Best compact travel tripod, just

MorganA said:
Ended up on this thread looking for the perfect tripod. I live in the US and if I buy this from Amazon, I'm not gonna want to pay for return shipping. (No place to buy this in the states)

Looks like a VERY awesome tripod and I am heavily considering just ordering it.

I noticed that there is no spirit level on the tripod base itself. I know that a lot of photographers, including myself, need a level base for panorama shots. Would you happen to know the diameter of the base of the head? Where it attaches to the tripod? I found this nifty little wonder, http://armorport.com/spirit-levels/...rit-level-plate.html#/internal_diameter_-48mm, and was wondering what size it would need to be. With this attached I can't see anything wrong at all with this as a main tripod. (y)

I'm also considering the MeFoto Roadtrip Carbon Fibre model. I had the Manfrotto BeFree, but it wasn't stiff enough at all and I returned it.

Thanks everyone!
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Which tripod you are talking about ?
 
Went ahead and took the plunge on the TSC-427K. Should get here in 2 weeks. I'll let you guys know how it is when I get it. If it's anything like your experience, I'm sure this will be a tripod that will last me years and years...Excited!
 
I recently took my 525 on holiday and have to say very impressed with it. Light and easy enough to get into position and happy enough with the stability. Only slight annoyance is total height, would prefer 15-20cm more....but highly recommended!
 
swiftflo said:
Thanks for heads up on this tripod I was just about to buy from elsewhere when I saw your posting, saved me another £31.
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Glad to help, it's a great price for a piece of kit I'm really pleased with. I thought I'd sell it on after my trip but it is definitely staying.
 
Many thanks for this thread, it's exactly what I needed. I have a Manfrotto 190XproB which is rock steady, but also feels like a rock to carry. I have the exact same requirements as raymond at the moment, approx 30cm length and needs to be sturdy, so this thread is spot on in terms of info.
 
Just ordered one :)
 
Thought I do a little update.



I’ve now been to Prague and Hong Kong with the tripod, so here are my thoughts.



It is light and small as I wanted it to be. In Prague I carried it at night with the bag that it came with, in Hong Kong I didn’t and put the tripod straight into my messenger leather bag.



The Redged is so small and light i don’t feel i have it with me at times, it’s like having a bottle of water instead really.



In use, it is quick to extend but it takes longer to put back together. To get it back into the bag provided, the head has to tilt a certain way or it won’t fit, took me a few goes to figure it out.



The maximum height was a limited factor on a couple of occasion but both times I overcame it, as I normally do :p



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Believe it or not, that was quite stable !



I took this doing that.



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You can see why I struggle for height.



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Thanks for the suggestions on the thread. I did a bit of research and ended up buying the RedGed TCA-522K that comes the RNB-0n ball head and took it on a holiday to Jordan just last week. What I liked was:

- Very compact at just 36cm (only the Befree is close)
- Very light with just 1.25Kg
- Good head that allowed panning. I didn't like the equivalent priced ones didn't have panning or like the Manfrotto Befree couldn't be replaced (correction: Befree's head can be replaced)
- Great price at £119

I was very happy with it, good quality overall, easy to carry around and stable enough. The last leg extensions are a bit thin so in wind you wouldn't want to extend them and use a weight on the hook that it has but that will always be the case with a travel tripod that doesn't weight too much and folds into something small.

I used it with my Canon 6D and both the Canon 24-70mm and 70-200mm mk1 IS lenses without problem. The spec says up to 4Kg.

I got it from Outdoors Photography at a great price for just £119 including next day delivery fully tracked. I would definitely recommend those guys.

http://shop.outdoorsphotography.co.uk/redged-tca-522k-travel-macro-tripod-aluminum-r-0n.html
 
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Snapsh0t said:
I looked into this and decided the really small, light tripods were just too expensive for the amount I use a tripod and compromised on a Manfrotto BeFree (40cm, 1.4kg) but you could have a look at the Redged TSC-525K and Giottos Vitruvian range. Gitzo's Traveller range seems prohibitively expensive although you can't beat the quality.
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:plus1:
 
carlosb said:
I didn't like the equivalent priced ones didn't have panning or like the Manfrotto Befree couldn't be replaced
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Eh? There's no problem changing the head on the BeFree. It just unscrews, leaving a standard 3/8" thread.
 
Snapsh0t said:
Eh? There's no problem changing the head on the BeFree. It just unscrews, leaving a standard 3/8" thread.
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Sorry, I was told you couldn't. So one thing less to worry about it then. Still the Befree head does not have panning though.
 
Wow. This is what I come to this forum for. What great and comprehensive reviews and technical detail. Not to mention some great shots.
I just spent the last hour reading through these great, informative threads and I'm going to try the Redged 525.

Photography gear can be expensive and it's reassuring to get so many good reviews, from people who actually use this equipment all the time.
Thank you all for taking the time
 
Thanks everyone for their contributions to the thread, some really good information and reviews here. I've just booked a holiday to New York in October and want to get myself a decent travel tripod for some city scape shots.
 
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