Need a quick opinion on a small tripod

[Clovishound]

I need to replace the Pup's travel tripod. Her old one gave up the ghost, more from being hauled around than actually used. As intimated, she doesn't use one often, but when she needs one..........

I happened to see that B&H has a big sale on right now, and goes off later today. I found a small Benro that looks to fit the bill. There are two different models that appear to be identical, except one is aluminum and one is carbon fiber. She is fine with either. There is only .6 lb difference between the two and the CF one is almost twice the price. Of course, this isn't an expensive tripod, so the difference is $70. I have heard that CF is stiffer and doesn't transmit vibration as much as aluminum. Do you think it's worth spending the extra on the CF?

Quick responses are appreciated as I need to make the decision in the next couple hours.

Thanks.

 

[hark]

Benro is quite good with their tripods. I have an aluminum tripod by them which is nice. Their MeFOTO Roadtrip Travel tripod has been rated pretty well for a small tripod. BackdoorArts who used to be quite active here promoted it as being what he used a lot.

And when Fstoppers rated full size tripods, Benro was on top. So overall one of them should work well for you.

EDIT: and I was just coming to the forum to mention the B&H sale is almost over.

 

[Clovishound]

I have a larger Benro in aluminum. I really like it, and that lead me to look closely at this one.

 

[hark]

Here is one of Jake's posts about the MeFOTO in case you'd like to read what he wrote. When some of us Nikonites met up in Princeton for a Scott Kelby Photo Walk, Jake was using a small tripod. Whether it was this one, I don't recall. But I know he mentioned it several times.

Great Deal at B&H on MeFoto Roadtrip

B&H is taking $100 off the MeFoto Roadtrip Aluminum tripod thru the end of the day ($109 after discount). Alas only for the white and hot pink ones are discounted, but hey white will camoflauge in the snow, right?! It's a seriously good, compact tripod with Arca-Swiss head. I've had one since...

nikonites.com

 

[Clovishound]

Well, I've pretty much decided this is the tripod to get her, I just need to decide between the aluminum version or the CF version. I'm leaning toward the CF.

 

[BF Hammer]

CF vs Aluminium: there really is not much difference to report in field use. I have 3 CF tripods and an aluminum monopod. Have used cheap aluminum tripods in decades past. Really I would pay more attention to the head if there is one that comes with it.

 

[Clovishound]

Well, we need to leave for our monthly nature photography meeting, so I went ahead and ordered the aluminum. The Pup said she didn't really think the CF was enough of an upgrade to justify spending extra. Everything else seems to be the same on these models, except the material for the legs.

 

[Clovishound]

Well, the tripod arrived yesterday. We unpacked it and set it up.

It's a little heavier than I thought it would be in comparison to the flimsy little Manfrotto it's replacing. I believe it's less than a pound difference, but weighs in at 3.6 lbs. This is not going to be the chore to carry around that a full sized, sturdy tripod is.

It's much sturdier and better built than the old one. I didn't hook up the 6 1/2 lbs of 200-500 + Z 7ii, but extending it to full height and twisting, it doesn't flex much at all.

It easily folds up to a compact 15 in or so, and comes with a fairly heavy duty carrying bag with a shoulder "strap" that seems convenient to use to carry it, if you don't have room in or on your camera backpack.

It has twist locks. I kind of prefer them. They are more durable down the road than lever locks. Most of the lever locks, unless they are on a pricey rig, will eventually loosen, and usually, there is no adjusting or replacing them.

The small ball head seems well made. Time will tell whether it will stand up to use with some of the heavier, longer equipment. Having said that, the Pup doesn't have any really long, heavy lenses, so that shouldn't be a problem for her. The head is removable.

At $79 I almost wish I had gotten one for myself while it was on sale. It would be nice to have a smaller, lighter tripod that I could strap to my backpack and have one handy for times I don't want to carry the full sized one.