Hahnel tripods, on a budget?

Missymop

Missymop

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Melissa
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Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a new tripod but I'm on a tight budget. I want a tripod for portraits and the last one I bought didn't offer this (Just a camlink cheapy) I'm looking at the Hahnel triad 30 lite. Does anyone have one of these or can anyone give me any information? At the moment the cost of this tripod is the absolute max I can afford as I'm planning to buy a nifty fifty lens.

Any help and advice greatly appreciated.

Melissa.
 
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Or manfrotto 725b, I can just about stretch if I win at a good price on auction! Any advice?
 
Anyone?
 
Melissa,

Hiii :wave:

Firstly - how much are you looking to spend?

Secondly - it is the selection of head for the tripod that will allow for switching to portrait.

Let me know. I have another brand for you to look at if your budget is suitable.

:)
 
You're awesome thanks for a rapid reply! my budget at the max Inc. Postage is £50. I'm getting me a nifty fifty so that's all I have left over.

Thankyou, Sir.
 
Coolio. I was going to recommend Redsnapper - awesome company and offer excellent value for money. The kit you would ideally be looking at from them is the RS283 and ball head. Superb for only £99.99 and you may be able to wangle a discount :)

Right here we go -
The tripod goes a long way in helping to get tack sharp shots, there are several points that I would consider:
The manfrotto you picked out looks fine for your present body - it has a max weight bearing of 3.5kg. This is a very important number for tripods - you will see the redsnapper I linked to above has a weight bearing of 8kg's. I am not sure what lenses you have or whether you are looking to upgrade your kit in the future?
The manfrotto is their entry level tripod and suitable for entry kit, the leg clips look slightly less sturdy to me than on their other models but they will have been selected for their price and weight bearing.
The Hahnel has a much better weight bearing - 5kgs' and has adjustable tension on the leg clips (a good thing so that you can tighten them if in the future they start to come loose).
Final point - check out the weights of the tripod themselves - Hahnel= 2.61kg, Manf=1.54kg and the Redsnapper=1.97kg. The weights will be particularly important if you see yourself taking it out a lot with you - it is why the carbon fibre ones are a hit.

I guess it boils down to:
1) If your budget is definitely fixed then go for the Hahnel - heavy but looks to me to be the most sturdy vs the manf and has a lot better weight bearing.
2) If you can stretch to the redsnapper then go for it - lighter than the Hahnel and will take a lot more weight - therefore no matter how much your kit bag grows (and it will!) your tripod will remain suitable and you wont be buying another again soon.
 
Awesome advice, thankyou! I would love a red snapper and I have seen them before but at the moment just a little out of reach, my partner is on to me and is not gonna let me get away with more than 50 quid lol would you say for the money, around £35 that the hahnel is probably the best in it's class? (budget)

thanks again for your help!

Melissa
 
I think the specs you have for the hahnel might be for another model. It's the 30 lite and the seller on the bay has it at a lower weight. I'd you search eBay, hahnel tripod it will come up, it's the 36.99 one.

Thanks!
 
Badger sorry! It is this one it is the triad 100 - sorry - thought that was the one you were looking at - it is £49.99 inc pnp!!

Could have accidentally found you a right bargain there!
 
I could stretch to that one but what
do you think of the 30 lite? Better weight to carry similar to the manfrotto?
 
Looks good to me Mel - down to 4kgs weight bearing. Weigh your camera with biggest lens, grip (if you have one) and flash (if you have one). Still has adjustable legs too <- big plus over the frotto one.

See how close to the 4kg you are already. If not near then go for it!

30 = 1425mm max height
100 = 1530mm max height... are you tall?

The only other thing to mention is that the 100's central column can be removed and used as a monopod!
 
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I think I'm gonna go for the 100, I think the ball head looks better and as a whole looks to be better build. I'm 5'10" so the extra height is better and I like the idea of a monopod to hand! I'll let you know how it is when I order and receive!

Thanks again for your help!!

Melissa.
 
Aye nice choice to the both of you.

That's a crack tripod and very good value. The competitors products all sit at around £110-150 for that spec.

Can you do a review for TP when they arrive and you have taken them through their paces?
 
:eek:

Make sure you leave the strap attached to the camera and you just incase!

Also - check out the hot shoe spirit levels. Awesome bit of kit :)
 
Recieved my 30 lite today. Decided to go for the 30 due to the weight difference. My kit is heavy enough for me as it is at the moment lol!

The tripod is awesome, more than what I was expecting. The quality is unbelievable for the price, the ball head (although I've never used one before apart from the gorilla pod SLR) is great sturdy quality, it locks really tight and holds my 550d in any posistion and is very smooth, it also has a very smooth pan. You can remove the ballhead to place on any other set of tripod legs too. Nice size quick release plate and good grip.

The legs are very strong and feel of a high quality, the clips hold nice and tight and are adjustable (with included tool) and the whole thing folds down into a really small compact size and fits perfectly in the included branded bag.

I will be taking it with me on some days out over the next couple of week to shoot some landscapes (for the first time) so I will be sure to update this thread when I have put the tripod through its paces.

Overall I couldn't be happier with this tripod and for the price and quality would recommend it to anyone wanting a decent tripod with a ballhead on a budget.
 
My tripod arrived yesterday, and bearing in mind it is my first tripod, i have to say what a fantastic piece of kit for the money! it is very sturdy and the spirit level is a fantastic addition. everything i wanted in a tripod, and much better than the camlink ones i have seen in the shops.
I've only taken a few shots around the house and garden just to try it out and i cant fault it, but the real test will be next weekend!
 
Paul_300D said:
My tripod arrived yesterday, and bearing in mind it is my first tripod, i have to say what a fantastic piece of kit for the money! it is very sturdy and the spirit level is a fantastic addition. everything i wanted in a tripod, and much better than the camlink ones i have seen in the shops.
I've only taken a few shots around the house and garden just to try it out and i cant fault it, but the real test will be next weekend!
Click to expand...

Glad you're happy with yours too! I had a camlink as my first one and the quality difference between the two are extreme. I think these Hahnel tripods are truely the tripod on a budget.
 
I know this is an old thread, but still....
Just ordered one from Amazon, priced at £28. Had to get a budget tripod as Christmas is rapidly approaching and as the nights draw in, I'm finding myself out and about at night a lot more. Hopefully this will do the trick for those long exposures and it sounds like it will be suitable for my DSLR when it arrives.

Wow, my first tripod :)

Where will it end? :D
 
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