Best Travel tripod.

[rodders70]

Hi guys, my first thread! Off to France for holiday from Melbourne and want to take some night shots. Just bought 5D with 24 - 105 IS L, 580 EX II flash, Battery pack and digital remote control. Can someone tell me the best light weight tripod that I will safe to put all this get up on (and hope like hell it doesnt fall off!!!). Cheers..

 

[rlshep]

I've got a Gitzo G1198 basalt tripod which is pretty small and light - but it's expensive and it doesn't go that tall. I've used it with medium format gear as well as dSLRs and whilst some would say you should use something bigger, it does the job - so long as you don't need too much height.

There's a make called Benro which is basically a Chinese ripoff of Gitzo which is cheaper and they have a good range - you'll find plenty of them on ebay - I have one of them as well and find it good.
--
Lizzie
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http://www.lizzieshepherd.com

 

[Paul Richman]

I just got this combo, and tried it out with my (heavier) 1Ds and 16-35 USM II. Worked great! Dead sharp photos, using long exposure even with some wind, and with full extension of the tripod. Did use the 10sec timer, to let the pod settle.
--
Paul Richman
http://PixelsByPaul.COM

 

[Ignacio Feito]

I just went through exactly the same decision and here's what I did.

I considered most Gitzo tripods, from the 0540, 0530, 1530, 1540, 1540T ad even 2540. Based on suggestions from several very helpful fellows, and dimensions based off the Gitzo online catalog (specs are incorrect on some websites); and considering weight bearing capacity I went with the 1540. (1540T seemed nice, but it has less load bearing capacity).

For the head I went with the Markins Q3 "Emille". I read nothing but rave reviews for it and some people had issues with the BH-40 and Kirk that would have been the other options.

--
Ignacio Féito
México

 

[gdanmitchell]

There are probably a ton of solutions that could work for you, so I'm not necessarily recommending mine over others. However, here is what I use for backpacking (in the sense of wandering into the wilderness for a week or so with all of my gear on my back.)

Velbon 540 "El Carmagne" carbon-fiber tripod - Although Velbon doesn't have the same "name" as Gitzo, et all, this tripod has served me very well for lightweight work. With the center column extended, my 5D is almost at eye-level; high enough in any case. The tripod is steady for such a design, and the flip-lock leg adjustments are very quick to operate and adjust. The leg angle can be set to any of three angles. It is very lightweight (at least compared to my full size tripod that I use in other situations) and so far it has stood up well to several seasons of being strapped to the back of my pack - and to being shipped in my airline luggage.

I use the Acratech Ballhead on this tripod and my other tripod. This is a fine head that weighs only about one pound and is quite solid and very adjustable.

I use this setup with a 5D and lenses including 17-40, 24-105, 70-200 f/4.

Dan

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G Dan Mitchell
SF Bay Area
http://www.gdanmitchell.com/

 

[Ludovic Monchat]

This tripod with a Gitzo head offers weight and "stiffness", just enought to make up for the total height, not enough for me...

Beware of the stability of such very lightweight tripods. Always use the central hook to ballast it with something heavy and beware also of the shutter vibration once you have fully extended the tripod, I've noticed that some vibrations last enough to create a little motion blur. Use MLU over the remote

And, let's go for this ;0)





Ludo from Paris
Tankers of tools, thimbels of talent
BestOf http://ludo.smugmug.com/gallery/1158249

 

[ritz]

Hi guys, my first thread! Off to France for holiday from Melbourne
and want to take some night shots. Just bought 5D with 24 - 105 IS L,
580 EX II flash, Battery pack and digital remote control. Can someone
tell me the best light weight tripod that I will safe to put all this
get up on (and hope like hell it doesnt fall off!!!). Cheers..

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go for something like this

http://ritz-prolight.com/oscommerce_st/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=141

weight only 1.8kg hold 13 kg it´s Carbon , and head is one of the best ball heads , only this is better

http://ritz-prolight.com/oscommerce_st/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=148

Jens Ritzlau

 

[Tedwill48170]

I took the Manfrotto 715SHB and my 5D with my 24-70mm f2.8 lens to Europe and it did a great job holding the camera and the lens. It's very light and can fit in your rolling carry on.

-Ted
--

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Carl Sagan

 

[Ignacio Feito]

Gitzo 1540 is very nice, very light and it extends to just the right height (I'm 5'-10").

Markins Q-3 is a thing of beauty. You can literally glide the camera into any position and just leave it there, no stiction, no movement once you let go. Found one setting that works for all my cameras and lenses except for the heavyest combinations and that only in the steepest angles (solution: twist the knob a little bit more and you're set)

I do have a 1D Mark III and tested this setup with lenses as heavy as the TS-E 24 f/3.5 and 100 f/2.8 Macro held by the camera. 70-200 f/2.8 IS and 300 f/4 IS work even better, but are held by the lens' tripod adapter.

Markins plate for the 1D Mark III (PG-50) is a perfect fit.

--
Ignacio Féito
México

 

[montereyphoto]

My Europe travel tripod is the Cullmann 1002. Weights about 540g and supports 3kg.
Collapses to 31cm in size and includes a nice ball head. Cost in USD is $54.95.

It is small enough to attach below a waist pack or shoulder bag. Just be sure to also take a cable release as well.

 

[Dean Whitling]

I just returned from Europe and I took a slik sprint pro with me. On the plus side it was very light and easy to carry. On the negative it was very windy on Mykonos (Greek Islands) and the tripod didnt handle it well.
Next time I travel I will be taking a sturdier tripod.
Cheers Dean

 

[toto le robot]

I find manfrotto 190 mf 3 to be better than the gitzo basalt, I added the manfrotto 322 rc2 and that's a killer combo.
http://www.images-photo.com/fr/lesproduits_piedsetrotules_manfrotto.htm
check the prices, maybe it's cheaper in france, don't know.