Which tripod?

S

Samsonite

Senior Member
Hi guys, I've had a little look in this section and have found several threads about tripods, they all seem to say that gitzo are the best, and Manfrotto are well priced. My question is around the tripods available on eBay for roughly $150.00, they are branded as Beike.

They have carbon legs, a ball head and a quick release bracket. Has anyone got any experience with these tripods? The close up pics seem like they are quite rugged and generally 'OK' quality for an amateur photographer...

I've made the mistake of buying a $15 one previously which was flimsy and terrible... I'm guessing these Beike ones might not be as good as Manfrotto, but certainly 'decent' quality. Any feedback about these?

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!
 
S

Samsonite

Senior Member
Also just seen others brands like Opteka, Dolica, Detai, Horusbennu, they all look very similar and have carbon legs...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!
 
J

jwstl

Senior Member
There are a number of factors that go into selecting a tripod:

For example:


What cameras are you using?
Which lenses?
How important is weight? Will you be hiking with it?
What is your budget?
 
S

Samsonite

Senior Member
D5100. Heaviest lens I have is a Sigma 135mm - 400mm. Weight doesn't really bother me as I'm quite a big guy. I will be hiking with it, but anything under 7Lbs should be fine....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!
 
J

jwstl

Senior Member
I'm afraid I don't know much about tripods in that price range. I'm more familiar with the carbon fiber tripods from Gitzo, Manfrotto, and RRS.
My recommendation is to get the best one you can afford. You may not use heavy cameras and lenses now but if you plan to at some point you don't want to have to buy another.
 
F

funfortehfun

Senior Member
Last edited:
G

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Samsonite said:
Budget $200 dollars including ball head...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk!
Click to expand...

With that budget in mind, don't expect the following to have all four factors which includes: cheap, lightweight, solid construction, and compact. You will need to compromise on one of them unless you want to increase your budget so that you don't get disappointed like what happened to you before.

$500 to $600 will be more decent depending on your height and how heavy your equipment are.

Induro makes pretty good tripod and ball heads too. Manfrotto is also good but I don't like their ballhead or proprietary quick release mount.

I personally use a Gitzo series 3 and Arca Swiss Z1 ballhead which holds my equipment very well. I feel much more comfortable with my set-up without worrying about it failing and dropping my camera equipment.

Induro tripods, monopods, gimbal heads, panheads, ballheads, kits, and accessories
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
The Manfrotto combination suggested by funfortehfun is definitely top class.
manfrotto makes one of the best tripods & ballheads and i can guarantee you will not be disappointed.
i have the 055xprob with the 498rc2 ball head.. not very different than the 496 & it serves every purpose of mine & am sure it will do the same forever.
the only i may ever want to upgrade is if i really want a carbon fibre body (seriously doubt i would ever do this)
 
J

jwstl

Senior Member
WhiteLight said:
The Manfrotto combination suggested by funfortehfun is definitely top class.
manfrotto makes one of the best tripods & ballheads and i can guarantee you will not be disappointed.
i have the 055xprob with the 498rc2 ball head.. not very different than the 496 & it serves every purpose of mine & am sure it will do the same forever.
the only i may ever want to upgrade is if i really want a carbon fibre body (seriously doubt i would ever do this)
Click to expand...

I would not call that combination "top class". It's a good combination for the money but it's far from top class. If you have the money carbon fiber is much better than aluminum. It's lighter, stronger, more durable, absorbs vibrations better...but costs a lot more.
 
E

Epoc

Senior Member
I just bought a SLIK 813CF CARBON FIBER PRO SERIES TRIPOD WITH SLIK 705E PAN HEAD. The head is OK, does the job, but the legs are excellent value for the couple of hundy I paid. I will be putting my Manfrotto head on it shortly.
 
C

Cowboybillybob1

Senior Member
Manfroto Carbon Fiber legs are expensive and was outside my budget. I wound up buying the 190proL. The L is the tallest of the 190 series. It came with the 496RC2. The two together came to about 180 bucks, maybe it was $190.00. I don't remember exactly. The head was OK but nothing to write home about. This past Monday I upgraded the head to a 322RC2. It goes for $115 on Amazon and worth every penny. It's a ball head with a single pistol grip that I really like. Great head. It really makes it easy to use. This setup works for me but all told it is more than $200 and I know I will be using this for many years to come. Amazon.com: Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head Short: Electronics Amazon.com: manfrotto 190xprol: Electronics You can get the legs and cheaper head as a bundle for less than $200. Getting the legs and the better head will set you back $284.94. Either way you will be getting your money's worth.
 
Last edited:
C

crycocyon

Senior Member
All I can say is that I am a Manfrotto fan (never had a Gitzo....are they really any better?). But I do need to get a new head so probably will go with the Arca Swiss. But the main thing is the tripod head has to be rated for the maximum weight you might be putting on it. I'm not too fond of very light tripods because they are top-heavy and can be blown or tipped over more easily.
 
G

gqtuazon

Gear Head
crycocyon said:
All I can say is that I am a Manfrotto fan (never had a Gitzo....are they really any better?). But I do need to get a new head so probably will go with the Arca Swiss. But the main thing is the tripod head has to be rated for the maximum weight you might be putting on it. I'm not too fond of very light tripods because they are top-heavy and can be blown or tipped over more easily.
Click to expand...

Try the arca-swiss Z1. It has the highest weight support amongst the ballheads. Probably just slightly higher than the Really Right Stuff BH 55. I use the Z1 and it handles my heavy set up very well.

Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1 sp with Quick Release 801103 B&H Photo

BH-55 Pro: Full-sized ballhead with Pro - BH-55-Pro - Kit Configuration Page
 
F

fotojack

Senior Member
Carbon fiber tripods have one major advantage......they're lighter. That's it. For stability, I want a heavier tripod. Aluminum does it for me. Weight doesn't concern me at all. I may be old, but I'm not too weak to lug around an aluminum Manfrotto 055 CL Pro tripod with 496RC2 ball head.
 
Top