24-105L and a 70-200 2.8 with no problems... even in fairly heavy wind.

The downsides are: Like many "travel" tripods, it's a bit shorter than a full size tripod at 51 inches max. Also, with only one U.S. importer so far, replacement parts may not be as easily available as some of the well known brands if that importer goes out of business or stops dealing with Sirui. The build quality is really high though, so hopefully that won't be an issue.

brvheart

I recently got this -

Oben 3510 - B&H house brand

I have not been disappointed at all.

Here is a direct comparison against the Gitzo Traveler GT1541T

http://blog.photoframd.com/2011/07/26/bargain-compact-carbon-fiber-tripod-you-will-want-to-carry/

IF you have not already gotten one - please check them out

DavidTO

Alex, if you ever want to test-drive my RRS TVC-23, lemme know! And their RRS's ballheads can't be beat, either.