Very Stable Tripod Recommendations

Would very much like to research sturdy tripods (with head) that can easily handle my D800 + Tamron 70-300 (my max load).

Don't care about the age or overall tripod weight, I usually drive to my outdoor destinations.

A used eBay unit is preferred - just don't know the best models. Price no more than $200.

It's usually windy, dusty and dry where I shoot nighttime time-lapse, so "sturdy" and "durable" are the key words.

Care to share your experience or suggestions?

I hear tripods that have 3 legs are the most sturdy.

Manfrotto make very sturdy carbon fibre tripods. I have been using one for almost 20 years (!) now. Very solid, stiff and durable. They are not cheap, but since Manfortto have been making them for a very long time, you might be able to find a second-hand one cheaply. Search for "Manfrotto carbon".

I have a Benroe that does the job for me...I hang a sand bag under the center column, Makes for a solid base...

I recently bought a Mefoto Road Trip tripod and love it. It's a top seller. One advantage is it converts to a monopod very easily. Here's a link:

mefoto

I have a Roadtrip as well, and while I would call it a great tripod for its size, when someone uses the words very stable in their request for a recommendation I believe it might fall short of expectations. My experience is the more leg sections the less overall stability there is with weight. I've got 3 nice tripods, with the Roadtrip getting the most use, but my Manfrotto 055XPROB is what gets pulled out when I've got a big lens on the heavy camera and there's a breeze outside. It's at the top of your price range new, and that's without a head. But I suspect if you keep your eyes open you can find one. I'd also pay a visit to a decent camera shop that deals in used equipment as they tend to have a decent number of used tripods floating around.

With a heavy camera and heavy lens I find that you need a head with a big plate. small heads and plates tend to droop.

I use a Giottos Head MH1300 + MH621 plate that covers almost all the bottom of the camera.

For really sturdy tripods try Wooden one from Berlebach or Reiss.
Tripods from Berlebach - The Genuine Alternative! Wooden Tripods Made in Germany
Ries Tripods

An extremely; if some what heavy; solution is to get professional tripods used for Video. They come with bracing for stability and can take upto 25kg weight.

aroy said:

They come with bracing for stability and can take upto 25kg weight.

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This might be an overkill for a 1.3 kg camera/lens combination. :eyetwitch:

aroy said:

For really sturdy tripods try Wooden one from Berlebach or Reiss.
Tripods from Berlebach - The Genuine Alternative! Wooden Tripods Made in Germany
Ries Tripods

An extremely; if some what heavy; solution is to get professional tripods used for Video. They come with bracing for stability and can take upto 25kg weight.

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He asked for a price no more than $200. Do your recommendations fit this? Just wondering.

Felisek said:

This might be an overkill for a 1.3 kg camera/lens combination. :eyetwitch:

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The total system weight is generally more
1. Body ~ 1kg
2. 70-200 ~ 1.5kg
3. Ball Head ~ 0.4kg
Total ~ 2 kg.

If a Supertele with Gymbal Head is used then add at least 8kg, and you get to 10kg level. With Factor-of-Safety thrown in a nominal 12kg load bearing capacity is warranted.

There is no harm in having more load bearing capacity, but less is quite dangerous, as the tripod may topple over in wind.

There are lighter ones too. The operative word is stable, and these are extremely stable. The price may be slightly more than requested, but unlike less expensive options the wooden tripods last a lifetime. I think that this model will be ideal.
Tripod Report 132/P from Berlebach ® Tripods

I'm going to second the Manfrotto 055XPROB. I don't know if you'll find one used or not, but it's roughly within your budget, sans ball-head when bought new. When it comes to tripods, though, my only bit of advice is the advice I wished I'd followed from the start:

Spend. The. Money.

I went through several tripods before settling, finally, on the 055XPROB and I wish I'd just done it right the first time.

Good luck on your hunt.

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Horoscope Fish said:

I'm going to second the Manfrotto 055XPROB. I don't know if you'll find one used or not, but it's roughly within your budget, sans ball-head when bought new. When it comes to tripods, though, my only bit of advice is the advice I wished I'd followed from the start:

Spend. The. Money.

I went through several tripods before settling, finally, on the 055XPROB and I wish I'd just done it right the first time.

Good luck on your hunt.

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I can vouch for this model as I also have the 055XPROB with 468MGRC0 ball head. This model is stable, but no where near the stability offered by the wooden tripods.

One thing that reduces stability of a tripod is the central column. So in my opinion it is better to have a tripod without one, even though it may mean either getting a taller model or squatting for a shorter model. One advantage of central column is that you can use it for horizontal reach, but that makes it extremely unstable, I use it at home for setting the camera in vertical plane for copy work.

I went through this problem getting a tripod for my macro needs, and I didn't really find a cheap tripod that fit all my needs. But I did find cheap pan fluid head tripods that were plenty stable and even carbon fiber though not as ideal for DSLRs as a really good ball head, but would work fairly well for shots not needed to be very close to the ground. I had a used SLIK brand tripod that I only paid $40.00 for. Anyway this might be a strong yet cheap option that might be worth checking into.

Right now I'm thrilled with the tripod and ball head I have, but the ball head was $400.00 by itself and you'd still need the plate or L bracket and tripod legs. I was extremely lucky a friend gave me a Cabelas tripod legs that seem to work very well, but I have no clue about what they cost or even the model, so I can't tell you much about them except that my buddy used them with His D800 until he upgraded to gitzo legs.

So other than going the pan head video tripod route at a cheap price, I would highly suggest thinking about investing more into a good tripod even if it's more expensive than you originally wanted to buy. If weight isn't an issue I'd recommend looking at older used gitzo legs since are are strong but inexpensive and then spend the money on a good ARCA swiss ball head suitable to your needs.
It's one of the best investments I've made in camera gear to be honest, and so much better to use than what I had, for my macro shots.

Anyway I wish you the best of luck which ever way you decide to go! But maybe keep this thought in mind, that your trusting it to hold up a very expensive Nikon.

The Vanguard Alta Pro 263 with the SBH ballhead is a little bit over your budget but it's stable comes with a very good ballhead and a multi angle centre column. I've had my d7100 with the 70-200 on it and I've never had any concerns about it being toppled. It also has a hook on the base of the main column which you can use to hang weights to give you extra stability.

Alta Pro 263AB 100 - Vanguard Tripods - By Series - Alta Pro Kit

Years ago I bought a used Bogen Manfrotto with head off ebay. I can still get parts for it when needed like locking plates etc. I paid around $150 for it and it is on the heavy side but I like you drive to locations and do not use it while hiking around. Make sure you get a height that works for your height. I'm 6' 3" and mine is great and solid as heck.

like Chito i have the vanguard, but i bought the bigger sbh-250 ballhead to replace the sbh-100 (which is now on my monopod), this holds my D7000 and 50-500 sigma ok, i dont know how this would compare to the manfrotto, i got the tripod and 100 ballhead for $150 and the 250 head was $90, so just over your budget.

WJYPhoto said:

Years ago I bought a used Bogen Manfrotto with head off ebay. I can still get parts for it when needed like locking plates etc. I paid around $150 for it and it is on the heavy side but I like you drive to locations and do not use it while hiking around. Make sure you get a height that works for your height. I'm 6' 3" and mine is great and solid as heck.

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Not to derail the original topic, but how hard is it to replace/swap the head on the Bogen Manfrotto? I bought mine a few decades ago, but would prefer a head with locking plates rather than the head that's on there now. That might also open up some options for the OP if shopping used...

pedroj said:

I have a Benroe that does the job for me...I hang a sand bag under the center column, Makes for a solid base...

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Dumb Newbie question regarding hanging weights from the tripod ... in windy conditions, does the wind "rock" the weight, causing some shake?

Rock Daddeo said:

Dumb Newbie question regarding hanging weights from the tripod ... in windy conditions, does the wind "rock" the weight, causing some shake?

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Granted I've not tried shooting in hurricane-like conditions but from what I can tell when weighting the center column you can have some swing without affecting the stability of the tripod. This assumes you have a tripod of decent quality to begin with, however. Now, if you want to cook up some way crazy scenario involving 80MPH winds and four-minute exposure times...

In conditions normal people of average intelligence would find themselves shooting in, breezes rocking your center-weighted tripod are not a problem in my experience.

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