Affordable travel tripod

lekhangaroo

lekhangaroo

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I'm looking to buy a relatively lightweight travel tripod for traveling & landscape photography with the odd long exposure shots. I understand that the heavier/sturdier the tripod, the more stable it usually is. I need to find a compromise between stability and weight (and price) so that I don't kill my back while hiking either.

Here are some of my criteria:
- budget: ~ £150-200 (up to 250 if I can justify it and )
- outdoor use while traveling/hiking (3-5 hours walk)
- looking for something that will last and that I'm (somewhat) excited to carry around while traveling (so can't be too bulky).
- tripod max height: ideally >= 150cm.
- weight <= 1.6kg
- bonus: compact enough that I can put it in my carry-on luggage on planes.

There are so many brands and models though and as a new hobbyist, it was difficult for me to distinguish between the different models on display in store.

Based on price and reviews found online, I've picked a few which I think I could get:
- Manfrotto Element mark II
- Manfrotto Element Traveller Tripod (the legs may be too thin when fully deployed?)
- Benro MeFOTO RoadTrip PRO Carbon Fiber Series 1 (the legs may be too thin when fully deployed?)
- SIRUI Traveler 7C Carbon-fiber Travel Tripod
- Marsace XT-15

In the past few months, a lot of influencers and content creators have promoted the following two (alongside the Carbon Fibre Peak Design which falls outside my budget):
- Ulanzi F38
- Heipi Tripod

Has anyone tried them? Are they worth the hype compared to the more traditional ones stated above (Benro, Manfrotto, etc.) or is it mainly marketing? Both of them cost just above £250)

Current equipment:
- Sony A7 IV
- Sony 24mm F1.4
- Sony 16-35mm F4 PZ (on wishlist)
 
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I have had a few Sirui items and they are lovely quality for the money and often found on offer, they are not Gitzo level of quality but not far from it and now close to 1/3 of the price !
 
AdamSi said:
I have had a few Sirui items and they are lovely quality for the money and often found on offer, they are not Gitzo level of quality but not far from it and now close to 1/3 of the price !
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Which one do you have and is it sturdy enough even with some light wind if you have one of the lighter ones?
 
I picked up a Vanguard veo 3go 235 around Christmas, haven't really used it in anger just yet but feels great for the price. I paid about £120 if I remember rightly, for the aluminium one. Carbon was about £160.
 
If possible, visit a shop with as many of your shortlisted options in stock and have a wobble.
 
chphoto said:
I picked up a Vanguard veo 3go 235 around Christmas, haven't really used it in anger just yet but feels great for the price. I paid about £120 if I remember rightly, for the aluminium one. Carbon was about £160.
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I have one of these and its pretty good for the price, weight and folded size are ideal for a travel tripod
Holds my G9 and 12-100 steady and they're not an overly light combination at about 1.2kg
 
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Check out my Leofoto urban in the accessories for sale section. Incredible value for a carbon fibre tripod.

Compact and within your budget. Includes ball head and case.
 
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AdamSi said:
I have had a few Sirui items and they are lovely quality for the money and often found on offer, they are not Gitzo level of quality but not far from it and now close to 1/3 of the price !
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Same here I just got a sirui with video head it barely qualifies as travel tripod but is small (and light) packed up.
It will be first one I had that is likely to actually get carried rather than left at home or at best left in car.
 
Tripods are one item you can do well by buying s/hand imo; often they have had very little use and you can pick up one for a good price. My Leofoto LS-284C is surprisingly sturdy for a compact tripod but I note it doesn't meet your height criteria though.
Although carbon fibre has some advantages over aluminium e.g. less weighty and doesn't feel as cold in winter conditions, you might wish to have a look at the aluminium alternatives if you are trying to keep to a budget - the weight difference between cf and metal in more compact tripods is often not that big
 
Tripods are only second in multiple buy photography gear numbers behind bags
Its hard to get it right third or fourth time let along first, so many its hard to recommend one.
Small light ones with spindly legs are never going to be that stable especially with anything more than a small mirrorless.

Make sure if it has twist locks that the rubber grip isn't just a band that moves independently of the lock.
This for me is one of the worst failures, you think the leg is tightened, but it was only the rubber band that turned.
Lots of the generic far east tripods share this failing including the older 3LT models.
Also check how high it stands, many seem to rely mainly on a double centre column which will never be that stable.

My suggestion would be the Manfrotto Befree GT Carbon Fibre, all round decent mid priced tripod with no real bad points.
Only sold mine when I got a show deal on the one mentioned below
Its hard to find a do it all tripod, for my uses I ended up satisfied with one of these.
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/gitzo...14f4355df6e1e199b7a70f000a7594b&utm_source=aw
 
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I am looking for something similar. Does any one know the main difference between the 3LT original Corey / Travis and the the current 2.0 ones ?
I see the 2.0 ones can convert to a mono pod, but not sure if the original ones can do this
 
leaky5 said:
I am looking for something similar. Does any one know the main difference between the 3LT original Corey / Travis and the the current 2.0 ones ?
I see the 2.0 ones can convert to a mono pod, but not sure if the original ones can do this
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Mine can. Not that I ever have. And mine's about 4 years old or so.

I'm not sure what version that makes it?

EDIT - mine looks to be the original version.
 
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Thank you everyone for your replies.

taxboy said:
Tripods are one item you can do well by buying s/hand imo; often they have had very little use and you can pick up one for a good price. My Leofoto LS-284C is surprisingly sturdy for a compact tripod but I note it doesn't meet your height criteria though.
Although carbon fibre has some advantages over aluminium e.g. less weighty and doesn't feel as cold in winter conditions, you might wish to have a look at the aluminium alternatives if you are trying to keep to a budget - the weight difference between cf and metal in more compact tripods is often not that big
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Good point, I'll definitely look at second hand ones and if I can try the model in-store or at the seller's place, that would be even better.

I like the look and design of the Heipi the most but not sure I can justify its price compared to the more "budget" ones I listed above.
 
I have popped a thread up in the Shopping section. 3LT are selling the mk1 versions of their aluminium Patti, Travis & Corey on Ebay UK for £99 posted at the moment
 
Citizen of Bath said:
After using Gitzo tripods for many years, I switched to Feisol and I find them very good. No issues to report at this time (whereas I had one or two problems with my last Gitzo). New, they cost more than £ 200, but they can be found second-hand.
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Feisol no longer have a UK distributor which could prove to be inconvenient.
 
I have just picked up a brand new (unwanted gift) 3LT Mk1 Travis for a great price. I was um’ing and ar’ing about getting one and at the price it was up for it was a no brainier really
Seems like a really nice bit of kit
 
leaky5 said:
I have just picked up a brand new (unwanted gift) 3LT Mk1 Travis for a great price. I was um’ing and ar’ing about getting one and at the price it was up for it was a no brainier really
Seems like a really nice bit of kit
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Just watch the rubber sleeves on the leg locks.
They can turn independently of the locks and make you think the whole thing is turning.
Think they changed the design on the mk2, good move I reckon.
 
lekhangaroo said:
Thank you everyone for your replies.


Good point, I'll definitely look at second hand ones and if I can try the model in-store or at the seller's place, that would be even better.

I like the look and design of the Heipi the most but not sure I can justify its price compared to the more "budget" ones I listed above.
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Hello which one did you go with in the end? I have a similar dilemma
 
IanC said:
Hello which one did you go with in the end? I have a similar dilemma
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Hi,

I managed to see a few Manfrotto, Vanguard, 3LT, Leofoto and the MeFoto Roadtrip as well as the Peak Design in store. I was mostly impressed by the Peak Design's compactness and design when folded in but I couldn't justify its cost.

I wanted a light but relatively sturdy travel tripod with similar but cheaper so I went with the Benro Theta during its kickstarter campaign in the end.
 
lekhangaroo said:
Hi,

I managed to see a few Manfrotto, Vanguard, 3LT, Leofoto and the MeFoto Roadtrip as well as the Peak Design in store. I was mostly impressed by the Peak Design's compactness and design when folded in but I couldn't justify its cost.

I wanted a light but relatively sturdy travel tripod with similar but cheaper so I went with the Benro Theta during its kickstarter campaign in the end.
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Ok thank you, have you used the theta yet?
 
IanC said:
Ok thank you, have you used the theta yet?
Click to expand...

I haven't received it yet. I was in no rush and decided I could wait a little bit. I will get it hopefully in the next 2-3 months though and can revert back to you.
 
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