lightweight carbon fiber tripod choices

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<p>I have a bogen/manfrotto 3221 tripod with a 3030 3-way head that does the job for me, but the setup weighs in at around nine pounds altogether - way too heavy to take hiking. I also have a small velbon ultra max I tripod, but it’s plasticky and flimsy (plus the quick release is broken) so I’m looking to get a light weight and high quality carbon fiber tripod to replace it; the lighter the better, really, but I don’t want to sacrifice stability - asking a lot, I know. Of course lightweight tripods represent a compromise. I am on a budget and would like to spend around $300 for the legs and head together.</p>

<p>The two lightest carbon fiber ‘pods Ive found are the gitzo GT0531 ($350) and the Slik 613 pro CF ($220) ; both weigh about 1.6lbs, without a head, which sounds great, but I can’t find a store that stocks them so I can check out their stability. The lightest model I’ve been able to try is the manfrotto 190cx3, which weighs in at 2.9lbs and seems to be quite sturdy. Does anyone have any experience with the gitzo or the slik, or informed opinions as to how they will hold up? Are they so light that they will be flimsy like my velbon?</p>

<p>Another option would be to go with a slightly heavier leg set -- induro, velbon, benro, and feisol (heard good things about the 3342) all make CF models that come in around an even kilogram (2.2 pounds), and I’d be willing to deal with that small additional weight if it’ll result in greater stability. I know gitzo is generally the standard, but are any of these other brands ones to look for? I’m particularly interested in the induro C013 as I’ve found a good deal on a demo model.</p>

<p>I’m still researching heads, but I will likely go with a small ball head with a QR plate and preferably a panning base, possibly a light weight 3-way head.; I’d like to keep my leg/head setup to 3 pounds or less. My camera and lens will not be very heavy - a d90 and sigma 50-150 - around 3 pounds. Oh, and I’d definitely prefer 3 section legs. Any suggestions? Thanks guys, and sorry for the long post.</p>

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<p>There are 3 rules for a great tripod that will last forever:</p>

<p>Gitzo<br>

Gitzo<br>

Gitzo</p>

<p>Gitzo GT-3530S + Really Right Stuff BH-55Pro</p>

<p>A $300 budget may be a little lean as CF doesn't come cheap. But let's begin with the end. I suggest thorough consideration of your intended uses, esp in context of hiking, potential overnight trips, weight of additional gear, terrain, etc. On the one hand you mention 'the lighter the better' and also note you could 'go with a slightly heavier leg set' if more stable and maybe a panning base. Precious ounces quickly turn to pounds. Distinguish between 'must-have' features and 'wants'. If you don't need 15 or 22 lbs of support capacity, don't carry it. And no reason to have a ballhead rated to 22 lbs if your legs are rated to 12. How critical is a pan-head? The smaller (light!) ballheads don't have a panning base. I've not researched but would speculate a 3-way weighs more than a comparable ballhead. 3-ways are not very compact (anathema to hiking) with knobs protruding every which way. Yet if you need a three-way...</p>

<p>I opted to go pretty light with a Gitzo GT 0530 (CF Mountaineer) and Really Right Stuff BH-25 Ultralight ballhead (no separate pan feature). I'd like a lighter clamp but have been using a RRS B2-LR-II. I regularly use a D200 (no vert grip) with 12-24/f4, 17-35/2.8 or 28-70/2.8 (sometimes an 80-200/2.8 with care). I find the set-up to be adequate as I usually don't extend (or even carry) the center column and prefer minimal leg extension in the interest of rigidity if windy.</p>

<p>DN, are you familiar with the weight and cost of your suggestions? How are they even <em>remotely</em> applicable to the needs of JS?</p>

<p>Investigate Velbon El Carmagne tripods and consider a Vanguard Ballhead to replace the very acceptable Velbon panhead<br>

as I did. Have only read (no hands-on) about Vanguard CF tripods and some come with their ballheads too.</p>

<p>This review of a Benro ballhead put me off from ever buying any of their products:</p>

<p>http://www.tomwebsterphoto.com/Essays/Benro/benroks2.htm</p>

<p>thanks guys. sounds like the gitzo 0531 should do the job, since it's the updated version of the 0530. i think i'll stay away from benro/induro. but i'm still wondering if there's stability to be gained over the gitzo by going slightly heavier with something like the feisol 3442. i'm not doing overnight hikes at this point, though i may in the future, and it would be nice to have something for general use as well, not solely for hiking situations.<br>

perhaps i need to decide on a head; the weight of the head should dictate the weight of the legs i can carry. pan heads tend to be heavier, but i'm used to being able to adjust each axis separately; i'm hoping a ball head with panning base will at least make it easier to do panoramas. never used a ball head, so i think i'll have to check one out first.</p>

<p>Vanguard SBH300 has a panning base and all the other qualites you'd need in a ballhead<br>

but doesn't have the cachet of Markins,Arca-Swiss,RRS if those are requirements? It only<br>

costs a little over $80 and is a real deal. Really, do yourself a favor and check it out.</p>

<p>ok, so i made it to the local camera store today, and i think a ballhead with QR and panning base should be fine. i'm leaning toward the Induro SA-0; weighs half a pound and only costs $50, so it seems like a good place to start.</p>

<p>Lilly - i'm going back and forth between the Gitzo 0531 and Feisol CT-3442; the gitzo only costs $25 more. as an 0530 owner, do you think there's any value in something a little heavier? it's hard making this choice without actually handling the tripods....</p>

<p>Hey Liscia, thanks. the SBH300 is a lot bigger and heavier than i need, but while looking it up i stumbled on the SBH100; quick release, panning base, 10 ounces. do you know if there's an independent panning lock? i haven't been able to figure that out, though the pictures make it look like there's an extra knob.</p>

<p>Along with bubble levels the Vanguard SBH100,200 and 300 all have indexed screw-lockable panoramic bases<br>

which can be used for panning if screw lock is left loose. My 300 is the beefiest but I'm considering either the<br>

100 or 200 (or both?) for a smaller tripod(s) as I like the 300 so much! I'm not connected with Vanguard in any way<br>

but am obviously smitten by the 300 and smaller ones are probably just as well made. </p>

<p>'...any value in something a little heavier?' No, not if I must carry it very far, which I do with my 0530. Out of necessity I have put a premium on weight-savings. If I need ballast I'll hang something from the hook. (Even w/ center column removed the hook remains an integral part of platform assembly.) I find 1) the Gitzo capacity ratings to be conservative and 2) I'm not approaching the capacity limit...so a little weight on the hook is no worry.</p>

<p>When paring-down to bare minimum I remove the RRS clamp from ballhead and L-shaped QR plate from camera. Instead I thread-mount camera to the standard RRS 'platform' / stud, saving 8 oz., which is huge in my world. As for your world, I suggest you tally the weight of current / potential gear (incl. head, clamp, QR plate, body, vertical grip/batteries, heaviest lens, flash, etc.) to determine proper leg / head capacity. Once acquired, making the rig more stable is easier than making it lighter.</p>

<p>PS - Are you absolutely convinced you need a pano-head? I'm not terribly well-versed in pano-shooting but have been impressed with some handheld pano's as well as those from tripod-mounted but without dedicated pano-head. (Not to suggest you should hand-hold but to underscore the point.) You may want to investigate further...like me.</p>

<p>thanks for the feedback. and my decision is...both. well, not really. i just couldn't decide between the gitzo and feisol, so i decided to order both and return one. i'll be out a few bucks for shipping, but at least i'll know what i'm getting. if the gitzo seems just as sturdy as the feisol i will go gitzo. either way i shouldn't be close to the max capacity limit.<br>

as far the heads, no i'm not sure i need a lock on the panning base, or a panning base at all. i've shot some panoramas by just panning with my 3-way head; i'm just not sure how a ball head will behave when trying to adjust in just one direction. i guess i'll find out.</p>

<p>A very wise strategy Jonathan. I personally took to ballheads immediately that I tried one after<br>

many years with panheads. Keep us posted on your decision and best of luck in reaching it.</p>

<p>hey guys, well i'm glad i handled it the way i did; there's really no comparison between the gitzo 0531 and the feisol 3342, both of which i received yesterday. somehow i missed the fact that the gitzo is not what i'd call a full sized tripod; it stands only about 40" high and the leg sections are extremely thin. for overnight backpacking trips this might be acceptable, but for day hikes and other use my choice will be the feisol. it extends past my eye level (without a center column), is quite sturdy, and only weighs half a pound more. it's really remarkable how much less it weighs than my manfrotto setup. if i <em>really </em>need less weight, i can always use my old velbon, which will weigh only 1.75 lbs with a very small ballhead. used with care and without the legs fully extended it should be ok.</p>

<p>as far as heads, i purchased the vanguard sbh-50 and sbh-100, both of which seem to be decent ball heads. the 100 is a little heavier than i would like, but the lock on the panning base is nice and it balances well with the feisol legs. the smaller 50 will make panoramas a little more difficult, but still doable; i'll probably use it if i need to take the tripod long distances. since both heads are less than $50 each, i can afford to keep both.</p>

<p>i do like the anti-twist legs and the locking parts on the gitzo better than the feisol, and i was tempted to consider gitzo's more direct competitor to the feisol 3342, probably something like the 1531 which is about the same size....but i can't really justify the additional cost right now. i think i will do fine with the feisol.</p>

<p>i think the last piece to my puzzle will be a tiny ballhead like the gitzo 0077; it should support my d90 and 16-85 on the velbon if i need to go even lighter than my usual hiking setup.</p>

<p>thanks again to everyone. </p>

 

<p>Gitzo, because you'll only ever need one (if you get the right one the first time).<br /> <br /> I just attended a lecture by Lee Voohris and he has the same Gitzo that he has been using for over 20 years professionally.<br>

If you look at the cost of a Gitzo versus how long it will last, they are in reality pretty inexpensive.</p>