Any suggestions on a travel tripod?

[frank_craighead]

I am looking for a travel tripod for a gift for a friend. I need a tripod that

will close up to less than 18 inches, can support at least 7 pounds, extend to

near 60 inches, and does not feel like a light breeze will toss it over. She

has a full size tripod, but finds that its a pain to take along on flights.

 

I know they must exist but when I do searches it seems all the travel tripods I

come up with are flimsy, or barely support 5 pounds.

 

I will be using a d70s body with a 80-200 f2.8 lens and a 2x teleconverter on

the extreame end (about 5 or so pounds all told) so I would like one that can at

elast support that weight with a bit of leeway.

 

Thanks for the help.

[erik_loza]

I had a small aluminum Gitzo years ago (couldn't tell you the number) with four leg sections. It got about that tall. It was very sturdy for its size, but I don't know about an 80-200mm + D70, though. Your rig would test many tripods much bigger than that (even without the converter, which I might leave at home...). Go to you local camera store and maybe try one of theirs out? Good luck.

[george_stewart1]

Gitzo 1155T - expensive, but the best.

[jorgen_udvang]

Velbon Sherpa PRO CF-645 does almost exactly what you ask for. After a lot of research, that's the one I've found that has the best combination of weight, size and carrying load. It's 45.2cm folded, 157.7cm extended and can carry 6 kilos. It's on the Velbon web-site.

 

http://www.velbon-tripod.com/sherpa_pro01.htm

 

I think the Velbon products are named differently in the US, but technically, they should be the same.

[robert_hooper1]

I suggest the Feisol Carbon Fiber CT-3402N with center column kit (US $209.00 Plus $37 shipping). This is a terrific camera support system which can be purchased directly from the company.

 

17 inches folded, 62.5 inches extended with center column extended.

Supports 15.5 lbs.

 

I have traveled extensively with the taller CT-3401N, which still fits diagonally in a legal carry-on size bag. However, I have always transported my tripod with checked baggage.

 

http://www.feisol.com/english/feisolen.htm

[joseph_smith3]

Frank, I just checked the 2006 Gitzo catalogue. The 1155T has 5 leg sections supports 4.4 lbs, is 14.2 in closed and goes to 50.6 in when open and up to 58.7 with the column extended. If I owned it I would not risk my 80-200 on it. The 1158T gitzo is four sections, smallest at 16.1 in goes to 46.5 in and then to 58.7 with the column extended. It supports 9.9 lbs.

 

The problem is that you might have unrealistic requirements--too short when closed and too tall when open. Something has to give. I recommend you look at the Gitzo basalt tripods,not as expensive as the carbon fiber, but good for travel and very strong. The G 1298 has four leg sections, goes from 19.3 in to 47 in and then to 59.6 in with the column raised and supports 12 lbs. The G 1297 has three leg sections and goes from 23.6 in to 49.7 in to 61.8 in with the column raised. Joe Smith

[erick_lamontagne]

I've been looking at travel tripod for a while. According to specs, the best weight/height/support/price ratio I found so far is the Slik 614. Haven't seen one though, so if anyone has experience with it, comments are appreciated.

[david_elm]

I use a Gitzo 1128 with Kirk BH-3 ballhead. Combination is 4.5 lb

and it goes hiking and travelling - never left at home. Expensive but I will never need to replace it.

[Ed_Ingold]

A tripod is worth carrying and using because it holds the camera steady under a wide range of conditions. It doesn't matter what the load rating is, as long as the tripod won't collapse under the weight. What does matter is the stiffness, and the need for stiffness depends more on the focal length than anything else. The legs on a G-11xx are as thin as a soda straw - not conducive to steadiness. A 4-section, aluminum G-1226 is unuseable with a 300mm lens in even a light breeze.

 

I travel by air with a G-1227 or even a G-1340, by placing it in checked baggage. The head goes in carry-on. On location, I use a shoulder strap or simply carry the tripod everywhere it is allowed, and check it when not (e.g., museums and castles).

[alex_lofquist]

Gitzo carbon fiber 1227 (3 section) or 1228 (4 section).

[fk319]

I carry 2. I keep one of those table top 6" tripods in each of my camera bags. It has a long strap so I can tie it small posts. They cost $8-$15. As for a 'standard' tripod, the other comments are better than I can add...

[frank_craighead]

Thanks for all the responses, it never occured to me to take a small tripod with a good strap to attach to a tree or pole. Really this is a convenience gift for a friend. She finds that when she travels her full size tripod has to go in her big suitcase, which is really silly on a trip of only a few days when you would only need a small suitcase. Also when she is walking around the full size tripod (closes to around 30 inches I believe and weighs at least 5 or more pounds, its been a bit since I have toted it and can't remember its model number) tends to be a burden and she ends up leaving it at home.

 

thanks again, you have given me a great starting point.

[craig_gillette]

I recently purchased a Bogen 725B. It's 3 lbs, 52 In. without extending the center column. Capacity is listed as 7.7 lbs. I believe the 724 is similar with a small pan/tilt). Other small Bogen pods with the same legs are listed for lighter capacities, most likely the difference is in the heads. It's 19.7 inches collapsed, btw.

 

Is it flimsy? No. Will it perform just like a $500 plus CF and super head rig? Probably not. But it's a $110 digicam pod with essentially a 484rc2 head on it, the head providing for the increased capacity over similar light pods.

 

It will hold a dslr and reasonable lens. It "holds" a 7D and Tokina 400/5.6. But, that kind of sail area and weight, on a light tripod is not going to stand up to any kind of wind. The two issues? A bit of wind may bring out the vibes and then the CF super pod may do better. But gusty breezes will blow either over. So plan on "anchoring." Indoors on a hard floor? I think the longer lens you mentioned (and the 400) would be too much, especially if in portrait. Do-able but still pushing the envelope. A small ball needs a lot of grip to hold.

 

That said, the convenience factor is huge. A small pod like that definitely makes navigating crowds, museums and the like much, much easier.

[janvanlaethem]

Frank,

 

You have already received some excellent advice so far, I'll try and add some thoughts.

 

Personally I chose a Cullman tripod (actually a model made for video cameras) as it was the right combination of weight and strength. As you will know by now, a very lightweight tripod will be useless in windy situations. If you go for a tripod that is too heavy, you will swear at the thing every time you take it on a trip or need to set it up. The Cullman easily supports a Bronica SQ-A with 250mm telelens, or a Nikon F8008s with 105mm Micro.

 

Apart from the suggestions on specific models you've received so far, make sure to get a tripod where you can quickly and easily adjust the height of the legs. This will be especially important if you are standing on uneven terrain, which is often the case in landscape shots, maybe not so much for travel. Always adjust the legs to their maximum height before using the central column. With the central column fully up, your set-up can become a bit wobbly. My tripod also has a central column that can be removed, so the legs spread out and the head can be placed very close to the ground.

 

A bonus is to have a bubble level on the tripod, but you can easily overcome this by slotting a bubble level in the flash hot shoe.

 

Apart from the Cullman tripod, I also have a very small tripod that has very flimsy legs, looks like a table top tripod but it extends to approximately 140cm. My father bought it somewhere in the 1950s and I got it as a present. I have never seen anything like it that can be bought new today. I'll do a search on the Internet to see if I can find a reference for it. I've used it with an FM3a and 24mm for night shots, even tried it with the F801s and 105mm Micro and still got excellent shots. The trick with flimsy tripods is to trip the shutter with a remote control or the self timer, if you touch the camera you'll get too many vibrations.

 

I would take the advice given in a previous post and go to a local camera store to try out some tripods with your current gear. Also try the tripod with the camera and lens flipped up 90 degrees for a vertical shot and see if it still holds it's balance. My first tripod would topple over sideways when I tried that with some heavier gear, so I sold it and got the Cullman instead.

 

Happy shooting.

 

regards

 

Jan

[Rod Sorensen]

I got a Gitzo 1128 for exactly this reason. For such a light easily packable tripod it works extremely well. A big lens would be iffy, but 7 lbs is well within its capacity. Big winds are also tricky, but the bottom of the center column has a hook that you can hand something from that will markedly increase the stability in a big breeze. I like big tripods when possible - I use both 1348 and 1548 Gitzos - but I am very staisfied with this small version for travel and long backpacks.

[louie_neira]

Gitzo here as well - pound for pound, it's hard to find something that'll give you the same weight and durability.

[savas_kyprianides]

I had a Gitzo 1158T Traveler on order with B&H, after having done a lot of analysis and

justification / rationalization for getting it (not my only tripod, I've got some heavier legs);

B&H informs me that they are no longer carrying it or that it is no longer being produced.

Talk about being put back into square one!