Best sub 500 gram sub £50 cheap and nasty tripod

kedo_b

kedo_b

Suspended / Banned
Messages
27
Name
Keith
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all, I'm looking for a sub 500 gram sub £50 cheap and nasty tripod to take with me when trekking when weight is key.

Whats the best of the worst? :)

I'll be shooting with an Olympus E-420 and 14-42mm with a combined weight of 650 grams so I'm looking for the bare minimum that will hold my camera solid enough for self shots, to gain a couple f-stops or a couple of seconds (more if possible) when at its lowest exstension.

I'm sure plenty of people have experience of the lower end lightweight tripods what was your experience? Unless its totally useless it will be of more use to me when out than the one I've left in my house!

Please don't
Tell me you get what you pay for, I know this, I've a Benbo Trekker for when weight isn't as much of an issue and photography is taking priority
Say buy a Gitzo/CF, I know theyre great and all but this is about getting something of bareable quality at a cheap price
Suggest a table top tripod, looking for something not less than 3foot.
Suggest a monopod, I'm not a fan and would add a thread to my walking poles if I wanted one.

If someone has seen a weight comparison chart of tripods somewhere, then that would also be great.

Cheers in advance :thumbs:

P.S
Sorry for the "please don't" stuff but any of the threads I've seen on this topic descend into just buy a gitzo etc, which is not what I'm looking for
 
I'll add another that's not really within the limits of your criteria but never mind :p

Manfrotto 785 Modo Maxi (Need to navigate to it as the site is flash so no direct linking)

The seem to be going for £50-60, although I got one new some time ago for £30..

They're meant for compacts and have a low max weight, although I can just about get away with a 40D and 17-55 so your little Oly shouldn't cause too many problems.

This weighs in at just under a Kilo, but I doubt you'll get below 500g without going composite or very small.
 
Another vote for that Manfrotto 785, Ive got one, it's remarkaby small yet also a full size tripod. It really doesn't weigh much and the lack of connections between legs makes it really easy to attach to rucksacks etc.
 
Cheers for taking the time to reply guys.

The froto's look like a possibility, but are still a bit heavier than I'd like.

The "best" I've found, on paper at least, looks like the Velbon V-Pod which weighs in at sub 300grams and can be piked up for around 15quid. Its max weight of 2 Kilo's is probably very optimistic, but should be able to hold my Oly.

Anyone any experience or anything to throw into else to throw in?
 
Hama Star 63 Tripod With Free Carry Case from Amazon you can see it as an alternative in the above link by tdodd. It is also avaible from some larger Asda stores with a photographic dept or from 7 day shop they also have their own branded version of it for a few pounds less. Mine supports Sony Alpha 300 with 70-300mm lens with no problems.
 
I just bought a Velbon Ultra Maxi M for my lightweight tripod needs. I paid £70 from my local camera shop but see they're going for £52 from Bristol Cameras.

It's heavier than you'd like though, weighing in at 916 grams, but the build quality is much much better than other compact tripods I've seen. In the shop it handled the weight of my D700 and Nikon 24-70 suprisingly well, though I probably wouldn't risk this at full height in windy conditions.

I like the twist leg lock action which is really quick and simple and the maximum height is a respectable 138.5cm. It even has a quick release plate and half decent head.

The weight may put you off but for the price you'll struggle to find anything like the quality.
 
Again cheers for the replies, maybe I'm looking for hen's teeth?!

The zipshot looks interesting but the lack of adjustable leg height would really put me off it, especially for hiking

After some extensive googling I came across this forum which has some interesting home made tripod solutions including a home made zipshot, might be worth a look for anyone looking a similar solution to myself!
 
Another vote for the Manfrotto 785B, I've got one and love it. I wouldn't advise putting more than 1kg on top though.
 
Ian W said:
Would? Or wouldn't? :shrug:
Click to expand...

Oops, my bad. I wouldn't.

Thanks for pointing that out Ian.

It can hold my D90 with a Tamron 17-50 fine but if I put a flash on the camera the head slips.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top