Tripods and related Disneyness

[Groucho]

Mickey Mouse has it easy, his tail gives him the extra stability inherent with a third support leg. Us humans have to make do with tripods (or similar support systems.) (Anyone's who had pet rats or mice knows how well they can use their tail to stand on the hind legs!)

I mentioned this in another thread but thought I'd start a new one here, and let others chime in on their tripods of choice.

My goal at the moment is to replace my puny Slik U5500, bought for my first digicam and only capable of supporting 3.5 lbs, with a more capable tripod. I want the new one to weight as little as possible (preferably under 4.5 lbs) and support as much as possible (8.5 lbs) - the idea is to buy one tripod that'll last me forever. Folding down small is highly regarded as well. I am planning on just moving my Bogen ball head between the monopod and tripod as needed (pretty painless) so I'm just looking at legs, though would consider a full one if the price was right.

High on the list currently is the Bogen 3001BPro, 4.2 lbs and supporting up to 11 lbs, but not raising very high (important as I'm 6'2".)
There's also the Velbon Sherpa 200RA - 3.1 lbs supporting 11 lbs.
One I just found is the Slik Pro 713 - it's a carbon fiber one that weighs a mere 2.75 lbs and supports 9.9 lbs. It folds down pretty short, too - 22.6". It's a little more than I'd like to spend but very cheap compared to a CF from Bogen or Gitzo - and I can probably justify it as my "one tripod" - I fear that after a couple years with an aluminum one, I may decide that I need a CF one.

Amvona has some relatively cheap CF legs but they seem to be fairly heavy for the weight they can support - there's little weight savings over their aluminum ones, which rather defeats the purpose.

At this point, I am leaning towards the Slik Pro 713 - the only downside is that it seems to be mainly available from B&H and Adorama and I have to pay tax buying from them. Argh! We need a reputable camera store that's NOT in NYS! Still, a quality CF tripod that's featherweight but strong for $220 sounds awfully good - the fewer lbs I have to haul around Disney, the better!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I want the new one to weight as little as possible (preferably under 4.5 lbs) and support as much as possible (8.5 lbs)

Gotta go with carbon fiber

Folding down small is highly regarded as well

That means four leg segments instead of three. It's more trouble to set up, but it packs smaller.

I'm partial to the Gitzo tripods. You might look the 1158 series. I'd also consider switching to the Acratech ball head to shave a little more weight.

 

[Groucho]

I have no doubt that the Gitzo ones are the best (or at least superior to most others.) But the cost! Whoof!

At the moment, the Slik 713 is leading the pack for me. $220, ~3 lbs, supports ~10 lbs.

Bogen has the 190MFV for $250, that's 3.6 lbs and supports 8.8 - that's OK - but only goes to 55.1" vs the Slik's 65.6". So the Slik weighs less, supports more, and goes taller - all for less money.

The closest Gitzo is the G1157 - weights 2.3 lbs and supports 9.9 lbs, but only extends to 58.3". And it's $433! And that's the 3-section version. The 4-section version has similar weight specs but only goes to 48.8" and costs $538!

I might be persuaded to stretch even farther for the Bogen's cost, but not for the extra weight and especially the shorter max height. It looks like Gitzo really doesn't have anything that meets my requirements.

The decision is getting easier and easier, for better or for worse. Now if only I could find it at a non-NYS store!

 

[tinksdad]

I have a Bogan 3021B Pro with a Giottos MH-1000 ball head, it has been a decent purchase. However I have been looking at the Gitzo tripod and a Markins ball head.

Get the best you can get that will support more weight than you will ever put on it. That overkill will make the system more stable. That said, the lighter weight legs is ALWAYS nice when you carry as much equipment as Mark does......

 

[Groucho]

I was considering the 3021BPro but it seemed a bit heavy.

I don't anticipate needing a really big tripod - I doubt I'll have a camera heavier than a K10D (still not very heavy) and the 400mm 5.6 is probably the heaviest lens I'll ever use. The puny Slik U5500 does hold my DL + 400mm but wobbles like crazy - I have to think than the 10lbs that the Slik Pro 713 CF2 can hold will be more than enough.

I hope so, as I couldn't resist and went ahead and ordered one... ended up getting one from one of the eBay "buy it now" folks (with over 99% positive feedback) which'll save me a couple bucks. So hopefully I can speak about it firsthand next week, if all goes smoothly!

And I think I'll be able to beat Mark on sheer quantity of gear but fortunately we'll have a stroller than we can hide stuff in, so I won't have to be carrying it myself all the time! Thank goodness for kids! Hopefully the tripod will be safe in the basket underneath when not in use... it'll probably be covered by jackets most of the time so it should be fine.

 

[Groucho]

(quoting from another thread, to keep on topic)

I'm waiting for the delivery of my Amvona tripod so if you can delay your purchase for a couple of days I'll be happy to give you a first-hand review.

I assume that you have the tripod in hand now? How do you like it and which one did you get?

My Slik 713 CFII arrived Friday so I've spent some time playing with it. I'm going to try to do a proper review on my website soon (to help if someone goes searching for reviews) but to put in a short review, I really like it so far. It is pretty light but feels very sturdy, and goes to slightly above my eye height, which is saying something (I'm 6'2".) It has most all the features than one could look for - a hook for hanging a heavy object to help weigh it down, reversible center column, three-position legs allowing it to get very low, the center columns unscrews into two pieces about a third of the way down allowing it to get close to the ground, rubber or spiked feet, foam-padded legs, etc. It even has a stone pouch that you can attach to the legs if you want. The only real thing that could be better is the tightening mechanism for the legs, you have to twist the connectors to lock them in place - flip-locks or quarter-turn locks would be faster.

Overall, I'm very happy so far. Not bad for about $230 delivered - a similar one from the "big boys" would cost a good bit more, and I don't think any of them have one that weighs this little but goes to this height. Hopefully this will be the last tripod I ever buy... only time will tell.

 

[mabas9395]

This seems like a good thread to get some help. As I mentioned in the Christmas thread, my wife "got" me a tripod & head for Christmas. But she has learned a while ago that its safer for me to do the actual ordering for photography equipment. So she "got" it for me, but I have yet to order it.

I have planned for a while to get the Bogen 3021BPro legs with a 488RC2 Ballhead. But when I went to a store to actually see them I was surprised at how heavy the legs were. I planned on going ahead with them anyway but after reading some of Groucho's comments I've started to question that decision again.

So I was wondering if the members here could give me some suggestions. I have about $300 to spend on legs and head combined. I have read a lot on the subject and understand that light weight vs sturdiness vs low price have a relationship where you can usually only get two out of the three.

I would like legs that are relatively light weight (3lb or less), less than 24in folded up, tall enough for a 6ft guy to use comfortably yet can get pretty close to the ground. I like flip-lever leg section locks better than the twist locks but somebody might be able to change my mind.

I like ball heads rather than 3-ways. I want a separate pano release and it should be strong enough to hold my XT (maybe a 30d someday) and a 70-200mm f/2.8 (maybe IS someday) and potentially a battery grip (someday) or about 6lb total.

The 3021BPro and 488RC2 combo has everything except the legs weigh 5.3lbs and is 25.6" long. If a setup is too heavy to carry around the zoo all day or take on a day hike up to a lake with the kids then it doesn't really do me any good.

Groucho's Slik Pro 713 CF sounds nice since it only weighs 2.75lbs and is only 18.1" long (I like that length), but the max height is 6" shorter than the 3021BPro and it's legs have 4 sections with a twist lock (groucho, do you like the twist locks?)

I'm probably not going to find something that meets all of my wants but maybe you guys can help me find something closer than I am currently considering.

 

[Groucho]

I fear you may have been looking at stats for the 714. I've got the 713 - it's a bit longer than you mention. This page on the importer's site has some good stats.

Basically:
713 CF II is 3.0 lbs, collapses to 22.6", and goes to a max height of 65.5".
714 CF II is 3.12 lbs, collapses to 18.1", and goes to a max height of 61.2".

The 713 is a three-section and the 714 is a four-section. The curious thing is that the standard photo, like Adorama uses, shows the 713. Even Slik's own site shows the 713, though the thumbnail photos next to it do show the 714.

Heightwise, I'm about 6'2" and the 713 is definitely tall enough once you get the ball head on there. The Bogen 3021BPro goes to 69.2", which is nice because you don't need to raise the center section so high - otherwise, you'd need to be an NBA player to really use the extra height. The 3021BPro also supports more weight - 13.3 lbs vs 12 lb (the latter according to the importer's site, BH says 10 lb), it has flip locks instead of twist ones, and it costs less, but it folds to 25.6", a good 3" longer than the 713. The real difference is the weight - 5.3 lbs, and that's without the head.

If you don't mind the extra weight and length, the 3021BPro is probably a better tripod. Those were concerns for me, and I wasn't able to find a comparable tripod from any of the big makers that had the blend of lightness and strength of the 713. I do have a Bogen aluminum monopod, and it's very sturdy - but also fairly heavy.

One other thing that's interesting is that Slik really does a terrible job keeping their press info current. The 713 CF II I got came with a hook (for hanging a weight from the center column, a stone holder that attached to the inside of the legs, and a center column that splits in two for low-to-the-ground work. None of those are mentioned in any of the online sellers, that I can see. It also has rubber feet that rotate back to reveal spikes. Of course, the center console can be inverted as well - it's got most of the usual features you want on a higher-end tripod.

I would much prefer flip locks but I can live with the twist locks - it does take an extra few seconds to work them, but if you're using a tripod, you're always going to have to expect to spend a minute or two setting up.

Build quality seems solid though a couple things were slightly loose - like the split center console wasn't tightly screwed together out of the box, which gave me a couple nervous moments when it was wobbling! The rubber that you use to tighten the bottom tension on the center console (it can also be tightened slightly higher) is not attached very tightly - again, not a huge deal but something that might not happen on a more expensive CF tripod.

The only other issue has been that the hook rotates a little in the plug that goes on the bottom of the center column. I took out a ratchet and found a socket that fit the nut inside and tightened it down, and it was fine, then started to loosen a little again. I really should have just left it be (you can and probably are meant to loosen it with the edges of the plug, not the hook itself) but I went out tonight to try to REALLY tighten it - and twisted the steel of the hook in half! But that's really my fault. It's just a standard small hook with a threaded end, so I'll stop over to the hardware store one of these days and pick up another, and maybe a washer to get it to snug in tight.

Overall, though, I'm very happy with it. It seems very sturdy, it's light, it's not terribly long (shorter than my three-section monopod), the general construction quality appears to be excellent... I'd definitely buy another. I got mine for about $229 from the ebay seller "digital4cheap" (I was trying to find a non-NYS vendor) and got it promptly with no problems. I can take some photos if you like, to see what one looks like "in the wild" - I've been planning a more in-depth review for my site but haven't gotten around to it yet.

For heads, I use the basic Bogen 484RC2 and move it between the tripod and monopod - cheaper than buying a second head, and I can just leave the quick-release plate on the camera all the time. It supports 8.8 lbs and weighs 11 oz. The 486RC2 supports 13.2 lbs and weighs 1 lb, and the 488RC2 supports 17.6 lbs and weighs 1.5 lbs.

Have you looked at the heads in person? When I stopped by a shop and saw them in a row, I was surprised at how much physically larger the bigger ones are. To say nothing of the weight - the 488RC2 weighs more than two 484RC2s, plus is much stronger than the tripods that we're talking about. The downside of the 484RC2 and 486RC2 is a single release instead of two on the big one, but I don't find that a particularly big deal.

The combination does cost a little under $300 and I'm happy with it... but the real test begins on Sunday, when I begin to use it "in the field" at WDW. I hope to still be as happy with it afterwards - I expect that I will be.