recommend me a tripod+head

[jcmuse]

this tripod will be for a rebel xti.

tripod will be used for long exposure shots so i guess it needs to be fairly sturdy. I have no idea what a good sturdy tripod goes for but im willing to spend up to $400. something fairly portable would be nice. i dont want to spend what i dont need to so less is always better. also, i'd prefer to order from bhphoto.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I can't really recommend any tripods except for what I use: Feisol

Many people will tell you that the heavier the tripod, the better, due to increased stability. I prefer lighter tripods for increased mobility for the type of photography that I do. My carbon fiber Feisol weighs almost exactly 3lb. There are probably better carbon fiber tripods out there though...

A pretty popular entry level all-around ball head is the Bogen-Manfrotto 486RC2. It's good for anything but large telephotos. It's still great for something like the lightweight 70-200mm f/4L. Better ball heads include anything made by Kirk or Acratech.

 

[soydios]

I have a Bogen-Manfrotto 190XPRO tripod and a 486RC2 head. It works really well, though it is somewhat heavy. I don't do any backpacking, so I don't need a carbon tripod like FBB does, so I went the route of heavy stability.

The 486RC2 head is great. It's a ball head, which uses just one lever to lock/release it. And I have actually used it to take pictures of the moon with my Nikon D50 and a 400mm f/2.8 lens with a 2x teleconverter. It held it just fine.

If you use long telephotos a lot, I would get the 488RC2, as it allows you to pan or tilt without releasing the whole ball, which is nice with the heavy lenses, as a free-wheeling ball with 10 lbs on top of it is hard to keep steady on two axes at once. But for any other lenses, the 486RC2 is all you need.

For what you're asking, I would get exactly what I have: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/...ripod_Legs_Black_.html

 

[jcmuse]

thanks guys. only a cpl more things to complete the xmas list now

 

[foghorn67]

I can vouch for the 488RC2. The pan head makes life easier. It's rated high as far as how many pounds it can hold. I have a 30D w/ grip, and a 70-200 2.8 w/tripod collar, and it holds it well.
IMO opinion it's the best of the normal ballheads. Anything better you are looking at super expensive Acra tech or Swiss.
My tripod is the 3029. The 3019 is the same thing but smaller and lighter, just sacrafices a little stability. The 3029 is great, but removing the column to get it really low is a pain, and requires you bringing the tool. I think i am going to change up to the 190XPRO because it does all these crazy things.