Does anyone actually own a Benro C-268 that can comment?

<p>Like Marek from another thread in this forum, I am trying to decide between a couple of tripod options. I have been using an 055PROB for the past 6 years or so and it has done the job just fine, but I need something more compact and lighter weight since I have started to do a lot of backpacking.</p>

<p>I would love to drop $850 on a Gitzo 2540T and another $450 on an Arca Swiss ball head, but my wife would divorce me.</p>

<p>These Benro C-268 with the B-1 ball head kits on ebay for $370 sure are tempting. I have even checked out the C-269 with B-1 at my local Vistek and there are several things I am quite impressed by, even over the Gitzo.</p>

 

<ol>

<li>Lever leg locks. They are what I'm used to. They are no fuss and will stand up much longer. I don't know how the Gitzo twist ones stand up long term, but they seem like an annoyance to me and the weakest link in the whole system. Even when I play with them in the store I have found that sometimes I think I have them all locked in, set the thing on the ground to find out that I missed one or two. With the lever locks, its obvious if they are locked or not.</li>

<li>The leg angle locking system on the Benro is the slickest I have seen on any tripod regardless of brand.</li>

<li>Comes with a case! What a concept!</li>

</ol>

<p>I don't pretend to imagine that I will still be using the Benro in 10 years, but what pieces of my current kit will I still be using? Seriously? Maybe a few of my L lenses, but thats it. There will always be a reason to upgrade and if I have to buy 3 of them in the space of 10 years I have still spent less than the Gitzo/Arca Swiss combo.</p>

<p>So my question is:</p>

<p>Does anyone in the forum actually own the C-268 B-1 combo and if so how has it performed and how long have you been using it?</p>

 

<p>I've owned a Benro A-157M8 with the B-1 ballhead for about 6 months. I use t with Nikon F4s and F100 with up to a 300mm lens, and my Rolleiflex TLRs.<br>

I love it. It is a superb tripod setup. Very high quality. The Chinese manufacturers learn quickly. It's similar to what happened in the woodworking tools industry. The first tools back in the 70's were crude and didn't meet quality standards. Once consumers started giving negative feedback the quality improved dramatically to the point where almost all woodworking machines are built in China.<br>

I've looked at Gitzos in the store and they are beautiful pieces of equipment but don't let anyone tell you that you have to spend that much on a tripod - unless you don't know what else to do with your money.<br>

You will be very happy with the Benro.</p>

<p>The C-297n6 (aka Induro CX213) is as close as I come. Observations, based on that, based on experience with a variety of other tripods including my Manfrotto, Uni-Loc, Hakuba, Benro, an old Benbo 1, and a Slik U-212 (I was 16, so shoot me).</p>

<ul>

<li>Benro makes a "Gitzo good" tripod. Their first generation, the ones that look just like Gitzos, are a result of Gitzo's attempt to farm out their production to China. As far as I can tell, Benro met all Gitzo's quality requirements, but a rift formed when Benro attempted to modernize Gitzo's outdated designs. My C-297 is just leaps and bounds ahead of the Gitzo explorer in functionality, and I have no quality gripes with it. I'm an engineer; I know good design.</li>

<li>Anti-rotation twist locks are the way to go. Setup and takedown is almost as fast as lever locks, and the noise and hiking safety issues make it an easy decision for me. By the time you flip 6, 9, or 12 lever locks, every living thing within 2km knows you're there. Lever locks catch on stuff, they pinch you. Twist locks are smooth and don't catch on stuff when you hike.</li>

<li>I'm not sure where you got the stuff about lever locks "They are no fuss and will stand up much longer" from, but I've found totally the opposite. Lever locks have cams that wear down, and they require periodic tweaking (get out that weird little wrench that came with the tripod, if you can find it) or replacement. And I haven't seen a lever lock that I trust not to split carbon fiber. Twist locks are essentially self adjusting, although depending on your use, you may have to learn to tear them down for cleaning.</li>

<li>Every time I've had the chance to compare essentially the same model with twist and lever locks, I've found the twist lock version to be more stable. The collet mechanism snugs up in a way that's "natural" to a tube.</li>

<li>I have no experience with the "Travel Angel" legs. My experience with both the 3 and 4 section leg Benros (C297 & C298) is that the extra set of locks and the extra thin 19mm tube on the fourth section is responsible for making them much more wobbly. A fifth section, with 16mm tubes, that makes my brain hurt. On the other hand, a 5 section 2 series Travel Angel is 14 inches folded, and my 3 section 2 series flex is 25 inches, and that might make a heck of a difference for packing.</li>

<li>My favorite tripod was always the Uni-Loc Major 2300, when I could bring myself to carry the 10.6 pound (4.8kg) behemoth. It's everything the Benbo (not the Benro) should have been, with an "any angle" head and legs. The Gitzo "Explorer" promised to be a lightweight, compact "modern Benbo" and failed, miserably. The Benro C-297 is the real deal, a dream for macro, great for product on location, just wonderful in general. Again, just my take, you may have no need for an articulated column, at all.</li>

</ul>

<p>My only experience with Benro heads has been when my students had problems with them. Personally, I swear by the Acratech. It's a simple head, the mechanism is totally open, it's easy to clean, strong as an ox (I've put a D3 with 500mm f4 on it, and I've also used it with my 4x5) and light (1 pound). And it is more maneuverable than conventional heads.</p>

<p>Love my Benro.... I had, after 4 years an issue with one of the retaining rings on one of the legs. Emailed Benro, they sent me out new rings, no charge, overnight express. It's light, sturdy, and can support what ever I put on it, a Nikon D300, Mamiya645 or a 4x5. I usually use my Manfrotto medium sized ball head. I owned it prior to getting the Benro legs.</p>

<p>I'm interested to hear feedback too. I think I'm going to buy the <a href="http://bit.ly/a5YQzW">Benro Travel Angel C-268 M8 tripod</a><a href="http://bit.ly/a5YQzW" target="_blank"></a> that's the clone of the Gitzo 1541T, mostly as a backup for that tripod. It has the anti-rotation twist locks and I've read good things about it but I'm concerned to read what Joseph says above about the 19mm fourth section. It would be good to hear from users about that.</p>

<p>I'm with Joseph about lever locks, and will only use the twist lock models. The new(ish) Gitzo-type twist locks are really easy to use, you unscrew them all together and pull on the last section then tighten them individually. Very quick and rock solid, and most Chinese tripod makers have copied the idea.</p>

<p>I've read some very critical reports on the Benro ballheads so I think I'm going to pass on those. In general it seems that tripod makers don't make good ballheads, take Gitzo as an example - I avoid those ballheads! I'm looking at the <a href="http://bit.ly/aOQU0L" target="_blank">Photo Clam PC-33NS</a> to mate with the Benro C-268 M8. I'm wondering if there are any Photo Clam users out there who would care to comment on the product.</p>

<p>Hi Greg. I have it easier then you I guess when it goes to making my decision - I do not have a wife. :)<br>

But seriously, I found so far only one post which mentioned a serious defects in the Benro tripod (cannot remember the model) seized leg and broken off top plate. This is serious but again only one case against many more happier users.<br>

Another issue is the first vs. second generation of Benro tripods aften mentioned. How do you distinguish between them?<br>

Regards</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Peter N - The new(ish) Gitzo-type twist locks are really easy to use, you unscrew them all together and pull on the last section then tighten them individually. Very quick and rock solid, and most Chinese tripod makers have copied the idea.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Peter, this is going to come as a shock, but it was the Asian manufacturers who first figured out how to make leg locks that don't rotate. Original Gitzo carbon fiber tripods had leg locks that let the inner leg sections spin freely once you released the locks. My Hakuba is like that, too, you have to remember to release the legs in sequence, bottom to top, and tighten top to bottom.The three Chinese and Taiwanese makers who make Benro, Induro, Giottos, and Feisol launched anti-rotation legs, and it took Gitzo 3 years to answer.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Marek - Another issue is the first vs. second generation of Benro tripods aften mentioned. How do you distinguish between them?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I believe that there have been three generations of Benro tripods. The current generation uses 8 layer carbon fiber tubing, thinner, but supposedly stronger and stiffer, than the first two generations. Third generation model numbers, therefore, end in 8 (M8 or X8, if memory serves, and it sometimes doesn't). As I recall, the only way to tell the difference between gen 1 and 2 is with a caliper. The leg diameter sequence for a series 2 gen 1 is, I believe, 28, 24, 20, 16mm, while a gen 2 is 28, 25, 22, 19mm.</p>

<p>It's hard to imagine, Benro is now a "power". When I first encountered them, they were a "curiosity". The most tragic thing is that I definitely prefer whoever makes Giottos to the Benro/Induro products, but the US Giottos distributor makes dealing with the product almost impossible.</p>

<p>This is all very good feedback. Thank you all.</p>

<p>I had a chat with a couple of the sales staff at my local Vistek where they sell both Gitzo and Benro tripods. They both said that they sell 10 to 1, Benro tripods vs all other brands combined. I'm sure that number is a bit inflated but needless to say they sell a lot of them. They also said they have never seen one come back. They have on the other hand seen lots of Gitzos come in for repairs/parts. Interesting.</p>

<p>Joseph and Peter, I'm sold on the twist locks. I hear what you are saying about the hazards with the lever locks. I guess I just have always be wary of twist lock devices because other pieces of equipment/tools that I have used/owned (not all photography related) that employ a twist lock coupling usually fail. I suppose they are not all manufactured to the same standards as a carbon fibre tripod though and perhaps its is just a matter of good maintenance too.</p>

<p>Regarding the 4 section leg diameter (19 mm) I too was a bit skeptical. I actually took a look at a Gitzo 1550T (5 section) at a local shop last week and when I saw the pencil thin 5th sections I chuckled to myself a bit. Then I set it up and put a 1Ds mkIV with a 70-200 2.8 IS on it and it was rock solid. I was blown away in fact at how sturdy the thing was. I don't have direct experience with the C-268 as I haven't had a chance to handle one, but the A-269 (alloy 5-section) that I handled at Vistek was surprisingly stable as well with it's 16mm 5th sections. I can only assume that the carbon fibre C-268 4 section with it 19mm 4th section will be quite a bit more stable.</p>

<p>Just a note to Peter: I believe that he C-268M8 is actually a clone of the Gitzo 2540T, not the 1541T.</p>

<p>So it looks like I have found the right tripod. Now just have to find the right ebay seller....</p>

<p> </p>

<p>This thread is really helpful. Thank you all for the time. I think I will be getting Benro as well, just the legs so the hunt continues. But I just run into an <a href="https://www.benphoto.ca/store//catalog/">exclusive distributor of Benro gear for Canada</a> website (they ship to US as well). I think I might be getting it from there since I could not find the Benro C-268M8 anywhere else but there or on eBay.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Peter, this is going to come as a shock, but it was the Asian manufacturers who first figured out how to make leg locks that don't rotate. Original Gitzo carbon fiber tripods had leg locks that let the inner leg sections spin freely once you released the locks.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Joseph I'm happy to stand corrected! :-) I didn't know that, but I do have a G-1228 (Mountaineer) with the legs that are free so I appreciate the difference. Just my western arrogance that made me assume the innovation came from Gitzo. I should know better, I have a magnificent Fotoman 617 film panoramic camera from China and it's a mechanical work of art!</p>

<p>Greg, a 1Ds MkIV?</p>

<p>haha. What you haven't seen the MkIV yet?? Good call. I meant MkIII.</p>

 

Well my Benro C-2681 kit arrived today. Just under $400 cdn. That included $10 express shipping charge.

 

 

So far I am totally impressed. I very carefully examined a Gtizo 2541T yesterday at a local camera shop and I honestly cannot say that there is any significant difference in the quality of the Benro. I think the Benro in fact is a better product in a few ways. The biggest difference is in the leg angle locks. A much better design than any other tripods I have looked at or owned including the Gitzos. I think I can actually use these ones without risk of a blood blister.

 

The B-1 ballhead that came with it is nothing to write home about but I didn't expect much from it anyways. I will most likely replace it soon with the new Acratech GP-s.

 

The fact that it includes the very high quality padded case AND the spikes is also a major feature to me.

 

I guess time will be the true test but so far I would classify this as possibly the best value camera gear purchase I have made to date.

<p>I decided to go with Benro Travel Angel C-268M8 CF too. I intend to mount Markins Q3 Traveler or Emille on it. I actually am leaning toward the latter since it is bigger and the size of the panning base is a closer match with the size of the tripod platform (58mm in diameter). The <a href="http://www.benphoto.ca">exclusive distributor of Benro products in Canada</a> has been very helpful answering all my emails (2 so far) within 24h period. I just need to find out if I will have any clearance issues when using the drop notch in this setup. I became aware of this when I stumbled across a description of RRS BH-40 with B2 AS II clamp on RRS site which says (in red):</p>

<blockquote>

<p><strong>A note about choosing the BH-40 LR II ballhead:</strong> The clamp that comes installed on this ballhead is our full-size B2 AS II clamp. This clamp is larger than the clamp that comes installed on the BH-40 LR ballhead. If the diameter of your tripod platform is larger than the base diameter of the ballhead (2.1"/53mm) you <strong>will</strong> experience clearance issues when using the drop notch; you will not have full use of the drop notch because the clamp will hit the tripod before reaching 90-degrees. The larger B2 AS II clamp cannot freely clear wider platforms because the head itself has such a low profile.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>I do not really know how to check if it will be a problem though.<br>

I would also like to know if the padded case is included if I buy just the tripod (without the ball head).</p>

 

<p>Can't really help you on the question about the ballheads and clamps.</p>

<p>I am 99% sure however that all Benro tripods come with the padded case.</p>

<p>I assume that you have been speaking to a representative of Gnigami about the Benro tripods. I never spoke to them directly but they supply Vistek and I would assume they set the MSRP for Canada. Vistek was asking $550 for the C-268 kit with the ballhead. They don't have the C-2681 kit that I ended up purchasing. I would assume that you are looking at a similar $$$ figure for the C-268. You can do a lot better on ebay from a number of Chinese retailers. I have purchased photographic equipment from 3 different Chinese ebay sellers over the past 6 months and so far all have been good experiences. You certainly cannot beat the price. I have had one flash trigger crap out on me and I sent it back at a cost of $8 shipping and was sent a replacement immediately. In fact I got it within 10 days, so I don't think they even waited for the defective unit to arrive before shipping me a replacement. They just took it at my word.</p>

<p>I don't know if you have looked at the C-2681, but it is identical to the C-268 with a couple of exceptions. One being that I couldn't seem to find the legs sold without the B-1 head. Seems that it only comes in the kit, which worked for me since I'm not ready just yet to shell out for a better ballhead.</p>

<p>The other main difference is that the C-2681 includes a nifty little feature in that one of the legs has a nice foamy grip and can be unthreaded from the tripod, allowing you to attach the ballhead to the leg and you now have a monopod. I have owned a monopod for the past 4 years or so and only used it a couple of times so this wasn't a huge selling feature but nonetheless a handy feature (now I can sell that dusty old Manfrotto monopod).</p>

<p>I do have one small criticism of the Benro however. The center column rotates even with the clamp tightened as tight as I can make it. With the tension on the ball set to a comfortable level, the tension on the ball is greater than the tension on the center column clamp so if you want to rotate the ball in the socket, the whole centre column rotates. Not a big deal really, and I suppose that as long as the camera rotates to the position you want, what does it matter how it got there? Still I would have liked to have seen a non-rotating column. This will probably be a feature of the next gen Benros of course.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Greg, I have never heard of Gnigami. I am in contact with www.benphoto.ca and they do have the Benro Travel Angel C-268 M8 in stock. I just checked the Gnigami website and this model is not there. I am not really sure what to think about all this. I also cannot find that model you talk about on the benphoto website (but I can see it on the www.benro.cn site).<br>

I had another look at the Markins Q3T ball head and noticed that it the spirit level will end up under the camera once you fasten it to the QR. That makes it rather useless. So I am investigating BH-40 LR from RRS and Acratech GP ball head. I would like to know overall dimensions of the latter. The RRS ball head is probably the shortest (hence in some models the clearance issue) but the Acratech one can be used as a gimbal mount and it is somehow possible to do panning with it even if your tripod is not levelled which I can see being very useful.</p>

<p>Acratech is soon to release the GP-s ballhead which is identical to the GP but with a smaller base to make it more compatible with "traveller" type tridpods. I can only assume that they are using the Gitzo traveller series as their benchmark. Still if it will fit a 2 series Gitzo Traveller it will very likely fit the Benro C-268 or C-2681 as well. And yes the cool thing about the GP-s is that it has "gimbal-like" action and can be set up for panos without a levelling base. Watch the video at Acratech's website. It is pretty cool. I'll be saving up for one of those soon to replace the B-1.</p>

<p>I couldn't find the benphoto website you referred to (it was a photographer's website that I ended up getting). But check out kghobbie at ebay. Here is the link to their store:</p>

<p><a href="http://stores.ebay.ca/KG-HOBBIE">http://stores.ebay.ca/KG-HOBBIE</a></p>

<p>I don't know how comfortable you are with buying from Chinese retailers on ebay but so far I have had really good experiences. They have the C-268 that you are interested in without the ballhead for $333 with free shipping. They can do express shipping for an extra $10. I got mine on the 6th business day (if you don't count the labour day holiday). They are very good with replying to emails and they had the tripod wrapped and at the post office on a Saturday afternoon after getting my confirmed payment on the Friday evening. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Greg, I have no idea why you could not find the benphoto website. What happenes when you type www.benphoto.ca in the address bar of your web browser? Did you notice that it is .ca not .com?<br>

Is your C-2681 a Travel Angel? Does it fold to a small size by flipping the legs up? Is the diameter of your tripod's platform 58mm?<br>

I am slowly getting confused by all those model numbers.<br>

Do we know the price to be of the Acratech BP-s ballhead? Do we know how long will we have to wait?</p>

<p>I found the benphoto website. I was using .com.</p>

<p>They don't have the C-2681. Neither does any of Gnigami's dealers. It isn't on the Gnigami website from what I can see. It is a Travel Angel "Transformer" tripod. Same as the C-268 but the added "1" denotes it as a "transformer" model. Which means that it can transform into a monopod. It is interesting that they claim to be the exclusive distributor for Benro in Canada since Gnigami claims the same thing. I see their prices are lower than Gnigami's dealers but a bit higher than the Chinese ebay sellers.</p>

<p>I think I have the model number schema figured out after all the shopping and research I have been doing over the past few weeks. The Benro website has quite a bit of info but the links don't all seem to work and sometimes you have to try a few different links to find the category of tripod you are looking at. It is also Chinese translated to English so there are some definite language barriers at play. I also found a lot of conflicting information regarding specs. Sometimes it is unclear if the specified height/weight includes the ballhead or not. I think in most cases where a ballhead is included the numbers include the ballhead.</p>

<p>So the model number schema goes like this I think:</p>

<p>C - denotes carbon fibre<br>

A - denotes alloy/aluminum<br>

M8 - I believe refers to the Magnesium frame and the 8 layer carbon fibre tube construction<br>

there are 4 series of tripods denoted by the first numerical digit in the numerical portion of the model number<br>

0 - "0" series. Lightest weight. Smallest diameter tubes. Minimal load capacity. Generally for small DSLR's or compacts<br>

1 - "1" series. Next step up in weight, tube diameter and load capacity. Generally for amateur DSLR's with lighter lenses<br>

2 - "2" series. Next step up. Generally amateur DSLR's with heavier lenses or Pro-DSLR's with average lenses.<br>

3 - "3" series. The beefiest ones for massive lenses on heavy bodies.</p>

<p>The second digit in the numerical part of the model # denotes the tripod type or series. "6" means it is a Travel Angel model with legs that fold back 180 degrees.</p>

<p>The third digit in the numberical part of the model # denotes the number of leg sections.<br>

A "7" denotes 3 section.<br>

An "8" denotes 4 section.<br>

A "9" denotes 5 section.<br>

<br />If there is a fourth digit it will usually be a "1" which denotes that it has the "transformer" capability of becoming a monopod.</p>

<p>So a C-2681 is a Carbon Fibre, "2" series, travel angel, 4 section, with monopod transformer option.</p>

<p>I think that the "transformer" line is a relatively new product and that is why the Canadian distributors/dealers don't have it yet. It is only available in a kit with a B-1 head from the ebay sellers. I don't think the transformer feature is all that special to be honest and would not have picked that other than it wasn't any more expensive than the C-268 and I also needed a ballhead for the short term. So if you are thinking of picking up a ballhead right away, you would be just as well to stick with the C-268 unless you think you would really get a lot of use out of the monopod option. As far as the ballhead base diameter it is the same on both the C-268 and the C-2681 which I believe is 56 mm (fits a 58 mm ballhead nicely).</p>

<p>As far as the Acratech GP-s goes. I don't know when it is expected. I haven't done much research on that yet since I probably won't be shopping for one until next hiking season (blew out my knee this morning playing hockey so hiking season's over for me). I would expect the price to be around the $400 mark, similar to the current GP model.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I just took another look at the acratech website and they have the GP-s for pre-order for $399 USD. They also show a shot of it attached to a Gitzo 1 series Traveler with legs folded up and it looks like fit is not a problem. If it fits well on a 1 series it will fit even better with a 2 series like the Benro C-268.</p>

 

<p>The confusion about the model number I mentioned earlier was mostly about me not recognizing which part of it indicates the Travel Angel series. Thanks Greg.<br>

I also looked at the Acratech website last night and noticed that the GP-s ballheads are available for pre order. I also noticed the picture of the folded Traveler although I did not know that it is Gitzo. Watching the video about different ballheads also explained how one is suppose to use the GP series to use it as a pano head. You have to invert it so it is a bit of a hassle because you will have to have the allen key with you, but I like the idea anyway. I emailed them with a question of when those new GP-s ballheads will be available. We will see what they say.</p>

<p>I got a reply from Acratech saying that I can see the difference between GP and GPs <a href="http://acratech.net/pages.php?pageid=26">here</a>. It is small. As to the question of when the GPs ballheads will be available they say "I do have some GPs ballheads on my shelf, that I can ship when you place your order." I guess the only thing left to do now is to place my order. :)<br /></p>

<p>I am surprised that the difference in size is so minimal.</p>

<p>It looks like the important difference between the GP and GP-S is the placement of the panning knob. On the GP it is right smack in the middle between the drag control and main locking knobs. This would be a problem for traveller type tripods. On the GP-S model they have moved the panning knob so it is located directly below the main locking knob so that one of the legs can fold up to a position between the two main knobs. The other side of the head has no knobs at all so it can easily accomodate the other two tripod legs.</p>

<p>The size of the base being 4mm smaller is probably also the difference between legs that fold 179 degrees back and 180 degrees.</p>

<p>Looks like the GP-S is the latest addition to my wishlist.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I was surprised too. I hope that the 58mm tripod platform of the Benro Travel Angel will not interfere much with the ability to fold up the legs. I placed my order today.</p>

<p>Marek. Make sure you post your conclusions/experience with the C-268 + GP-S once you have the complete set up. I'd really like to know how it all works out. Thanks.</p>

<p> </p>