Sturdy Tripod. "No" budget.

tijuana taxi said:
Carbon can wear down slightly through use and then needs extra tightening to clamp up.
This often occurs with a bicycle carbon seatpost and needs increasing amounts of torque to stop it slipping.
You can now buy carbon grip products from various manufacturers that is applied to avert this problem.
No reason it wouldn't also work on tripod legs and could prevent a costly accident from slippage.
This is one type Fibre Grip Gel, many others to choose from, but for the money well worth a try I reckon.
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I did look at this type of thing but on a tripod couldnt work out where to apply because i might want to lock off almost anywhere. I then thought of a tape, something like ptfe but thought i’d be constantly replacing it. Couldnt find much in way of other guidance from other sources so had talked myself into replacing
 
Topsy said:
I have a Gitzo GT3543XLS which extends to around 7 1/2 feet it is invaluable when on slopes or when perched on a rock for extra elevation. For stability I use 4 inch spikes instead of the rubber feet they make an incredible difference.
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One of my favorite tripods... sturdy enough for most things yet still pretty light. And the extra tube lengths can also help increase stability a lot when you don't need all of the height.
 
If you want to wait a bit...
I just bought a Leofoto LN-404C and should get it next week. When I get it I will compare it to my RRS TVC-33 for build quality and stiffness, particularly at typical use height.

I actually got an open box from LeoPhotoUSA at a great deal (+center column + leveling ball/clamp)... yeah, didn't really *need* another tripod, but this thread has got me missing the Gitzo 3542xls I used to have.
 
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sk66 said:
If you want to wait a bit...
I just bought a Leofoto LN-404C and should get it next week. When I get it I will compare it to my RRS TVC-33 for build quality and stiffness, particularly at typical use height.

I actually got an open box from LeoPhotoUSA at a great deal (+center column + leveling ball/clamp)... yeah, didn't really *need* another tripod, but this thread has got me missing the Gitzo 3542xls I used to have.
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No mad rush, so will wait!

Wish RRS and PMG were more readily available here. Surprised there isn't a big importer in EU.
 
aj‘s sell some PMG items.
Not sure about tripods,

aj-s.co.uk
 
GeeJay57 said:
Reminds me of work…

Suggest you have a reference line of specs for your ‘Goldilocks’ tripod, then you could do some nice comparative charts too.
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List Wants vs Needs, assign weights to all - but Needs are essential, big matrix, multiplicionarify, additionalise. Then tweak all the above until you get the answer you wanted in the first place.
 
For goodness sake - you're buying a tripod, not designing a nuclear reactor!

Go to a good store, like Wex, and try a few from the mainstream manufacturers. This is what I did and, after comparing, I walked away with a Manfrotto 055 with matching ball head - entirely adequate for my Z9 etc. If I want to shoot wildlife I mount the Benro GH2 gimbal in place of the ball head - Bob's yer uncle.

I'm standing by, waiting to be flamed by the poseurs who think they "need" Gitzos, RRS, Berlebach etc
 
GeordieStew said:
Not quite sure how to respond to the critics other than...OK. You do you.

This is how my non neuro typical brain works. And I'm fine with that. Well done for being able to go pick up a tripod and buy it. But not everyone is build that way. It's a process.
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For the record, I’m not being critical. Your money, your purchase and your tripod. If going through the ‘spreadsheet analysis’ process makes you happier in the choice you make, then that’s great.
 
GeordieStew said:
Not quite sure how to respond to the critics other than...OK. You do you.

This is how my non neuro typical brain works. And I'm fine with that. Well done for being able to go pick up a tripod and buy it. But not everyone is build that way. It's a process.
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This tripod might be of interest to you...
 
Jim_Tod said:
Look at the Artcise AS90c and AS88c

i traded in a Gitzo 5 series after getting the AS90 and then got an AS80 as well

4 leg sections though but quite solid and only around £300 incl

spikes
75mm levelling bowl
standard fixed base insert
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I have the AS80 (but with clips on legs rather than twist locking).

Eos R, 70-200 f2.8 and a manfrotto fluid head (heavy one), panning about and no movement at all with the tripod.

I have just bought a second one, thought about the AS90 but saw no benefit o the 40kg payload over 20kg for my kit.

T
 
GeordieStew said:
Morning all

Looking for a new tripod (to join the 3 other ones I never use). Calling on your experience!

Criteria
150cm+
Carbon fibre
Prefer twist locks
No centre column
Ideally 3 leg sections (possibly 4)
Spiked feet available (prefer supplied but not the end of the world)

Not too fussed about weight. The difference between "light" and "heavy" is only a couple of kg. Not hiking with this.
Not too fussed about folded size. Not hiking with this.
Not too fussed about price. I have £500ish in mind. But would stretch.

Let me know some companies/models to look out for.

Thanks in advance
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only just joined and my response.
a quick scan through and I saw no mention of Leofoto.
I’ve got a Ranger ls284 cex.
carbon fibre. I’ve got the baby too. You could get both within your budget.
it seems bomb proof in 9 months I’ve had it.
 
I like the idea of your spreadsheet -- very useful -- however, (unless I can't see it) there seems to be (for me) one crucial item missing: does it come with a head or is that going to be extra?
 
ShinySideUp said:
I like the idea of your spreadsheet -- very useful -- however, (unless I can't see it) there seems to be (for me) one crucial item missing: does it come with a head or is that going to be extra?
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As far as I'm aware, none of them come with a head. It was intentional as I have a gimbal head already.

I think it's mostly missing minimum height too.
 
I see a previous commenter linked to it, have you taken a look at The Center Column's rankings? David has done all this work for you already and his rankings are all based on empirical data rather than anecdotal experience. He also recommends specific head-leg combinations to maximize the total stability of the system.

While I'm here I'll add another subjective vote for Gitzo, been happy with the stability of mine –– even though it is only a 1-series and technically for travel. Been less happy with my Leofoto, but I expected that when I purchased. I would not go for Chinese carbon if your goal is ultimate stability.


thecentercolumn.com

Rankings

The reasoning behind the rankings page and calculation of the score can be found here. The reported stiffness is the harmonic mean of the stiffness measured at full height in the pitch and yaw dir…
thecentercolumn.com thecentercolumn.com
 
Well, my Leophoto 404CL arrived. I got an open box deal with the accessory center column/platform and the YB-100MK leveling ball with integrated arca swiss clamp; because my Gitzo Fluid Gimbal and SunwayFoto GH-Pro geared head are adapted w/ arca swiss baseplates, and I much prefer a leveling platform of some type rather than trying to get the legs level.

The build quality is quite good... the internal bushings are good quality and length. I didn't find anything to question or be concerned with.
I compared it to my RRS TVC33 (with all metal top plate) which is 3 sections and 4.6lb.

It is massive, I can stand under it with room to spare (I'm ~ 173cm). It's also quite heavy, but slightly lighter than advertised (7.3 lb); and only about 1lb heavier than the similar spec'd Gitzo Giant (5543xls). FWIW this tripod is actually more stable, and lighter, than my old 5 series Gitzo (G1548GT); but that is a very old tripod and Gitzo has made a lot of changes to the systematic tripods over the years (including how they name them)... I'm quite sure the 5543xls would perform even better, but at significantly higher cost.

At full extension (6' 3") it is really very stable; not quite as stable as the TVC33 at full extension (just under 5 ft), but then it is doing something the RRS tripod can't do. When set to the same height I judged the Leophoto to be just as stable in both stiffness and damping, even a bit better. To test I mounted my Z9 + Sigma 60-600 directly to the RRS top plate and the Leophoto leveling ball to eliminate any influence a head may have. I then set it to 600mm with live-view zoomed into 100% and rapped on the legs and top/sides of the camera body... it was focused on the screen in my window at ~ 10ft (small details at high magnification viewed at pixel level). I then attempted to time it with a stopwatch, which was a failure as they both settled down quite quickly (<1sec even with quite a large input)... so I'm going just off of best estimates.

FWIW, I couldn't tell a difference between setting it to height with the lowest tube fully retracted and the top tube slightly retracted (3rd tube fully extended) VS all tubes retracted some, but none completely... which is nice (much quicker/easier to set the height when you don't have to worry about it) This is not a tripod to take hiking unless you want the exercise, but I think it is excellent for the money. Most of my photography using a tripod is short distance (<2km, often far less)), so another 2lb isn't going to kill me, but the sheer size/bulk of it is something to consider.


The performance also surprised me a bit, so I went and pulled the CenterColumn test results for them; I also included the results for the Feisol 3472 you are considering (bigger numbers are better). It's apparent that the weight of the tripod hurt it quite a lot in the CenterColumn rankings tabulation (which also used the full extension results).

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I also pulled the numbers for the RRS TVC-34L which is 3" shorter, costs 2x as much, and slightly poorer performance. It also performs about the same as the TVC-33 w/ the bottom tube collapsed. But the 34L is overall smaller (30mm top tube instead of 40mm, 75mm platform instead of 100mm) and about 3lb lighter.

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