D500 lightweight tripodd

GTMonster

New member
Hi guys. Some advise please.

I need a tripod that's light weight but able to hold a D500 with battery grip and 70-200 f2.8 vr2 or 200-500 vr. Any advise is appreciated? Thanks.
 
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Roy1961

Senior Member
Contributor
i would make sure you get a good sturdy tripod for your gear, dont go cheap. Make sure it will hold your camera/lens weight.
 

GracieAllen

Senior Member
You didn't indicate any limitations on budget, and if you can afford it, I'd suggest looking at Gitzo. I have two of them and they're about as close to bulletproof as I've found. There are also some other companies putting out reasonable quality carbon fiber tripods - Induro for example, and probably several others.

If budget is a concern, Gitzo may be unreasonable, but some of the other brands may have light units you'll like. The Manfrotto 055 is a decent tripod, though I'm not find of the flip locks rather than the twist ones on my Gitzos.

Whatever you get doesn't have to be HEAVY but it definitely needs to provide a very solid platform - otherwise it's just a very expensive paperweight.
 

Leif

Senior Member
The carbon fiber version of the Manfrotto 055XPro3 is .5 Kg lighter than the aluminum version, but costs twice as much.

Manfrotto 055PRO3 (aluminum version)

My understanding is that carbon fibre damps vibrations better than aluminium, so given two otherwise identical tripods, the CF one will be a more stable platform. I have a Gitzo CF Explorer, bought for a good price, and even though the bottom leg sections are very thin and seemingly flimsy, it provides a stable platform. I've used a 400mm F5.6 lens and camera without problems. That said, it'd be interesting to see a side by side comparison of comparable CL and Al tripods.

You'll also need a decent tripod head, don't skimp on this. I have a Markins M10, but from what I have read, FLM heads provide excellent performance for a good price. I'm not sure I'd recommend the Markins head.
 

Catherder

Senior Member
I have the Manfrotto 055 carbon fibre. It holds my D500 w/grip with my 1990's era 300mm f2.8 AF lens (which feels like it weighs about 150lbs) Camera and lens weigh about 9 1/2 lbs.
 
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