# Are these tripods worth buying? or wasting my $$



## chilakamarthi (Sep 1, 2014)

Hi all,

I am looking to buy a carbon fiber tripod around and came across this tripod. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/151376263090?lpid=82. There are many such products in ebay. Not sure if I can go for it or not. Any suggestions?


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## Jim Saunders (Sep 1, 2014)

I'd call it small for a full frame body and any of your lenses; I have an aluminium one like that, they're both knock-offs of the Three Legged Thing. It is fine for my 50D and a light lens but they have a lot of height above the point where the legs attach.

That one in particular you linked would be like that ideally; what it is in practice is anyone's guess.

Jim


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 1, 2014)

chilakamarthi said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am looking to buy a carbon fiber tripod around and came across this tripod. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/151376263090?lpid=82. There are many such products in ebay. Not sure if I can go for it or not. Any suggestions?



It looks a lot like this one: $86 not $136. 

http://www.amazon.com/AFAITH-Camera-Monopod-Portable-Compact/dp/B00FTRV7EC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409537857&sr=8-2&keywords=Q666C

You generally get what you pay for, but on ebay, you can pay a lot more.

Its a waste of good money, in my opinion. A good ball head alone goes for at least $300 - and up.


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## PicaPica (Sep 1, 2014)

i am 17 years old and im going too school. so i don´t have money to waste. 

i saved for a gitzo 4542LS tripod. 
it´s a lot of money for me. but i thought that when i buy a good tripod, that fits all my needs, i will probably use it for the next 10 years. 

80 euro a year is not that bad. 

before that i had cheaper tripods around 200 euro... i was not satisfied.
sold them on ebay, lost money that way. 

so i would not buy this tripod.


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## danski0224 (Sep 1, 2014)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> A good ball head alone goes for at least $300 - and up.



I'll say that I got one of these and it works quite nicely: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/822265-REG/Sirui_BSRK40_K_40x_Ball_Head.html

I do not have personal experience to compare it to the USA or European $300 and up ballhead products, but the Sirui has done all I have asked of it.

That ballhead is attached to a Benro C2970T tripod, which I am also happy with for my uses.


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## leGreve (Sep 1, 2014)

When it comes to "grip" gear like stands, tripods and so on, I always say cry once and keep forever.

If you skimp out because of price, you will be buying a new one every so often. A good tripod can (almost) last a lifetime if you treat it properly.


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## Phenix205 (Sep 1, 2014)

For the gear you have, I'd recommend Velbon UT 43D II. It includes a small bullhead, and is only 2.5 lbs. The folded length is less than 12 inch and extended length is over 60 inch. I bought one a couple weeks ago and just love it. I've used it with 5D3 + 70-200 II for longer than 20 seconds exposure and it is fine. If you are looking a light weight travel tripod, this is an excellent candidate. 

I have a heavy duty aluminum Gitzo plus Arca-Swiss B1 and a whole bunch of Arca-Swiss compatible accessories including L-plates for each body. I didn't think of weight when I bought them, but right now the only use of it is for lens testing at home or for very long exposure using my 10-stop ND filter. The weight does matter if you carry it around for a few hours hiking. And it takes too much time to set it up and fold it back down. 

I especially like Velbon's leg releasing system. Super fast to extend and fold. And the whole package is only $200. I do keep a close eye on it when the ball head drops into the vertical slot. 

This is just my personal experience. Tripod, bullhead and various quick release plates can be the most invested gear with the least use. I would start with a less expensive light weight one and upgrade as needed.


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## tayassu (Sep 1, 2014)

A tripod is something you buy for a lifetime, so buy a good one! I'd recommend Manfrotto, if you don't want to spend too much money, Gitzo (Mountaineer series probably in your case) if you want the best. Check out the 190CXPRO4/055CXPRO4 at the Manfrotto website, maybe a Kirk or RRS ballhead with it.
http://www.manfrotto.com/collection/8374.58969.1079729.0.0/055_new_series
http://www.manfrotto.com/collection/8374.58969.1070646.0.0/190_New_Series
http://www.gitzo.com/collection/71837.1078805.0.0.0/mountaineer_tripods
Good luck choosing!


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## Phenix205 (Sep 1, 2014)

tayassu said:


> A tripod is something you buy for a lifetime, so buy a good one!


This was exactly the same advice I was given when I was looking for my first tripod system. I wish I had thought differently. The Arca-Swiss B1 I have weights about 1.5 lbs itself and is rated for 90lbs. I thought this would last forever even with a heavy telephoto lens. 12 years past, I never purchased a big white and probably will not in the next 5 years. One big mistake I have made was thinking too far out in the future. 

Buy the gear that suits your need within the next 3 years and then upgrade as needed. Things are getting better because of better technologies and smarted design. Nothing needs to last for a lifetime. Use your money wisely and happy shooting.


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## PicaPica (Sep 1, 2014)

Phenix205 said:


> tayassu said:
> 
> 
> > A tripod is something you buy for a lifetime, so buy a good one!
> ...



nobody advices him to buy stuff he can hang a tank on. 
or to buy today for a 800mm f5.6 when he only has a 70-200mm lens yet.

but even for a lightweight travel tripod there are difference in quality.

you made the mistake to buy oversized tripod for your needs. 
but that doesn´t mean people will be happy with 100$ tripods.


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## tayassu (Sep 1, 2014)

Phenix205 said:


> tayassu said:
> 
> 
> > A tripod is something you buy for a lifetime, so buy a good one!
> ...


If you'll look closer, I did not recommend the OP to buy a Gitzo 5 series Ocean tripod for 40kg, but a Manfrotto 190 or 055, which are not suitable for anything heavier than "small" white zooms; 70-200/2.8 or 100-400 on windy days are the max, not even close to an 800mm (tried it out myself). But that is a tripod that will last long and the OP will be satisfied with. It does not have to be a big ballhead, maybe a Novoflex CB3 or a RRS BH-40 or a Sunwayfoto XB-44...


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## scottkinfw (Sep 1, 2014)

Benro had some nice stuff too, and it is name brand.

Here is a review to help you. I would also agree, this doesn't have to last a lifetime and I have several tripods that I use today for different things. If you don't spend a ton, and get at least a few good years of satisfied use out of it, when you want and need to upgrade, it won't be a waste.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/5352974021/travel-tripods-5-carbon-fiber-kits-reviewed

sek


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 1, 2014)

scottkinfw said:


> Benro had some nice stuff too, and it is name brand.
> 
> Here is a review to help you. I would also agree, this doesn't have to last a lifetime and I have several tripods that I use today for different things. If you don't spend a ton, and get at least a few good years of satisfied use out of it, when you want and need to upgrade, it won't be a waste.
> 
> ...



I have two $150 Benro ball heads that were a complete waste of money, pure junk. They have been sitting in their original boxes for 7 years, used once. I have two Benro CF tripods that are 7 years old now, and cost $450 each. The quality was reasonable, but not what I'd call $450 worth. Parts are not nor were ever available as it turns out. I could never recommend them.


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## DominoDude (Sep 1, 2014)

Roger C over at LensRentals has written this about choosing a tripod --> http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2009/05/choosing-a-tripod
There are links to Manfrottos configurator, but it didn't work for me, so I'll toss in a working link I had bookmarked --> http://configurator.manfrotto.com/manfrotto.html?a=b&matrix=9839


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## danski0224 (Sep 1, 2014)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I have two $150 Benro ball heads that were a complete waste of money, pure junk. They have been sitting in their original boxes for 7 years, used once. I have two Benro CF tripods that are 7 years old now, and cost $450 each. The quality was reasonable, but not what I'd call $450 worth. Parts are not nor were ever available as it turns out. I could never recommend them.



I'd agree on the Benro ballhead- at least the one that came as part of the C2970T tripod kit.

However, it was better than nothing.

If one has the ballhead already, the C2970 can be had on that really big auction site for $375, including shipping from China... $465.00 from the same vendor with the B2 head. So, I suppose for $90.00, the B2 head has some value.

I have found the design of the C2970 to be very useful for macro pictures, despite the general poor opinion of telescoping/adjustable center columns.

From what I have seen, the Gitzo GT2531EX is the closest functional match to the Benro C2970. The Gitzo and the Sirui 40 is approaching 2x the cost of the Benro kit and adding a Euro/USA ballhead easily approaches a $1k investment. I have read the occasional tale of poor repair service for Gitzo products.

I am not aware of other usable tripods with a positionable center column. If RRS made one, I would have considered it.

Some of the lateral arm accessories can get pretty pricey too. 

I did try a cheaper CF adjustable tripod and promptly sent it back. It was a Vanguard Alta Pro, pretty much only suitable for a point and shoot or small DSLR and small lens. 

There seems to be a gulf in the middle for photographic accessories. Lots of cheap knockoffs and then there is the upper end.

I would like to have an Arca Swiss Cube... but that's a ways off yet.


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## chilakamarthi (Sep 1, 2014)

PicaPica said:


> i am 17 years old and im going too school. so i don´t have money to waste.
> 
> i saved for a gitzo 4542LS tripod.
> it´s a lot of money for me. but i thought that when i buy a good tripod, that fits all my needs, i will probably use it for the next 10 years.
> ...





tayassu said:


> A tripod is something you buy for a lifetime, so buy a good one! I'd recommend Manfrotto, if you don't want to spend too much money, Gitzo (Mountaineer series probably in your case) if you want the best. Check out the 190CXPRO4/055CXPRO4 at the Manfrotto website, maybe a Kirk or RRS ballhead with it.
> http://www.manfrotto.com/collection/8374.58969.1079729.0.0/055_new_series
> http://www.manfrotto.com/collection/8374.58969.1070646.0.0/190_New_Series
> http://www.gitzo.com/collection/71837.1078805.0.0.0/mountaineer_tripods
> Good luck choosing!




I totally agree. Earlier I got Dolica 65 inch model and most of the times it served my purpose. I observed that it is not easy to carry around & couple of times I observed that it was shaking on long exp shot . I am looking for something easy to carry even in my cabin luggage and also more stable. 

Second reason for looking for cheap version is, If I see my photography work, 95% of the cases camera is in my hands. Very few times when I went for nature photography and pano. 

My height is 165 cm  and this tripod height is right for my height.

So this tripod attracted me .


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## wsmith96 (Sep 1, 2014)

chilakamarthi said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am looking to buy a carbon fiber tripod around and came across this tripod. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/151376263090?lpid=82. There are many such products in ebay. Not sure if I can go for it or not. Any suggestions?



For something like a tripod, I'm not sure I would pursue a generic model. Think of the cost of the camera you are trusting the tripod with. Giottos and manfrotto have value options as well. Give them a look before you buy.

Just my recommendation.


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## chilakamarthi (Sep 2, 2014)

wsmith96 said:


> chilakamarthi said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all,
> ...


I totally agree. Earlier I got Dolica 65 inch model and most of the times it served my purpose. I observed that it is not easy to carry around & couple of times I observed that it was shaking on long exp shot . I am looking for something easy to carry even in my cabin luggage and also more stable. 

Second reason for looking for cheap version is, If I see my photography work, 95% of the cases camera is in my hands. Very few times when I went for nature photography and pano I used tripod. 

Do you have any suggestions?


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## tayassu (Sep 2, 2014)

Well, there is a pretty stable, relatively cheap, relatively lightweight, relatively small packing and extremely flexible tripod with the option of going monopod by Rollei, the Fotopro C5i: 
http://www.amazon.com/Fotopro-C5i-Camera-Tripod-Titanium/dp/B007QSAQ8U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409647301&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Rollei+Fotopro+c5i
Maybe this one matches your conditions


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 2, 2014)

chilakamarthi said:


> wsmith96 said:
> 
> 
> > chilakamarthi said:
> ...



Stable means legs that do not flex, enough weight so that a breeze does not blow it over, and even more importantly, a head that locks down so your lens does not droop.

If you get a tripod with a under hook, you can make any decent one more stable by hanging a weight on the hook, many use a camera bag as the weight. You can also sandbag the legs to keep one from blowing over.

BUT ... Be very careful about the head. Cheap heads usually do not hold a lens stable, and it will droop after you lock the head. Its really a pain to aim that 70-200 or 100-400 and then see your target move up when you let go of the lens. You have to figure out how much droop you will get and compensate. I've done that when I first bought a low cost rig. If you are on a budget, you can work around inexpensive legs, but splurge on a excellent head, and don't expect to find one packaged in a $400 or $300 combo deal.


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## surapon (Sep 2, 2014)

Dear Friends
I have about 12 Tripods + 6 Monopod past 30 years Start from $ 20 US Dollars up to the High End of Tripods ($$$) and High end Ball head ($$$)/ Made in The Great USA.
But past 2 years when I travel around the world, I use The Cheap and Great carbon fiber Tripods from China ( Tripods + Monopod) = $ 144 US Dollars and can Carry Load = 20 Pounds = Because of Light weight on the Airplane, Carry On, Plus can stand my Big DSLR( Canon 1DS ) + Big 600 mm Lens too.Enjoy
Surapon

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-BK-586-Trans-Functional-Monopod-Olympus/dp/B0082XM8F2


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## Djaaf (Sep 2, 2014)

tayassu said:


> Well, there is a pretty stable, relatively cheap, relatively lightweight, relatively small packing and extremely flexible tripod with the option of going monopod by Rollei, the Fotopro C5i:
> http://www.amazon.com/Fotopro-C5i-Camera-Tripod-Titanium/dp/B007QSAQ8U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409647301&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Rollei+Fotopro+c5i
> Maybe this one matches your conditions



It looks awfully like the MeFoto Roadtrip that I bought last week.  
If it's the same thing, that's a good tripod. 
It's got a hook, 4-section legs and the ballhead is sufficient for a 6D + Samyang 14mm (not tested anything else on it yet. ). 
If you extend the legs to the max, you can get your eye in the viewfinder without having to bend if you're 6 ft high. That said, it seems to me that it's more stable without extending the fourth section of the leg and raising the central column a bit instead. 

Seems quite sturdy, and you can disassemble pretty much everything if you need to clean some parts. 

In short, it's a good tripod. I may replace the ball-head one day though. 

Djaaf. 


Edit : It looks also awfully like the one Surapon showed.


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## bluegreenturtle (Sep 2, 2014)

I wonder what the lightest tripod that includes a bowl (of any size) for leveling is. I guess you can add a leveler to one like shown above.


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## dickgrafixstop (Sep 2, 2014)

I guess I'd have to admit I'm no expert when it comes to tripods - I bought my first one (and last one) over
40 years ago and still use it on a semi-regular basis. Although Leitz quit selling the Tilt-all several years ago,
it is still available in the original design and a quite reasonable price. It is made of high quality aircraft aluminum,
is not too heavy, has reliable legs and an infinitely adjustable head.


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