Tripod recommendations?

[cat001]

Tripods are a new territory to me, mostly i've been dabbling in macro photography but have recently purchased a canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens and am now looking into getting a tripod and ball head to go with it. I'm hoping to get one before I jet off to South Africa in the next few months! I'm looking in the budget of around £200-£300 max...any suggestions anyone?

 

[Kemble3]

Catherine, I use Manfrotto's, built like a tank and within your budget.

 

[g4gxl]

I would also be interested to know what others think as I am looking myself.

The Benbo seems to be unique as the design does not use a 'centre column' in the conventional sense. Or, at least, the centre column can be positioned at some really useful angles for macro work.

The legs also seem to be ideally suited for use in ponds or mud. The lower sections are the widest and the upper sections telescope 'down'.

Difficult to explain, here's a photo -

 

[RicherSea]

I've got a Manfrotto 190 CX Pro 3. Light enough to fly with, reasonably steel, and seems lite its indestructible. Been in the sea, in rivers, dropped over 30' and just keeps going.

 

[woof woof]

I switched from a Manfrotto 055 to a Benbo and I've never looked back.

The Manfrotto just frustrated me as I just couldn't get it into the positions I wanted but the Benbo can get into positions that were simply impossible with the Manfrotto and as an added bonus the Benbo is more stable too.

There are no local dealers to me so I just took a gamble and bought one off ebay complete with the additional column bracket and it does everything I could want. I've been using a Giottos ball head but have just ordered a geared for it.

 

[HoppyUK]

I think Benro make the best tripods for that kind of money. Quality is right up there with Gitzo and Arca Swiss (they're Chinese copies) for half the money. Better than Manfrotto, Giottos etc. I have a C-257 with J-2 head, and excellent it is too.

Plenty of choice here - recommended ebay supplier. Very fast delivery, good comms, and nobody I know of so far has been hit for any import taxes. DC's Store http://stores.ebay.com/DCs-Photography-Store

 

[FiestaRed]

Hoppy,

How does the wing nut locking for the centre column on your C-257 feel, is it reasonably smooth and does it have a positive lock?

It looks "similar" to the earlier Gitzo 2530.

 

[Lornholio]

I think Benro make the best tripods for that kind of money. Quality is right up there with Gitzo and Arca Swiss (they're Chinese copies) for half the money. Better than Manfrotto, Giottos etc. I have a C-257 with J-2 head, and excellent it is too.

Plenty of choice here - recommended ebay supplier. Very fast delivery, good comms, and nobody I know of so far has been hit for any import taxes. DC's Store http://stores.ebay.com/DCs-Photography-Store

I can second the recommendation for Benro legs, also branded as Induro I believe. They're Gitzo clones (not quite up to the same build quality but very good value), I read years ago they're made in the far east by a factory that Gitzo were maybe going to relocate to, not sure how much truth there is in that. Anyway I don't think they can be beaten on value, build seems good and the twist leg locks are so much nicer than any clip type ones. Mine is an old 228 model. Whoever asked about the centre column, I rarely use mine but it's smooth and locks solid. One of the models with the repositional column/arm might be a good shout for macro but can't comment how solid a Benro one of those would be.

The heads I'm not so sure of. My first KS-1 lasted about a year then the head-to-legs thread sheared in the middle of a job. The eBay seller replaced under warranty which I was surprised with but fair play to them. The replacement has lasted a few years but it's not the nicest to use. Definitely not up to scratch in terms with the real deal (Kirk, Arca Swiss which I've fondled but can't afford) but again you'd spend the same money on a Manfrotto head that's not quite as solid. On your budget I'd say go for it.

www.photopal.co.uk is the UK dealer I think. I got mine from eBay HK seller Link Delight.

 

[DonnaM]

Yet another for Benro/Induro. The legs are excellent value for money but like Lornholio the jury is out on the heads.

 

[Martyn...]

Yet another for Benro/Induro. The legs are excellent value for money but like Lornholio the jury is out on the heads.

The Benro head I have comes nowhere near the build quality of the Arca Swiss heads that I own. (Or any of the other top end heads in my possession).

I have not seen the tripod, so without first hand experience cannot comment.

 

[cat001]

Thanks all! I'll have a look at the benro tripods, and thanks for the link Hoppy!

 

[HoppyUK]

You're welcome Catherine

Hoppy,

How does the wing nut locking for the centre column on your C-257 feel, is it reasonably smooth and does it have a positive lock?

It looks "similar" to the earlier Gitzo 2530.

Centre column lock is just fine. Yes, they are Gitzo clones and until recently Benro even had the same enamel finish as Gitzo and were virtually indistinguishable. But then many other tripods on the market copy the basic Gitzo design in terms of leg mechs and hinges etc. Designing a tripod is not rocket science!

Price is really no guide to quality these days. You can buy a Benro from DC's Store on ebay, or a number of other ebay suppliers, or you can buy the same thing from PhotoPal.co.uk (who are not the official importers, despite what they say) and pay a bit more, or via Kenro (who are the official importers) from your local dealer and pay even more still http://www.kenro.co.uk/productgroup/14/Benro.html?PHPSESSID=7dubt22vite99gjmm21j4mlj06 However, DC's Store has the biggest range at the lowest prices, and their service is very good. The same Benro tripods are also sold as Induro through Calumet, again at greater cost.

What is driving the price here is the middle men. When you add the cost of an official importer with their overheads, plus a high street retailer with all that entails, you end up with a tripod that costs pretty much the same as most other top brands. If you could buy a Gitzo, at cost from the factory gates, it would be a fraction of the retail price. That's fairly obvious I guess, and no criticism of Gitzo - just how things are.

Benro have made a deliberate attempt to copy both the quality and the design of Gitzo. They do the same with Arca Swiss heads (eg the B-series and J-series, not the cheaper KS-series) and also Wimberley gimbals. I have compared my Benro C-257 side by side with similar Gitzos, Manfrottos and Giottos. It is comparable to Gitzo, and better than the others. Not that there is much at all wrong with them but the Benro and Gitzo are a little more rigid, a little lighter, better engineered and finished. Comparison test of ball heads here http://www.traumflieger.de/desktop/ballhead/ballheads4.php That's the summary page in German, but you'll get the gist of it, or run a translation through BabelFish.

There are many other really good brands out there too, also Chinese. Giottos are Chinese (not actually designed or made by Leonardo da Vinci ) Slik are Chinese, Manfrotto and Gitzo have some of their stuff made in China though they don't talk about it much. China is taking over the production of this stuff basically.

Other really good brands at very good prices are Feisol (as used by the Army, after extensive comparison testing apparently) and Triopo but you won't see them in the shops.

And let's not forget RedSnapper in all this. They are more Manfrotto than Gitzo quality, but that is no bad thing at all and the prices are very good indeed - plus TPers get an extra 10% off I have just bought one for a mate and at £99 for a decent sized tripod and a quality ball head, a bargain. Dozens of TPers have RedSnappers, and all seem very happy. They are made in China, in the same factory as Slik, to RS Joe's spec.

PS, If I was buying a new ball head, I'd get this PhotoClam with integral panning clamp http://www.dentonimages.com/page.php?id=Photo_Clam_Pro_Gold_II_Easy_PQR_Review I'm pretty sure it's a Markins Q3 underneath (Korean) which is top drawer, very strong, really light, and the pan head feature is mint Stick it on a Benro C-257 or maybe a C-258

 

[BertUK]

Have you seen the new Giottos Vitruvian tripods?

The aluminium one is around £160 and the carbon version is £270. They turn easily into a monopod, too, apparently.

I'm looking for a small, lightweight tripod I can happily carry around with me on holiday and I'm seriously considering the alu version because my overall budget is £180.

Currently trying to find a shop that has them in stock so I can see one in the flesh.

 

[HoppyUK]

Have you seen the new Giottos Vitruvian tripods?

<snip>

They're good! Basically a copy of a Gitzo Traveller, as is a Benro Travel Angel. A few others also have the integral monopod feature.

The folding design is really neat but the problem for me is that you can't fit a very big head inbetween the legs. And while they're compact when folded and fit in a suitcase, they're not any lighter.

The big advantage of Giottos is that they have quite good retail distribution so you can actually get to try one.

 

[Denyerec]

I've lost count of the number of times I've posted this:

http://bythom.com/support.htm

Also look into Berlebach ( http://www.berlebach.de/?sprache=english ) if you're serious about macrophotography. Pretty soon your magnifications will expose any weakness in your support system, so save money in the long run and buy correctly first time.

 

[BertUK]

They're good! Basically a copy of a Gitzo Traveller, as is a Benro Travel Angel. A few others also have the integral monopod feature.

The folding design is really neat but the problem for me is that you can't fit a very big head inbetween the legs. And while they're compact when folded and fit in a suitcase, they're not any lighter.

The big advantage of Giottos is that they have quite good retail distribution so you can actually get to try one.

I hadn't thought of the restriction on head size. That's a good point.

Although, I am quite the amateur, so I'm sure it won't matter to me, at least for now

 

[HoppyUK]

I hadn't thought of the restriction on head size. That's a good point.

Although, I am quite the amateur, so I'm sure it won't matter to me, at least for now

Amateur or not, the head is very important. It's the main user-interface, and a big ball is simply better. The end. You can't have one that's too big, just that the really big ones are heavy - 40-45mm seems like a good sort of average, which has good strength and smooth movement and doesn't shift too much (ideally not at all) when you tighten it up, which drives you mad.

The thing I like best about my Benro J-2 (44mm ball) is the way it doesn't move when you clamp it down, even with a long lens. I tried a £300 Acratech ball head recently and that was really diappointing in this respect, despite its cool design and lovely engineering. Price really doesn't seem to be much of a guide these days.

 

[cat001]

I know this is old, but thought it deserved a conclusion, I ended up getting a Manfrotto 190xprob with Manfrotto 496 Ballhead, am very pleased with the purchase indeed. This was the first decent pic I took using the tripod...

Unfortunately it's not the best of quality, I used a 18-55mm lens for the shot which to be honest isn't the best of lenses..If anyones got photoshop I'd be happy for them to have a play with it! lol

Also managed these shots too with aid of the tripod!
(Also used registax with this one)

As well as other little creepy crawlies and have found it extremely useful with composing and when photographing my reptiles too...

Thanks again everyone for your input

 

[CT]

I would also be interested to know what others think as I am looking myself.

The Benbo seems to be unique as the design does not use a 'centre column' in the conventional sense. Or, at least, the centre column can be positioned at some really useful angles for macro work.

The legs also seem to be ideally suited for use in ponds or mud. The lower sections are the widest and the upper sections telescope 'down'.

Difficult to explain, here's a photo -

I have an old Benbo 1 or 2 -can't remember which, but it's the biggest one they do. They're a great tripod and strong enough to support anything you can throw at them as well as erecting to an enormous height when fully extended. They're not everyones cup of tea as once you slack off the locking bolt all the legs are free to just flop around until you position them and tighten the locking handle again. It's a doddle once you get used to it, but initially it can be a bit like wrestling with a set of manic bagpipes and some people just can't get on with them at all.

The other thing is that unlike most tripod designs where the legs close together, when folded the legs sit side by side, which makes it very wide and awkward to transport. Even when fully collapsed mine is about 4 feet long and it's very heavy - around 9lbs I think without a head.

If you want a tripod for studio use or working not too far from the car then you'll probably love a Benbo, but if there's any walking involved you'll curse the day you bought it. Shame because they represent good value for money compared to the alternatives. They're a very adaptable tripod and the original Benbo design has been copied by many other manufactures who've designed lighter and more compact variations of it, while the basic Benbo design hasn't been changed at all. Gitzo and many others have implemented better, lighter and more compact variations of that rotating centre column which is a great feature.

Actually, just reading that through again, it's probably wrong to say that other designs are 'better' it's just that the Benbo is totally uncompromising in terms of weight, strength and stability, which doesn't make it the all-round tripod we'd all prefer.