anybody heard of benbo tripods???

Boon

Boon

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as above, my wife wants to buy me a tripod for fathers day, trouble is i have bought so much crap in the past, i dont want to do the same again. I would like one with some sort of pan/tilt head and isn't going to cost a mortgage.

I was reading the latest digital photo mag, and warehouse express are offering a Benbo Trekker Mk2 with ball and socket head, and carry bag for £102.99, would this be any good, and would it hold my camera(in tilt position) as my others never have.

Does anyone have any ideas or know of any other makes, as to be honest, i really dont know what i am looking for.
 
I have a Benbo tripod which I'm gonna be selling soon. but it's their top end tripod and it's heavy! More of a studio job really.

Benbo are well known. They are very different in that when they're folded, the legs are side by side, so they're not the most practical to carry about -even the smaller versions like the trekkers. On the plus side, they're one of the most adaptable pods you can get. People either tend to love 'em or hate 'em.

A couple of people here use the mini trekker. I think Dod uses one?
 
Benbo have been around for a while, and the Trekker tripods have a unique (I think!) design of column which extends and rotates to a wide range of positions. Some people love them, but some find them unwieldy and very difficult to set up and adjust. I know people who haven't been able to get on with them at all, so I'd suggest you find one to play with before you make a decision. :)

The basic problem with most tripods is that ones that are very strong and stable are too heavy to carry far (unless you're more athletic than me, which is quite likely!) and the lighter ones lack rigidity. If you want to use it with a fairly heavy camera/lens, IMO it's best to go for a carbon-fibre one so as to keep the weight down, but you do pay a premium. Reputable makes include Manfrotto, Velbon and Slik. Personally I like fluid damped heads which make panning much easier.

For a very lightweight and moderately rigid tripod, look at the Velbon Ultra Luxi F, but that's no good for a heavy lens.

Just for info, I have a Manfrotto 055PRO tripod with a 141RC head, and I don't take this anywhere 'cos it's too heavy for me. :( Also a Slik PRO400DX with fluid head which is a bit lighter and very stable, and a Velbon Luxi F which I do use a lot. I wish I'd spent the extra on a CF tripod instead of the 055.

I'l stop waffling now. :D

EDIT/ CT posted while I was writing the waffle. :)
 
At least we're singin' off the same hymn sheet Silky. :D Trying to erect a Benbo for a new user is akin to wrestling with a set of bagpipes! :D

Silky said it all really. If you're gonna carry a pod with you it has to be strong AND light and they don't come cheap! For me it's either Manfrotto or Gitzo although there are other makes. I'd advise looking for one where the legs splay right out to the ground for low level shots and one with an offset rotating centre column for pure adaptability and convenience.

Don't be doin anything in a rush.. a tripod is one of the most important buys you'll ever make, so you want to be happy with it. :)
 
silkstone said:
For a very lightweight and moderately rigid tripod, look at the Velbon Ultra Luxi F, but that's no good for a heavy lens.
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Yeah Id agree with that - pleased with mine and good VFM as well
 
The trouble with pan and tilt heads Steve is they usually add enormously to the overall weight of the pod - apart from being expensive! I opted for a good ball and socket head with a quick release plate. It's all you really need and it keeps the weight right down. If you go too heavy the pod will just end up staying at home. ;)
 
I have a manfrotto tripod, I originally planned to get the 055pro but it's way too heavy for what i do. so the wife bought me a 190d with a basic 3 way head 390rc i think

It's sturdy and much lighter than the 055 and cheaper too :D and it seems to handle my 20d/grip and 70-200 f2.8 sigma set up ok
 
i got a manfrotto lookylikey off ebay for £30...and a velbon sherpa head for £20.
But the Benbo is ok, good, established brand
 
I've got the benbo mini trekker and it's a really good little tripod. There simply isn't a position you can't get with it. It's stable and the mini will hold my 20D grip and 100mm macro quite happily. It even holds the 100-400 if you don't put it too tall. The full trekkers would manage with no problem.

The downsides: because of the leg design they don't collapse as far as a traditional tripod for transporting, it's not particularly light either; the central bolt can strip but replacements are available for about a tenner; the unusual design does take getting used to but once you are accustomed to it it's very fast indeed.

The other advantage they have for landscape stuff is the leg design, it's effectively waterproof because of the way the legs extend.
 
Boon, Fotosense do that tripod kit for £99.99
 
I fancy this tripod so much I'm going to buy one!
 
Steep said:
I fancy this tripod so much I'm going to buy one!
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Well you wont get a more adaptable pod anywhere and that's a fact. :)
 
steve check out suppliers thread, There was a great deal going on manfrottos, think it might have finished, but worth keeping an eye out, might even be worth contacting the seller callumet (as in the shops) to see if they still have them, £60 for a cl55 good deal, you can then buy a head of your choice, they might even do deals on those, sure you'd get one for less than £100
 
The name Benbo is derived from bent bolt which is the mechanism by which the legs and the centre columns are locked with a single lever. They actually nicked the idea from an old bren gun stand. Once you're used to them they're extremely quick to set up, it's just the portability issue, with the legs folding side by side, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem with the smaller Trekker versions.
 
cheers guys
i would be interested in knowing how many of 'us' photo folk on here actually carry a tripod with them when they go out on a shoot, and what in particular they would shoot using one, i am going to borrow my brothers for a while and especially when visiting cumbria later this year, as i dont know whether i would use one that much, come on guys, convince me..
 
i carry one for landscapes and wildlife when i remember it. i definately find it makes me think more about what im shooting :)
 
landscapes, tried it with macro and didn't get on with it, any indoors stuff, still life that sort of thing.
 
A tripod is one of those things I always knew I should use but could never be bothered carting around, until...... I got the Velbon Luxi F which is really cute. :) I have two heavier, sturdier tripods which in theory are much more stable, but not when I've left them behind. ;)
 
I always have a tripod in the boot, trouble is I lost the quick release plate so it's pretty useless atmo!
 
The hard truth is you'll almost always get sharper shots off a tripod, except when it's not practical e.g. sports and action stuff. I'm just as lazy as the next guy, but I'm gonna make more effort. At least with the Gitzo I've finally got a tripod that's light enough to carry and very flexible.
 
how many of 'us' photo folk on here actually carry a tripod with them when they go out on a shoot
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I never go anywhere without having at least one in the car and will nearly always take the little neotec jobbie with me if I'm hunting a shot on foot.

For sports or portraits I'll go hand held, anything else and it's on the legs.
 
CT said:
Trying to erect a BenboTrying to erect a Benbo for a new user is akin to wrestling with a set of bagpipes!
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You're not far wrong! :) I bit the bullet and ordered one from FotoSense at the weekend, it arrived this morning (actually it arrived yesterday but I wasn't here so had to go pick it up)

First impression, it's light! second impression this set of bagpipes is fighting back as I duck another flying leg!

After a couple of tries I got it set up but it didn't look right and was quite unstable, I re-read the instruction sheet which is very clear and well written though it misses one important point, it's perfectly possible to swing the legs out the wrong way so that although it works it's not very steady. After I figured out that the legs would spread wider (ooer missus) if I swung them the other way (ooer missus?) the whole thing was much steadier.

I think the ability to swing the legs out the other way is probably a feature since everything about this tripod seems geared to functionality, to give you the best chance of getting the camera into the position you need it to be in.

I'll stop here for now, as I reckon this thing deserves some time and a proper review, one thing I'll say now, I can see myself liking it a lot but I can also see how some folk wouldn't.
 
:LOL: Having fun Steep?

I think the secret is to get the knack of slacking that lever enough to be able to manipulate the legs but still having just enough bite to be able to erect it without collapsing, especially in the lower splayed leg positions. You'll soon get used to it.

For years there was nothing to touch a Benbo for outright adaptability, and a lot of the modern offerings we see from Gitzo and Manfrotto etc, with fully splaying legs and rotating offset centre colums are really pinches of Benbo's original design without the eccentricity of the bent bolt locking system, which means all the legs are free to fight back at once. :D
 
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