Sirui N2204 or Induro CT114?

<p>Hello folks!<br /><br /><br>

It's almost time to buy my new tripod.</p>

<p>So far I've been gathering information and had settled for the Induro CT114. <br>

Link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/655195-REG/Induro_471_114_Carbon_8X_CT114_Tripod.html</p>

<p>When browsing the store again I saw the sirui line, especially this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/822246-REG/Sirui_BSRN2204_N_2204_4_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html</p>

<p>The main differences are: </p>

<p>Sirui is a couple cms taller, 300g heavier, comes with short column, reversed folded size is smaller. While Induro's pros are the weight and dust resistant locking grips (which I dont know if it's really a big deal).</p>

<p>Anyone has experience with these? I'd probably pick the sirui, but that dust resistant thing is tickling my mind.</p>

<p>I had an Induro and now have the Sirui you are looking at. I think the Sirui is a better knock off of Gitzo. The removable leg is quite handy if you are traveling and just want to carry a monopod for a day trip, although it is not as tall as most monopods. You may want to look at Feisol as well, just to further confuse yourself.</p>

<p>Haven't a clue about Sirui. I just received the Induro CT 114 last week. I bought it partly based on Ellis's -see comment in Virginia's "travel tripod" thread question- good real world of travel etc. experience. My impression is most favorable, better than I could have wanted for the price. This will be my first all carbon travel tripod and I am impressed, they have got the tube design nailed in the last few years. I judge ,not for dust resistance, since I expect to keep it water and dust free, my environs are not challenging. I was impressed bhy the operational handling and the feeling of good thoughtful light but strong construction. <br /> Induro has nailed it in the locking grip department to my surprise and pleasure. Vis a vis tradtional collett and Manfrotto knobs style. <br /> Fast, easy to handle, the tubes slide with ease. For a four section model it has a solid stance. Even with center column raised, as most humans will want to do sooner or later, it locks tight and pretty stable too, and not even with a hanging bag weight that is from the little hook on column thingie. <br /> The extras are nice:You would also pay fifty bucks for a carry bag and they include one gratis and it is not junky. I also like the tapped hole in spider for an accessory. And the splay leg notch system mechanism feels solid and secure, plus company offers a short center column, suggests good corporate long range support maybe... <br /> So, what else to say but that I think you will have little to lose or limited by going with your decision for the Induro CT 114.</p>

I've had an Induro CT113 for a few years now (maybe since 2009 or early 2010?) and I've traveled with it around the USA

(multiple trips) and to Israel (once) as well as used it week end and week out on corporate and industrial jobs. Used it

primarily with Arca-Swiss B1, p0, and D4M heads and with the heavy duty (and heavy) RRS PG-02 Ultimate panoramic

rig. Most of the time I shoot with a 1Ds Mk III and 1D X bodies with lenses up to the 70-200mm f/2.8l II.

 

I was really skeptical of the CT113 as i am very used to my big aluminum Gitzos; now the CT113 is what I reach for first.

Pound for pound it has proven to be a very solid performer.

<p>I just bought a few tripods and here is my opinion..<br>

Get at least a 26lb rated..<br>

I'd try to stay away from one with a center column.. Makes them less sturdy..<br>

bought a Oben CT-2320 3-Section Carbon Fiber, Gitzo Mountaineer 6X GT2540T and Really Right Stuff TVC-34L Versa Series 3<br>

If I had to do it all over I would buy the Oben with all the RRS details like 70" height and no center column.. I was looking at a Sirui with those details for around $500 not 1K and in hindsight is what I would buy the Sirui..</p>

<p>The Gitzo is lighter but not stiff at all..<br />The Oben's center column is really shaky<br />The RRS is great but very expensive and I don't see the quality two times better at this point in time.. <br /><br />I would get one that's extra heavy duty 33lbs plus and 70" or so height, no center column..<br>

The extra height really comes into play when shooting things above your head, like birds, planes and the moon...</p>

<p>Feisol is a name that kept coming up in my searches as a good buy as well...</p>

 

<p>60" maybe easier to find than a 70"</p>

"I'd try to stay away from one with a center column.. Makes them less sturdy.."

Only when ou extend the center column more than 1/3rd to 1/2 its length.

<p>I agree with Ellis. The flat out No No on center column comes from old lore or perhaps Oklahomans who have been in tornadoes. Wind shear and all.... More theory than practice in my opinion. Just like the NO NO that we used to get on buying a 4 section model. But I say get a center column that locks down tight and has same construction as the legs and not too high--column length will also limit how low you can adjust legs btw.<br>

Stability is a relative thing of course I mean ad cost benefit ratio of sorts. The Induro is for light travel use as best purpose. Also, putting a bag on center hook will likely give more mass stability.( Off topic but I am reading a great book on sky scraper construction. It shows that modern construction can be light and effective. Thus so with tripods I think. ( <em>33 pounds and 70" --mein gott!</em> Get a mirrorless model, dude)<br /> Alan, do come back to this thread later and report out what you got and how it works, as these questions are perennial on what to buy ...we need that kind of feedback. Main thing is to get one that you will carry and use, but beyond that L agree with others that no need to spend $ like crazy I concluded.. save for a truly great ball head... Aloha, gs</p>

<p>Well I thought maybe I was missing some specs or features that might be obvious to the pros but apparently it comes to personal preference.</p>

<p>I guess I'll try both at the store, see whichever feels better.</p>

<p>Now, what ballheads would you guys recommend me for any of these 2 tripods? Around 100$ is my budget.</p>

<p>Mr. (mein got) Seigel, please don't take the lords name in vain over your personal opinion being different than mine.. </p>

<p>Here's how I thought at one time.. <br />Any tripod is 100x better than hand held, why do I need anything big or expensive this is way better than hand held..<br>

Three or four tripods later after reading MANY PRO REVIEWS saying buy bigger buy better than you need.. Buy once and save money in the long run..<br>

I guess you believe that a extra pound or two a tripod weights over what you recommend and extra height and height is over kill I YOUR OPINION..<br>

I guess you know better than the several pro reviews I read over the years saying what I stated... I wished I had taken it to heart when I bought my Gitzo tripod that weights just a few pounds less than my RRS "mein got" tripod.....<br>

My Gitzo feels like it will snap like it would a twig with with a bad move and 15lbs of glass, gimbal and camera on it.. Plus it bounces like a basketball with that much weight..<br>

My opinion is buy one extra duty tripod and NEVER buy again ever........<br />You believe in different...<br />To each his own...<br>

At one time I never thought O would own such an expensive setup like I have but I due now and just re-read several sites that I read years ago and have just re-read them and now agree with them not you.......<br>

<a href="http://www.bythom.com/support.htm">http://www.bythom.com/support.htm</a><br>

<a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/is_this_the_worlds_best_tripod.shtml">http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/is_this_the_worlds_best_tripod.shtml</a></p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>"To each his own..."<br /> That part I am sure we can fully agree upon . Also, I basically agree, per Mr Thom, whose advise I have long ago read,i.e. the concept of not buying less than a good quality over the incremental playing with lesser junk models and saving in the long run. I just gave away a junk Tiltall clone that was a pain in the ass when I got it and a pain in the ass to the Goodwill buyer who gets it:-) ( I love RRS and have left a lot of loot with them over the years, as in the BH 40 ball head and the multiple clamps and plates etc. I just can't see clear to afford their tripod line in my photographic budget so pressed to look elsewhere to the competiton brands) <br>

My point,to repeat and perhaps clarify, is simple and of course personal and experiential:<strong> I now add Induro model CT tripods to my love list!. </strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>That business aside, Allan, to your approach of trying them out for feel with your equipment is logical if you are talking still of good stuff as you are... (Tripods, like camera bags, get to be really personal , like choosing a dog breed)<br /> Now I meant to get your last question. No, sorry, don't even think you can find a quality ball head for your budgeted price. Not even close. Add two bills more I think. . That is another subject altogether and again you will get lots of intense views and lots of threads to muddle over. I wish you well, Aloha, Gerry</p>

<p>Allan: At that price point, I keep recommending the Triopo RS-3 with a supplemental Arca-compatible clamp. I don't promise it's everything that a more expensive head is, but it's light, very solid, and amazingly cheap; people have stressed theirs far more than I have mine. I won't say you shouldn't stretch your budget and get a high end head (though I don't have a high-end ball head, I do have a d4 - having said that, when I last tried a Z1, Arca's weird flip mechanism shredded my fingers), but I will claim the RS-3 is pretty good for the money. Though only with a replacement clamp - the default "slow release plate" screw is useless.<br />

<br />

Details in my <a href="http://www.photo.net/filters-bags-tripods-accessories-forum/00b5rk">older thread</a>. I'm trying to stop banging on about the RS-3 like a broken record (I don't have a vested interest in them), but if budget's an issue then it would be remiss of me not to mention it.</p>

<p>Andew, do you have a link for a store or ebay that sells that clamp? Im having troubles finding one and I'd like to know the full set's cost.</p>

<p>Also, people have been recommending me the sirui k20x.<br /> Thoughts?</p>

<p>Hi Allan. There's more detail on the process <a href="http://www.scvphotoideas.com/2011/08/triopo-rs-3-ball-head-review.html">here</a>, which clarifies that you need a replacement clamp with an M6 screw. I agree that finding the Triopo clamp that I bought seems to be a little tricky, but a search for "Arca clamp M6" comes up with some options. I have to admit that they all seem to be three times the prices of the clamp I bought, though - expensive enough that it's almost worth considering the high-end RRS replacement clamps ("B2-Pro II with Metric 6 screw" would fit, at $86). For a more price-appropriate option, according to <a href="http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/desmond_manfrotto352.htm">this</a>, the Desmond DBA-1 can cope with an M6 screw being dropped through the middle, and it's keyed appropriately to avoid rotation, so that might be an option. Currently listing for $30 on eBay (though factor in a few cents for a screw).<br />

<br />

I've never seen k20x, but I don't get much exposure to Sirui in the UK. Peering at a review, it probably has nicer handling than the Triopo (the Triopo lacks a separate pan control [other than by loosening the main clamp enough that you can rotate the base and trying not to loosen it enough for the ball to let go] - not that I use it, and doesn't have a separate tension control - but I never use that either; my Giottos had both of these). The lock lever on the RS-3 might be a little easier to use than a round knob, but it's a matter of preference. I would be surprised if the Sirui holds as much as the Triopo, just on the basis that the RS-3 won some competition for clamp strength, but that may not matter depending on what you put on it. If the Sirui appeals to you, I've no evidence that it's a bad idea. It saves a bit of faff if it comes with an Arca clamp on it.<br />

<br />

Good luck, whichever route you choose!</p>

<p>Induro tripods are a US upscale version of Benro tripods. When you buy Induro you're paying for US marketing and distribution overhead as well as a slightly more modern external design & finish. If you're on a budget do a bit of research on the English language version of the Chinese Benro web site (<em>not</em> the US Benro web site), find the equivalent Benro then buy it from a mainland China seller on eBay. You will save a lot of money.</p>

<p>Benro/Induro are Gitzo clones. Many of the parts are interchangeable and I use Benro parts on my Gitzo systematic and vice versa. Also given Gitzo's terrible customer service in the US getting a Benro part from my eBay dealer is a breeze; it's generally on my doorstep in a matter of days. If you already use Gitzo legs getting Benro tripods makes sense but even if you don't the price advantage over Induro is worth the extra bit of work.</p>