Sirui Ballheads and tripods

ZBlack

I am in the market for a new ballhead. Tripod legs as well in the near future, but for now just a ballhead. My budget is fairly limited so after looking around I came across Sirui stuff. Reviews are few and far between. Their prices range from $89-$150. I've got a reasonable set of aluminum tripod legs with a 3-way pan/tilt head. The legs I don't mind and will use them for the time being.

Has anyone used or heard of this brand? I did a search for it and ran across one post from last year stating they picked up a tripod with the G10 head and loved it, so that gives me a positive light. They are also sold at Pro Photo Supply in Portland, OR, but I have not had a chance to drive up there to check them out in person. 10% discount on tripods and heads there this month as well, so thinking I should make it a priority to do so.

http://www.siruicanada.com/ballhead/ballhead.htm

kurtw

I recently picked up a Sirui T-025 carbon travel tripod with a small Sirui C-10 ballhead.
I have a very nice RSS tripod but have been looking for something small enough to take on light&fast-style adventures. Compared to the RSS, my expectations were realistically pretty low.

So far, it's actually exceeded those expectations significantly. The ball head is tiny but holds a Canon 50D with a standard zoom (this or a G11 are the most load I put on it) plenty adequately for my specific needs with this tripod. The ball tension knob gives a nice smooth range of tension adjustments that is easy to dial in as much or as little as you want. I wouldn't recommend this kit as a general purpose tripod but for what I purchased it for, it's perfect.

This is their smallest ball head I think and I would expect that a normal size head would be that much better.

Quality seems to also be much better that I would typically expect from Chinese gear. Longevity remains to be seen.

The load rating for this tripod/head according to Sirui is 12.8 lbs which is absurd. The 50D+lens weighs no more than 3 lbs and I wouldn't expect the setup to be very functional with much more. Take the specs with a grain of salt when making a choice based on their numbers.

Not exactly what you're after but hope that helps.

ZBlack

Their weight numbers did seem abnormally high. I am after something that will hold a reasonable amount of weight, but not a lot. My D7000 with my Sigma 50-150 2.8 will be on it a fair bit, so it needs to be able to hold that steady and in any position I set it. I will be taking a vacation to Yellow stone this summer, and will likely rent a Sigma 50-500 since I can't drop 750+ on a 600 f4, now would I really make good use of it lol. So my weight requirements aren't unusual or anything, but a little more than the camera with a standard zoom.

Live on the coast of Oregon where it is windy frequently, but that is more the leg setup than the head.

Was initially looking at one of their K series heads, maybe even their most expensive one since it fits into my budget anyways. Glad to hear you like it and are pleasantly surprised so far for what you use it for.

joeinmiami

I am in the same boat, I have a D7000 and a Sigma Bigma. I am having problems finding me a tripod and head combo that will hold the combine weigh properly at an affordable (read cheap) price. I do not use this combo very often, but when I do, it is a full time job keeping my set up stable.

Joe

lightyear

Tripod stability
Tripod actual side by side comparisons are difficult with so few real camera dealers remaining. I was able to compare similar sized aluminum Sirui and Benro Travel angel travel tripods, and the Travel Angel with my D200 and 18-105 AF VR lens ( lens usually on the camera for fastmoving travel circumstances)at full extension of the center column to get it up to eye level ( I dislike stooping)was more stable. Neither was as stable as my normal old Manfrotto Carbon One tripod.
This is admittedly anecdoctal, since the major magazines (Popular Photography, Outdoor Photography) refuse to even attempt a comparison review for various reasons. Each tested tripod had the manufacturer's supplied ballhead, using Arca Swiss style clamp and camera plate. Hope this helps.
Stan