Looking for a new tripod. Suggestions anyone?
 

So I'm looking to spoil myself for Christmas and planning on buying a new tripod. I know I should initially spend a good amount on one since I'll have it forever but I wanted to ask you guys whats good for within my budget. Im looking to spend between 250-350 on a good Manfrotto. I went on the site and was overwhelmed with options. I was looking at the kits since I need the tripod and head but have no idea what to look for. I'll be shooting video as well and wanted to ask you guys which route I should be taking. Thanks :)

Good way to determine which head to get, is to calculate how heavy your camera / video equipment would total up to.

check out my blog post for Benro Trab. It is AWESOME for the price for a full sized yet SUPER compact tripod for traveling. It's pretty much a gitzo knockoff for a fraction of the cost. It's amazing! Only of a small number of tripods that I can fold up and put inside my carry on for the airline while being able to support a full sized DSLR + pro lens AND be tall enough for full functionality and use.

http://jacksonzhao.com/blog/2009/12/update/

It's going to be a 7D with either a 24-70L or a Tokina 11-16 at its heaviest.

Thanks or the insight so far.

i found that height (without the column raised) is somewhat important.. i found it tough to fuss around to get the perfect height on the 055xprob's because of my height (i'm 5'7), so i opted for the 190xprob's which were perfect with my ball head. and it can carry my 50Dgripped+70-200 2.8 with little issues.


jackson thanks for heads up on the benro. i'm definitely going to check that out since i want something to fit in my carry-on and not my checked luggage :P

Where do they sell the benro.

Ahh Jackson your font colour is hard to read :(

i believe bhphoto and adorama carry benro

I too am looking into a new tripod for my 5D2 and have been looking into the manfrottos. I seem to have narrowed it down to the 190 and 055. I seem to be leaning towards 055 because it is a bit taller without raising the center colum. Still havnt decided yet on the 190 or 055.

Ps: why r gitzo tripods costs quite a bit more than other brands?
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just wanted to post this up in case no one saw it before (previous tripod thread)
http://www.revscene.net/forums/tripod-help-t603910.html

topec: what sort of lenses are you using on your 5d2? i recently bought the manfrotto 055xprob and 498rc4 for my 5d2 + 70-200 2.8 and it is very rock solid.

+1 to a head like the 498. horizontal adjustment is very useful

so far only the 24-105 i use mostly, but down the road, i dont think i'll get much telephoto lenses, but more like wide angle lens. i think i looked into that exact combo last night. how much did that run u?

i can't remember since i picked it up in portland. i know i saved maybe 150 total?
try heading to local stores here and see if u prefer the 055 or the 190, that, and see which one is better suited to your height

Yup, I was thinkin of checking it out at local stores first before making the final decision
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Big difference between the 496 and 498? I'll be using it for video so I heard I'll want the panning options the 498 offers. But is it worth the 50$? Most likely going with a 190 as well.

there's this new Benro travel that's even more compact than mine. It's slightly longer than my Trab when retracted but it's alot flatter.
http://www.benrousa.com/products_TravelFlatTripods.html



fixed! thnx for the headsup




the cheapest place i found them were on amazon. It was $20 cheaper than B&H when i got mine.

if u using it for video a lot u may want to look at a video head, or probably a shoulder rig later on

the 498 is useful for landscapes when you recompose since you can lock the vertical axis and pan left to right. i guess u could use it for panos as well. manfrotto actually has a new head with bubble levels on it and it pans, i forgot what the model number is. don't think it's out yet.

I ended up going with a gitzo gt2541 carbon tripod and manfrotto 488rc2 head. I had the manfrotto 190 tripod for a few days but found it was too short for me without the column extended (I'm 5'10"). I was debating the 055 legset instead but it was heavy IMO. I felt that a tripod is a one time investment so I sprung for the gitzo in the end. I love my tripod and use it often enough hence buying a nice one that weighs only 3lbs :)

To the op, I'd rather go with the manfrotto for that price range especially if you have nice gear. Im not a fan if knock off products!
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Anyone have opinion on this

Slik Pro 340DX
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...26702(ME).aspx

Max load of 8.8lbs should be more than enough for me

asian XL most of the time i don't understand your fails. If you don't think its a good tripod, then just write "I think that tripod sucks." No need to fail him for asking peoples opinions on a certain item.

The tripod you listed weighs 6.5 pounds it says at the bottum, you might want to look for something a bit lighter. Have being gone through a few tripods myself, i'd look back and say that a Tripod is an investment into your photography future. Spend a bit more coin on something that will last you a while. I'd much rather spend $500 on a tripod once, than spend 100 then 200 then 350 and then 500 for the right tripod. Might seem expensive now, but look into it as an investment!

If you don't mind second hand, try looking in used market.

I recently purchased a Benro C-128 carbon fiber tripod for 120USD shipped to Blaine. It's sturdy and comparable to my old Manfro 190 that got stolen at much less weight.

i agree with Boostslut!

you might not want to spend the $1000 on a Gitzo, but a nice Manfrotto will not cost that much and will last you a lifetime. :)

Hmm good point, I guess I'll have to save up. And don't worry about asian XL he just decided to stalk all my posts yesterday and failed them cause he was sore I failed his one post...

Then again if it gets stolen I'd probably cry about a $500 tripod...

@hehe damn where'd you find one that cheap?

i found that by buying a cable release, my so-so tripod will do me for now.

a good test is to use the tripod on a bridge. becomes very apparent which one is sturdy

Sorta on topic. New head from Manfrotto, I want! Hopefully it's cheaper than the 504HD head....