what tripod should I choose?

Hi guys,

Would like to ask your oppinion about what tripod should I get, I have a very specific configuration that I use for now:
Canon 50D gripped
EF 70-300 lens
Speedlight 430ex II

My supposition is that all this are about 3.5-4 kg

I want to do photos as well outside, also inside

any suggestion would be much appreciated

I would add that I'm about 1.70m high and the weight of the tripod is not necessary an inconvinienve

thank you

In short: get the best tripod your budget will allow for. Stick with the better brands like Manfrotto or Gitzo, and go for a ball head in stead of the pan- tilt-heads that usually come as standard with tripod kits.

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'We are only immortal for a limited time'

I would very much agree with this. It is worth investing in the best you can afford, and it could last a lifetime - it doesn't seem such a costly outlay when you think of it in these terms

Gitzo are going to be among the more expensive ones, and if money is no object then I would go with one of their range. I have heard comments that their heads are not so good as their legs, so some people mix and match. Having no experience in using them, apart from in the shops, I can't really say if that is true or not.

I have used Manfrotto (legs and heads) for a number of years, and I really like them. I also have an 'old' carbon fibre Velbon Sherpa 1000, which I really like - I take if I have a lot of walking about to do. I use it with a Manfrotto MN 488RC4 ball head.

If I had to choose a recommendation, I would say - Manfrotto - excellent product and great value for money. If you go to their homepage you can check out all of the specs for the different legs and heads.

Good luck with your choice.

Gary

Ringwraith69 said:

In short: get the best tripod your budget will allow for. Stick with the better brands like Manfrotto or Gitzo, and go for a ball head in stead of the pan- tilt-heads that usually come as standard with tripod kits.

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'We are only immortal for a limited time'

Click to expand...

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http://garymurisonphotography.co.uk

In turn I can agree with that recommendation: Gitzo offers superb quality, but it comes at a very steep price. Manfrotto offers the best value for money, ánd has the benefit of incredible availability of accessories and spare parts.

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'We are only immortal for a limited time'

It depends on your budget. A Gitzo / RSS or similar ballhead will cost close to $1000 or more USD.

I'd get a Manfrotto 055 XPROB with a Manfrotto 498RC2 Ball Head. You'll be in the mid-$200 USD range.

I also agree with the two guys above me.
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Cheers, Craig

Equipment in Plan via Profile

thank you all for the suggestions, my thought was for a 190xprob from manfr but for the head I was thinking about 322RC2 or something similar, the interesting point is that also on other sites I've seen the same suggestion as yours for the head, why would be that, people just don't like the joystick or would be something else?

thank you

The joystick looks fun and usable, but I think you'll find it not so much. The few I've tried tend to have droop. You lock it and it droops a little. Also, think about when you're pointing straight down or up. I good solid locking ballhead is just the most convenient way to go.

Take a look at any of the really pro-grade ballheads and you'd never see a joystick. If they worked well, you would.
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Cheers, Craig

Equipment in Plan via Profile

Just some shots of my 486C2 and 488RC2. These have been replaced by the 496RC2 and 498RC2 which at a friction knob. I wish mine had that.

488RC2 Notice the QL plate used on the lens tripod collar and unused on the bottom of the camera.



488RC2 on an 055 XPROB





You put plates on all the cameras and all the lenses that have collars.



You put clamps on a monopod to match RC2. No ballhead needed.





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Cheers, Craig

Equipment in Plan via Profile

Regarding the differences between the low-end and high-end tripods, the high end models offer a lot of accessory additions like different clamps for attaching to their mounts, different clamps like an L-brackets that allows for horizontal or vertical shots (sweet!), different sized-balls swivels, panorama brackets for nodal lens setups both vertical and horizontal, micro-adjustment rails for macro work, etc.

If you go to Really Right Stuff you can see a lot of their accessories for their tripods. Of course, they don't give their stuff away either, but it is really nice stuff and can support very heavy things like fast telephoto lenses and their tripods even be used in ocean salt water without corrosion destroying them.

Height is another item the $,$$$ ones have. The RRS mentioned will go up to eye-level with the camera attached (for us 6 footers) and not need a center-column as they are tall. Drawback is they don't collapse as small though, but you gain in stability.

Those are what separates the $150 pod from a $1,500 pod. I'll add, the $1,500 pod is probably the last one you'll ever buy or need - just you will accessorize it more for various cameras and situations.

Mack

Hi guys,

thank you for the suggestions,

I'm not sure yet, but considering the 055 proxb or the 190CXPRO3, with a 410 head, the 055 with 410 come as a kit, but the 190 is carbon, do you think the 190 is as stable as the 055?

thank you

Carbon is often less stable because it is lighter. But in exchange it is lighter. Kind of a trade-off like most things... As an additional perk carbon fibre is strong as heck.

In general buying tripods is extremely difficult. I think the big two intentionally make it difficult - even the configuration tools on their web-sites are completely useless.

Manip16 said:

Carbon is often less stable because it is lighter. >

Click to expand...

That's a bit of a surprising statement...

If you buy a good quality carbon tripod, it will usually be at least as stable as metal ones, and more often even more stable because carbon fibre is more flex-resistant than most metals. Why do you think F1 racing cars have monocoque structures made out of carbon fibre? Not just because of the weight advantage, but also because carbon fibre is (almost) completely free of torsion effects and does much better in that field than aluminium, magnesium, titanium, etc..

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'We are only immortal for a limited time'

Nothing wrong with the Carbon Fibre as a material. But a lighter tripod is always less stable. So you often need to add additional weight to a CF tripod.

I've been using different carbon tripods for a number of years now without adding any other weight than the camera mounted on it, and I've never noticed any form of instability compared to heavier metal tripods...

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'We are only immortal for a limited time'