tripods. $500 budget w/head. Suggestions?

[SynterX]

I want a good one, can go ebay if need be, but am not near a decent camera store to look at them in person. So, any suggestions? I hear about Gitzo, Slik, Manfrotto, Bogen. I love some of the Really Right Stuff heads, but they probably are out of my budget.

Any simple suggestions for a complete setup?

[Jason25]

A Velbon El Carmagne tripod and a Kirk BH-3 would probably run around $500. I had a Kirk BH-1 for awhile and was very pleased.

[Rhys]

Manfrotto 3021BN and a Promaster 3D head. You won't do much better than that - bonus - it all costs $200 approx.

[kgosden]

I am extremely happy with my Velbon El Carmagne CF-640. I swapped the head for a Manfrotto 486CR2 which has been great as well. I agree the Really Right Stuff looks and reviews great, but can't quite justify the cost.

[timmciglobal]

Better question: Why?

You don't have any high end glass needing a very high end tripod.

Your much better off buying one of the semigood knock offs for 75$ and putting rest in lenses. Unless it's a weight issue "great" tripods are overrated.

Tim

[kgosden]

Better question: Why?

You don't have any high end glass needing a very high end tripod.

Your much better off buying one of the semigood knock offs for 75$ and putting rest in lenses. Unless it's a weight issue "great" tripods are overrated.

Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more. 'High end glass' will not help you hold steady while taking a 2-3 second shot of a waterfall for that flowing water look, it cannot help you smoothly stitch shots for a panoramic image or many other things. A steady, stable platform will do more for image sharpness than the difference between average glass and expensive glass (assuming similar focal length and aperture capability). My several earlier $60-100 tripods were all shaky, heavy and clunky to setup and use. Honestly, I am glad I have bought some of the lenses I have over the past few years, but my tripod is my favorite addition in the same time period. It does it's task well and I actually enjoy it every time I use it.

[SynterX]

My two good lenses cost me $2000, that's plenty high-end. Why plop a $3k camera setup on a $100 tripod? A good quality pod sure seems smart to me.

[TNB]

Although I own both a Manfrotto tripod and monopod, I recently purchased both a carbon fiber "Digipod" tripod and head for around $115.00 at PMA. The carbon fiber tripod looks very, very similar to the Gitzo carbon fiber tripod though the Gitzo model is sold locally for around $650.00. If anyone else wants to compare them to Manfrotto or Gitzo, I'll let them.

C2842 Carbon Fiber Tripod
http://www.digipod.com.cn/en/product/detail.asp?productId=2574

BH-28BQ -- looks like this photo labeled BH-28Q
http://www.digipod.com.cn/en/product/detail.asp?productId=2601

[timmciglobal]

I bought one of the knockoffs of the manfrotto models

http://dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32496

My review.

Shot 2-5 second exposures perfectly fine on a grass field in some wind.

http://pictures.divergentservices.com/fireworks/images/firework5.jpg

http://pictures.divergentservices.com/fireworks/images/firework4.jpg

[TheWengler]

My two good lenses cost me $2000, that's plenty high-end. Why plop a $3k camera setup on a $100 tripod? A good quality pod sure seems smart to me.

A tripod is a good investment. Are you going to end up with any heavier telephoto lenses in the future that this tripod will need to support? I'm happy with my tripod (listed in my sig). It costs about $300 for head and legs at B&H. It's larger and heavier than some of the others but because I'm tall I needed the extra height. I believe the Manfrotto 190 series is the same as the 055 but more of a standard height. It's also aluminum, not carbon fiber.

[SynterX]

Maybe a 70-300 eventually, that would be maximum. I don't want the ultimate, just one decent tripod/head that will last a lifetime if need be. I'd love Carbon, who wouldn't, but don't know if I can do that. Adorama seems to have a house brand carbon tripod for under $300, leaving me $200 for a head of some kind. I like the idea of it being light.

[erichlund]

I'm a little leery of low priced knockoffs. There is usually a good reason. Of course, carbon fiber sections are pretty simple. The problem is how they are connected together. For instance, Gitzo's connections do not contain any plastic parts, so failure rates are extremely low (a weakness of the Manfrotto line). Gitzo and Manfrotto have the same owners. Gitzo is their premium line, Manfrotto is the consumer oriented line. Manfrotto is still better than a lot of others, like SLIK and Velbon, though even they have gotten better on their good stuff.

I, of course, bought the best I was able to afford at the time, and this is good advice. If you are going to hang really heavy lenses, then you need a very strong head, but you may also need more specialized equipment, such as the Wemberly Sidekick. This does not sound like your issue. Instead, you just want a stable platform. I would add, stable and reliable.

Another feature of Gitzo tripods is that they can be completely disassembled for cleaning and maintenance. After your first day at the beach, this will be necessary. DAMHIKT.

Your budget puts my Gitzo out of reach. That's OK. I got one of the more expensive versions, as well as a very expensive ball head. There are less expensive models, especially if you are somewhat shorter than I am.

One thing to consider is your height. That's one reason I spent a lot more, because I'm 6'1", and with ball head and camera, I can stand up straight and look through my viewfinder without raising the center column. There are purists who say get a type without center column, because the center column is not nearly as stable. While I believe you lose stability with a raised center column, there are times when I want one available. My point is, you should try and get a tripod that, like mine, you can stand behind and look through the viewfinder without raising the center column or stooping.

For instance, for $380 at B&H you can get a 51" CF Mountaineer Tripod. You can add about 6-8" for head and camera, and subtract about 3" from yourself (most people don't have their eyes on top of their head - ymmv). So this is a good tripod for a short person (or someone more concerned about weight than if they might have to bend a bit). If you can accept aluminum, you can get an additional foot of height for about the same money. I'm not saying this is the only way to go. But look at how a Gitzo is built (and compare to the knockoff) before you actually go plunk money down on a knockoff.

RRS Ballheads are the best, but they are also a luxury. You can easily get a less expensive ballhead that works well. Look up Markins. They are very highly rated while being less expensive than the RRS heads.

Don't forget one other item. On top of the head, you will have some sort of platform for holding the camera. My RRS quick release plate and the camera's RRS mounting L-Bracket give me absolute trust in both reliability and holding strength. It's a very sick feeling to see you camera falling about 6' to a concrete surface. Other brands also work well. I think the Markins heads have a plate that is fitted for Kirk brackets, but don't quote me. These items are not cheap, but they hold the camera safely, and they hold it without creeping because the lens/camera weight is too strong for the grip of the screw.