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Need a tripod recommendation

Starbuck1975

Starbuck1975

Lifer
I have a Nikon D70, and am at the point where I am attempting to shoot under conditions that require a tripod.

I mostly shoot while traveling, and I really enjoy taking urban/city shots at night. Also the occasional low light indoor setting where I would prefer not to use a flash.

Looking for a tripod recommendation. Need one that is relatively compact and light that I can strap to my camera bag, but versatile enough for shooting in a variety of settings.

I have done some research, but dont know enough about tripods to make an educated decision. My budget is under $200.

Any recommendations?
 
Once you get above $100 or so, you are in the realm of separate legs and heads. The head goes on top of the legs and provides the camera angle adjustments. The standard for legs in the $100-$200 price range is the Manfrotto 055 line (formerly known as 3021 in the US), which is fairly lightweight but pretty sturdy. (Manfrotto has a distribution relationship with Bogen in the US, which is why you often see it written as Bogen/Manfrotto. I just write Manfrotto for simplicity.) There are a few different options, mostly depending on the center column. The most common, the 055XPROB, has a cool center column that can be swiveled sideways for macro and other specialty work. I have the older 3021 version and like it quite a bit. It is heavier but sturdier than the current 055x line. (Thicker aluminum for the legs, and all-metal clamps.)

The Manfrotto ballheads are also in the mainstream of the market at this price point. The 486RC2 (newly replaced by the 496RC2) is pretty standard and sturdy enough for most camera work, but it will drive you crazy eventually (maybe the 496 has fixed some of the problems I had with my 486). I swapped mine out for a 322RC2, which is a pistol-grip ballhead. The "RC2" part refers to the quick-connect which screws into the camera body and which can be quickly snapped into place on the ballhead. Manfrotto has a variety of these, but RC2 is now the most common.

Moving more expensive, you will find one brand of legs: Gitzo. They have a large range of models, but they are all $300+, very sturdy, and quite light (many in carbon fiber). More expensive ballheads are from Really Right Stuff, Acratech, Arca Swiss, Kirk, and Markins. All of these use standard Arca-Swiss style quick release plates. These are all really nice but, again, quite expensive.

There is a very good article on this stuff here:

http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

See also here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=740131

All in all, you can't go wrong with Manfrotto. It is kind of the standard in the semi-pro price range. You can always sell it later for a good price.
 
slashbinslashbash said:
Once you get above $100 or so, you are in the realm of separate legs and heads. The head goes on top of the legs and provides the camera angle adjustments. The standard for legs in the $100-$200 price range is the Manfrotto 055 line (formerly known as 3021 in the US), which is fairly lightweight but pretty sturdy. (Manfrotto has a distribution relationship with Bogen in the US, which is why you often see it written as Bogen/Manfrotto. I just write Manfrotto for simplicity.) There are a few different options, mostly depending on the center column. The most common, the 055XPROB, has a cool center column that can be swiveled sideways for macro and other specialty work. I have the older 3021 version and like it quite a bit. It is heavier but sturdier than the current 055x line. (Thicker aluminum for the legs, and all-metal clamps.)

The Manfrotto ballheads are also in the mainstream of the market at this price point. The 486RC2 (newly replaced by the 496RC2) is pretty standard and sturdy enough for most camera work, but it will drive you crazy eventually (maybe the 496 has fixed some of the problems I had with my 486). I swapped mine out for a 322RC2, which is a pistol-grip ballhead. The "RC2" part refers to the quick-connect which screws into the camera body and which can be quickly snapped into place on the ballhead. Manfrotto has a variety of these, but RC2 is now the most common.

Moving more expensive, you will find one brand of legs: Gitzo. They have a large range of models, but they are all $300+, very sturdy, and quite light (many in carbon fiber). More expensive ballheads are from Really Right Stuff, Acratech, Arca Swiss, Kirk, and Markins. All of these use standard Arca-Swiss style quick release plates. These are all really nice but, again, quite expensive.

There is a very good article on this stuff here:

http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

See also here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=740131

All in all, you can't go wrong with Manfrotto. It is kind of the standard in the semi-pro price range. You can always sell it later for a good price.
Click to expand...

Manfrotto makes a great tripod.. There are some tripod and head combo deals at B and H for around 200 bucks. Good sturdy but lightweight tripod plus a good head with a quick release system.
 
The Manfrotto 055XPROB is excessive for legs; I have one now after FedEx lost my 190XPROB. Go with the 190XPROB legs: they're slightly smaller, noticeably lighter, and just as good for anything related to a DSLR. I have used them with a 400mm f/2.8 with no problem. The 055XPROB is really only necessary if you want to use a gigantic medium-format lens.

The Manfrotto 498RC2 head is worth the money over the 496RC2 head because it has a separate panning axis lock, and it is a beefier head that is more able to support heavy lenses like that 400mm f/2.8 or smaller lenses like a 70-200mm f/2.8 at odd angles.

Problem is, 190XPROB legs and a 498RC2 head goes for almost $300. But it is very worth it.
 
On the 190XPROB vs. 055XPROB -- the 190XPROB is quite a bit shorter. With the center column fully extended (which, for stability's sake, you shouldn't make standard practice), it's only 57.5 inches tall. (Of course the head adds a few inches as well.) As someone whose eye level is around 70", I need something taller. Not that it's always advisable to have your camera at head level, but sometimes you just want it there.
 
I went with the 055XPROB because I wanted more height without the need for raising the center column (which tends to make things a little more unstable).
 
Just my two cents. I was thinking of buying the popular manfrotto but bought a Chinese made tripod that was a fraction of the cost and offered relatively the same specs ( quick relaese head along with a height I could use as i'm 6' tall). It does exactly what its supposed to do and I am pleased enough that I have no desire to upgrade to something better.
 
Thank you all for the responses. I wasn't aware that for some tripods, you need to purchase the head seperate from the legs.

I am nowhere near an expert...very much an amateur photographer...I will try to find a local store that carries the Manfrotto recommendations, but it may be too much tripod for me...is there a "kit" you can get for under $200 that provides reasonable functionality?
 
I have used this puppy for over 3 years with my EOS 5D. It does the job nicely, and came with two quick release gizmos. It was less than $30!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...UT_Tripod.html

Admittedly not in the Manfrotto league, but I would say that since it does all jobs placed on it (including a 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens), it might be all you need.
 
OK, did a little reading on tripods given the links above, and definitely don't want to skimp on the tripod, so perhaps need to increase my budget. These are the three I am liking right now:

BENRO TRAB169: Definitely hitting the sweet spot of price/performance, and the compact travel aspect is definitely appealing. Concerned that it will hold up with my 70-300mm lense attached.

Manfrotto 055XPROB w/804RC2 Head: Comperable in price to the BENRO, but the head included in the kit is not the same as the one recommended above. Also, does the 055XPROB fold down into a size convenient for travel?

Gitzo Traveler: Will definitely place me over budget, but the carbon fiber weight and compact design are both appealing. I found this kit on B&H at a fairly reasonable price after rebate: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...6X_Carbon.html

So, any refined recommendations based on this list?
 
Well, what lenses do you have? A 70-300 is smaller and lighter than a 70-200. You should not have a problem with even a fairly cheap ballhead if your biggest lens is a 70-300.

I have seen a couple of different Manfrotto "combo" setups (legs + head) at Best Buy in the $100-$150 range. They are not the same stuff that you find in their main tripod line, but they are probably pretty good for the price.

The 804RC2 is a tilt/pan head. It is a nice head (I have an older version) but it can be a bit of a pain for photographic use. Tilt/pan heads are more for video use.

That Benro looks like a good deal. I would not worry about the ballhead, as it looks to be at least the same quality as the Manfrotto 486RC2 that I had. You could lock down the camera with no problems (no ballhead should have a problem with that), but keeping it in one position under tension never really worked, no matter how light the load.

The Gitzo legs are really nice. Gitzo ballheads, not so much. You will have the same problems with the Gitzo ballhead that the Amazon reviewer mentioned with the Benro ballhead.

For travel, I have a Slik Mini Pro:

http://www.amazon.com/Slik-Mini-Tabl...4817123&sr=8-1

I wrote a review of it on Amazon. For $23 it is awesome, and it can fit in a large jacket pocket.
 
I have the following three lenses:
Nikon ED AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 D
Nikon AF Nikkor 24-120mm 1:3.5-5.6 D wide angle
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm 1:3.5-4.5G ED

The Slik Mini Pro looks interesting, but how do you take shots at eye level with such a small tripod? I often shoot cityscapes from different vantage points that dont necessarily have objects I can rest the camera on at eye level.
 
corkyg said:
I have used this puppy for over 3 years with my EOS 5D. It does the job nicely, and came with two quick release gizmos. It was less than $30!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...UT_Tripod.html

Admittedly not in the Manfrotto league, but I would say that since it does all jobs placed on it (including a 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens), it might be all you need.
Click to expand...
That was the first tripod I owned. I can say with confidence that I wouldn't trust it to hold anything more than a consumer-level body with a kit lens.

I was actually dumb enough to try mounting my D700 & 80-200/2.8 on there (roughly 5.25lbs for the combo), and the plastic pan/tilt head was unable to hold it at any angle with stability except horizontal. The cheap plastic quick-release mechanism didn't inspire confidence either, and that was the last time I trusted $3000 worth of camera equipment to a $20 tripod.

A 5D & 70-200/2.8LIS is 5.25lbs as well.

A couple of tips for Starbuck:

1) Don't buy a tripod only based on your current equipment. Who knows, maybe you'll buy/rent/borrow a heavier camera or lens in the future.

2) Don't buy based on the rated capacity and expect to max it out without issues. For example, I wouldn't stick 7lbs of equipment on a tripod rated to hold 7lbs. My tripod is rated to hold about 15.5lbs, and my ball-head is rated to hold 66lbs. At most, my heaviest setup is around 8-9lbs, so I can expect my tripod/ball-head to hold it with great stability.
 
Last edited:
Starbuck1975 said:
So, any refined recommendations based on this list?
Click to expand...

Benro's a budget version of the Gitzo. Considering your original budget, that would make more sense. Benro also has carbon-fiber versions, but they also exceed that budget.

I don't think it's worth spending a lot more money than what the Benro costs for portable legs. If however you really want carbon fiber, then that could be reasonable, at a premium.

Spending more money on a good head is another matter -- really good heads which are portable and affordable probably don't exist. I agree with the above poster on much, but I disagree that Gitzo heads are necessarily bad -- I've used an ultra-light G1077M to support a medium format camera in the field, and found it a pleasure to use (with a supplemental quick-release add-on). A key aspect is how well it holds the position after you've clamped it down. Does is shift when you tighten it? That sucks when you're trying to get the positioning just right, and is common problem with cheaper heads like the Benro.

(The G1077M is not really a good idea for long lenses esp. when positioned vertically, and it lacks a quick-release system. It's probably one of the best ultra-light heads available, but it has its limitations.)

I think getting a really good portable head is a hard problem, especially on a budget. If you do find a good head which you can afford and can carry, get it -- consider just getting some Benro (or other) legs without a head. The Benro combo makes a lot of sense as a starter system IMO, but if you're using a tripod long term, odds are that you'll want a better head in time.
 
Starbuck1975 said:
The Slik Mini Pro looks interesting, but how do you take shots at eye level with such a small tripod? I often shoot cityscapes from different vantage points that dont necessarily have objects I can rest the camera on at eye level.
Click to expand...

You don't. You set it on the ground, on a chair/table/wall/whatever. Here is a review I wrote at POTN:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=721288

It is basically a trade-off. The Mini-Pro is the tripod I take when travelling. If I had a set pf Gitzo carbon-fiber legs, maybe I would take those instead. But I'm not taking my 5lb+ Manfrotto setup, that's for sure. Everything is a trade-off. Cheap, light+compact, big+sturdy: pick 2. Ideally I would have 3 tripod sets:

Extreme Travel set: Slik Mini-Pro
Travel set: Gitzo 4-section CF legs, Markins Q3 ballhead
Non-travel set: Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 legs, Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead

I guess I will take this time to explain the difference between "crappy" and "non-crappy" ballheads. Basically, the nice ballheads will have a tension adjustment that lets you move the camera around without having to clamp it down to where it's immovable. So in general usage, you don't have to fiddle with the ballhead at all. The camera's in horizontal orientation; it just stays there. You push it over to vertical; it just stays there. You adjust the angle a tiny bit; it just stays there. There is no need to push a button, crank a knob, or move a lever; the camera is freely movable, but it stays put where you leave it. This is how the really expensive ballheads work, and it is DIVINE.

Now, the cheaper ballheads. They look like the same design, but the whole head is generally smaller, as is the ball inside. My Manfrotto 486RC2 was one of these designs. There was a single lever-knob that you could turn to adjust the tension, i.e. clamp down the camera. The camera was either loose, or locked down. And as you're locking it down, the camera will move a tiny bit down, so you've got to get your framing a little bit high so that it will be right when you clamp down.

I have since moved to the Manfrotto 322RC2. This is a reverse-ballhead design, but it does away with any pretense of tension. The ball itself is fairly small, but the clamping force is huge because there's a big joystick-style grip lever instead of a tiny knob to activate it. You pull the trigger, make your adjustment, release the trigger; the camera stays in place. There is a TINY bit of drop when clamping; much less than with the 486RC2, and small enough that I usually don't notice it. Also it is much quicker than turning the knob on the 486RC2, and it's got a built-in bubble spirit level. However, the downside is size and weight.

You can see some examples of what I'm talking about here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=3noaoH1lmmI
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=FjJ_T0vOxds
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=k7AOu053drk

It looks like some of the Benro heads can really be sturdy! I do not know why they don't have more of a reputation. And it also looks like Manfrotto has made great strides between the 486RC2 and the 496RC2. The 496RC2 might just be worth considering.
 
Think I may just start with the Benro, and go from there. I mostly need the tripod for travel conditions, so I can take cityscapes and such at night.
 
Ok, none of the local camera stores carry Benro. I was surprised in that most didn't even carry Manfrotto.

I went to one camera store, and they had a huge selection of Cullmann tripods at price points comperable to Benro and Manfrotto.

Anyone have any experience with their tripods?
 
Hmmm, I've never even heard of Cullmann. Judging by the little I can find of them online, it looks like they are decent quality, but it's hard to tell having never seen or even heard of one.

Glad you picked up a 35/1.8 and it's helping 🙂
 
slashbinslashbash said:
Hmmm, I've never even heard of Cullmann. Judging by the little I can find of them online, it looks like they are decent quality, but it's hard to tell having never seen or even heard of one.

Glad you picked up a 35/1.8 and it's helping 🙂
Click to expand...

Manfrotto 055 Legs + 488RC2 Head. That's the setup I have and I only paid about $130 for both off a camera forum. Very stable, although a tad on the heavy side.

Do keep the following in mind. You can only only choose TWO of the 3 things below when buying a tripod:

1) Light weight
2) Stability/Sturdiness
3) Affordable Price
 
DLeRium said:
Sorry to necro but... how's the 322RC2 compare to a 486/496RC2?
Click to expand...

I had a 486RC2, swapped it for a 322RC2 and I ain't lookin' back. The 496 should be better than the 486, but in every area other than size/weight the 322RC2 > 486RC2. It clamps better (don't have to keep re-composing your shot), it's far faster to adjust (just pull the handle, no need to rotate the knob and then hurt your fingers clamping it down again). I kept finding myself having to twist the knob very hard to really get a good clamp with my 486. Not a problem at all with the 322, just let go of the handle and it stays in place easily.

It is possible to get into awkward positions/angles with the 322RC2 where it may take a second or two to readjust so that everything can be pointed in the proper direction, but that doesn't happen often. I can't really explain it, but it happens every once in a while, and it's kind of interesting because the 322 rotates around the ball, but really the major adjustment is not in the ball but rather the handle/platform pivots in a way that's independent of the rotation around the ball. So sometimes it gets a little hung up in that transition, where you're trying to make an adjustment using the ball but you really should be rotating the handle, or vice-versa. For example, if you are using the camera in vertical (portrait) orientation, and you want to point it down towards the ground, you can find yourself in a situation where this doesn't seem possible, until you realize that you have to rotate the handle around until it gets lined up with the notch in the ball socket, and then it's easy. Of course the same thing happens with normal ballheads, but then it's usually a little more apparent and easy to figure out.
 
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