Travel Tripod

<p>Looking for a great tripod that is also compact and easy to travel with. Don't want it to be plastic, looking for the tripod to last awhile. Preferably one that can fit in a 21" carry on suitcase. Looking to stay under $200? Thanks in advance </p>

The combo listed below (from B&H) is just slightly above your price range, but the tripod legs and ball head are

generally considered to be a solid first start in good and usable camera support. I bought the earlier versions

of this combo many years ago and still use them. I believe the folded legs will fit in a 21" suitcase if you detach

the ballhead. There may be similar items made by other manufacturers but I am most familiar with Manfrotto. You definitely want the quick release version of the ball head, which is far more convenient to use.

Best of luck.

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1013288-REG/manfrotto_190xpro4_compact_3_section.html

<p>Well, carbon fiber is the way to go if you are looking for lightweight durability. There are many such tripods listed between $100 and $200. I have a Promaster T525P that is great but costs around $300. One option you might consider is a carbon fiber monopod, which would be cheaper and lighter weight. I recently purchased an Oben CTM-2500 that weighs about one pound (not including the head). And it just about fits your space requirement including the ball head I put on it. Of course, you can always remove the head for travel. </p>

Julie. Loosen up the budget if you possibly can. I can think of a few brands, none of which are so low in price and deliver. Best to consider the leg set as separate buy. And a decent ball head is separate. It will last a long long long time and believe me, is worth a hundred more than your budget allows as minimum. Since you have a desire for quality I am sure you will agree. Yet the monopod idea is a good one and can fit nicely into a bag and will do the job.

<p>How mush weight do you need to support? What will be on the tripod?</p>

<p>I like the old Leica collapsible table tripods with a ballhead extension.</p>

<p>Light, inexpensive and effective are mutually incompatible terms for a tripod. If you need a tripod for something beyond selfies, an equivalent to a Gitzo #2 tripod is the least I would recommend. A four section carbon fiber Gitzo is stiff enough for a 200mm or 300 mm lens, outdoors in a breeze, yet compact enough (18" sans head) to fit in a carry-on bag. They are not cheap ($800 plus head), but there are some Chinese knockoffs which may be suitable, if not as precise or durable. Pay for a tripod what you would expect to pay for a good lens. The same could be said for a good head.</p>

<p>Looking ahead, a camera with image stabilization and high ISO capability may not need a tripod at all. Short of long time exposures and extreme closeups, I have found this true with a Sony A7Rii.</p>

<p>If you're not sure, hold off until you can find a better solution. The most expensive purchase is for something that doesn't get the job done. Buy cheap, buy twice (or more).</p>

<p>A great full size pod with a good head that travels well will be more than $200. You can, however, get reasonable aluminum pods with a decent head in this range. They are a bit heavier. The heads will not be as smooth as you would ideally want. The capacity will be a little limited. But for an inexpensive solution, they work. Look at Oben aluminum pods at B&H. things like:</p>

<p>https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/864557-REG/oben_at_3471_ba_126t_at_3471_aluminum_tripod_with.html</p>

<p>To me the biggest 'problem' with travel tripods is height. I've used several under $100 tripods which were great for travel, but the height w/o raising the column was usually less than 5ft. But for a travel tripod, I accept the height limitation trade off.<br>

The budget will cut out the carbon fiber tripods, so you have to go with aluminum.<br>

But as was mentioned, what are you putting on the tripod? My travel tripods would not support a Mamiya RB67.<br>

I personally do not like using a Ball Head. I find the lack of precise control problematic. The problem is that the ball head moves in all axis, I cannot just move the camera in 1 axis (ie elevation). But I use one when I want the lightest possible head for my 'walk around tripod.'</p>

<p>58-60" height is ample for a tripod unless you are photographing birds or planes in flight (or astronomy), or are exceptionally tall. You don't want the camera eye level for most applications. It's easier to stoop than to stretch. Don't forget that the eyepiece plus head height adds another 4-6 inches.</p>

<p>You are being told that $200 is not enough for a decent travel tripod. Well, I have a recommendation that comes in well under that. And I didn't just read about it somewhere, I own and use this tripod. It is the Amazon Basics 52 inch carbon fibre travel tripod. It's small - 12.5 inch collapsed - and light - 2lbs - and is plenty stable enough for mirrorless (APS or M4/3) cameras and lenses up to about 150mm. It has 3 different leg angles and an extending centre column.<br>

The main compromise is in extended height, but if you have one of these new-fangled cameras with a tilting rear screen it's not a problem. I have some small issues with the ball head, but it is interchangeable so if you can't get on with it, you can change it.</p>

<p>Ooops, I forgot my dimensions. I think my old travel tripod came up to about 44 inches, with the column down. After 20+ years of use, I gave it away, so I cannot confirm the height. I usually had the column up no more than half way, usually much less. It was light enough to not be a burden to pack and did not take up a lot of space in my suitcase. It worked quite well, for the task that I put it to, on MANY trips. And for me that is key. A GREAT tripod that I can't carry, or is too expensive to afford, fails in its purpose.</p>

<p>One thing to think about is where you are going. I found an aluminum tripod difficult to handle in the cold, because it got so COLD. And if you have to wear gloves, can you work the head and leg adjustments? In the hot temp of central Calif, sun light on metal can get too hot to touch without gloves.<br>

But a carbon fiber tripod is MUCH more expensive than an equivalent aluminum tripod. It was only recently that I could afford a CF tripod.</p>

<p>The heavier your camera+lens, the more you need a more beefy tripod. <br />If you have a consumer DSLR or mirrorless and a short/medium tele, a lighter tripod would work just fine. Just don't crank up the center column.</p>

<p>The aluminum Bogen that I use at home is great, but is way too heavy and bulky for me to carry about. It is a studio/car tripod, not a travel tripod.<br>

The travel tripod is an excercise in compromise; cost, size, weight, capacity, material, etc. <br />You CAN get a decent one for under $200. Just remember that it is a compromise, and what you compromise on.</p>