Benro C3770TN

gad-westy

gad-westy

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Graham
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Anybody using one of these?

I'm looking for a stable tripod with following criteria:

Approx 1.5m extended height (I like the camera to be around eye height with legs fully out, makes it nice and quick, at least on flat ground)
No centre column
Ideally 3 leg sections, again for speed and stability.
Nice thick section legs
Weight and price are factors as always but emphasis is mainly on being sturdy.

I have quite a short shortlist. There are a couple of Gitzo models on there but both around £700+ so would need to wait a couple of months I think. I know the Gtizo's would certainly do the job. A couple of feisel option around £400-500 seem very highly regarded.

Then I spotted the Benro C3770TN which is more like £300-400. Reviews seem good but I don't want to get this wrong so I'd love to hear the experience of others.
 
May well be worth waiting until the photography show where there are always tripods in abundance and you can compare them in reality and pick the one that suits you best?
 
Fraser Euan White said:
May well be worth waiting until the photography show where there are always tripods in abundance and you can compare them in reality and pick the one that suits you best?
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That was my first thought but doesn't look like I can get there this year
 
I have played with a number of Benro tripods and rate them highly - however they are expensive, quality costs! I also like Feisol and Induro models - both ranges are well worth a look. One point to note is that the top plates don't seem to be available separately, I have 3 for my Gitzos and it makes changing heads a breeze. I have read that the Gitzo ones will fit but they are very pricey at the moment.

My only concern is that their Carbon Tubing does not seem quite as rigid (and doesn't damp down vibration as well) as the Gitzo equivalents. The problem with Gitzo is the price! I have been lucky with Gitzo tripods and have bought them pretty cheap (max was £375 for my GT4542LS) but these bargains are becoming harder to find. Don't get me wrong, Benro/Induro/Feisol legs are great - just not quite the best, but price matters!
 
I love my benro
 
I have used the Benro C4770TN for over 4 years and have been very happy with it.

I originally bought it to hold a 500mm F4 lens but in the last few years I have used it 100% for landscapes.

Build quality is great and I can't see me having to buy a new tripod in the next 10 years or more.

Whatever you get I would advise making sure it has interchangeable feet so you can add spikes etc
 
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Sounds promising. Thank you for all the input folks. I think as @Fraser Euan White says, I really should try to get to the photo show. Need to see if I can move some stuff around.

Have looked at Induro stuff too but haven't seen anything that quite ticks my requirement list yet. UK availability seems limited too.
 
johnf3f said:
I have played with a number of Benro tripods and rate them highly - however they are expensive, quality costs! I also like Feisol and Induro models - both ranges are well worth a look. One point to note is that the top plates don't seem to be available separately, I have 3 for my Gitzos and it makes changing heads a breeze. I have read that the Gitzo ones will fit but they are very pricey at the moment.

My only concern is that their Carbon Tubing does not seem quite as rigid (and doesn't damp down vibration as well) as the Gitzo equivalents. The problem with Gitzo is the price! I have been lucky with Gitzo tripods and have bought them pretty cheap (max was £375 for my GT4542LS) but these bargains are becoming harder to find. Don't get me wrong, Benro/Induro/Feisol legs are great - just not quite the best, but price matters!
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Cheers for the tip on the top plate. Strange that they cannot be bought separately. Not a major concern for me but good to know.

I seem to recall Gitzo have done a couple of clear out sales of last year's models in the past. That would work for me but I'm not normally very good at being patient!
 
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Quick shout out to FLM as an alternative. I've had my CP30 XL Pro for a couple of years now and it's absolutely rock solid. It comes with a (removable) centre column which I've removed and stands at eye level (I'm 6'1") with just two of the three leg sections extended so plenty of spare leg room for shooting on a downhill slope. Legs weigh in at 2kg I think. It's not a small tripod to carry about though.

The downside is that the Snapperstuff website seems to be offline and Speed Graphic don't sell them any more so I can't find a UK retailer. Comes in at about $700 which is around your budget.
 
gad-westy said:
Cheers for the tip on the top plate. Strange that they cannot be bought separately. Not a major concern for me but good to know.

I seem to recall Gitzo have done a couple of clear out sales of last year's models in the past. That would work for me but I'm not normally very good at being patient!
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That's how I got my 4 series so cheap - having said that it is still the most expensive of my current Gitzos.
 
Seems I'm down to choosing between the Feisol CT-3371 and Benro C3770TN. Both are about £395 delivered (feisol is cheaper but 65 euros of shipping costs).

Feisol 400g heavier but potentially sturdier with top legs being 37mm diameter.

Can't decide!
 
I am afraid I can't comment on either but I do have the C4770TN and it is a very well built tripod.
I would use it a lot more if it was not that I find my Gitzo with centre column more convenient so thats my go to Tripod.
Please note if I know the weather will be windy etc. or need maximum stability the Benro will win every time.
 
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Ganton Gunner said:
I am afraid I can't comment on either but I do have the C4770TN and it is a very well built tripod.
I would use it a lot more if it was not that I find my Gitzo with centre column more convenient so thats my go to Tripod.
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Good to hear Pete. It's reassuring.
 
Anybody know if Feisol gear is sold anywhere in the UK? 65 euro shipping cost is a killer.
 
gad-westy said:
Seems I'm down to choosing between the Feisol CT-3371 and Benro C3770TN. Both are about £395 delivered (feisol is cheaper but 65 euros of shipping costs).

Feisol 400g heavier but potentially sturdier with top legs being 37mm diameter.

Can't decide!
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i got a C3370TN back in the autumn from srs microsystems. Happy with it and they're still selling them for £319.
 
The W said:
i got a C3370TN back in the autumn from srs microsystems. Happy with it and they're still selling them for £319.
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That might just be a winner! Hadn't spotted it on their site. Thank you for the heads up. :)
 
I use a feisol CT3342 which is the tallest lightest stablest tripod I can find with decent height and no Central column.
I'd sell you mine but I am still looking for a ct3442 :(

Also if you want 1.5m approx don't forget the ballhead adds to the height also. I didn't take this into account when I bought mine. So while the camera LCD is at my eye level which it great the viewfinder is just a touch higher than I'd like it to be lol.
 
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nandbytes said:
I use a feisol CT3342 which is the tallest lightest stablest tripod I can find with decent height and no Central column.
I'd sell you mine but I am still looking for a ct3442 :(

Also if you want 1.5m approx don't forget the ballhead adds to the height also. I didn't take this into account when I bought mine. So while the camera LCD is at my eye level which it great the viewfinder is just a touch higher than I'd like it to be lol.
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Cheers. That’s one of the tournament ones isn’t it? Must admit I was put off by the 28mm max leg section. That’s the same as my current 3lt so wasn’t convinced I’d make massive gains in terms of stability though I realise there is a bit more to the equation.

Have factored in the ball head but thank you. Have made that mistake before!
 
nandbytes said:
I use a feisol CT3342 which is the tallest lightest stablest tripod I can find with decent height and no Central column.
I'd sell you mine but I am still looking for a ct3442 :(

Also if you want 1.5m approx don't forget the ballhead adds to the height also. I didn't take this into account when I bought mine. So while the camera LCD is at my eye level which it great the viewfinder is just a touch higher than I'd like it to be lol.
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If it's higher than you'd like it to be, why not just lower the tripod [emoji848]
 
Ian W said:
If it's higher than you'd like it to be, why not just lower the tripod [emoji848]
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yeah could do but its just easier to extend it to the fullest to quickly setup and shoot.

gad-westy said:
Cheers. That’s one of the tournament ones isn’t it? Must admit I was put off by the 28mm max leg section. That’s the same as my current 3lt so wasn’t convinced I’d make massive gains in terms of stability though I realise there is a bit more to the equation.

Have factored in the ball head but thank you. Have made that mistake before!
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Yeah the tournament one. I found the 3lt all had too many leg sections and the last leg section was rather small (unless they have a 3 section leg tripod I dont know about). That's not the case with feisol.
Of course a heavier bigger feisol will be more stable, I am in it for the height and weight of the tripod. Can't find another one thats as tall without central column, as light and legs diameter as wide.
 
nandbytes said:
yeah could do but its just easier to extend it to the fullest to quickly setup and shoot.
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Depends on your use I guess. Mine always needs levelling so a little extra height is usually a help rather than a hindrance.
 
Ian W said:
Depends on your use I guess. Mine always needs levelling so a little extra height is usually a help rather than a hindrance.
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true to some extent, we are are not always on flat ground.
I simply use the ball head to level for slight differences.
I wouldn't say its a hindrance, but just a few centimetres down would have been nice for me. It's no biggie. The point I was trying to make was to take the ballhead height into account :)
 
nandbytes said:
Yeah the tournament one. I found the 3lt all had too many leg sections and the last leg section was rather small (unless they have a 3 section leg tripod I dont know about). That's not the case with feisol.
Of course a heavier bigger feisol will be more stable, I am in it for the height and weight of the tripod. Can't find another one thats as tall without central column, as light and legs diameter as wide.
Click to expand...

My 3LT Winston is three sections. It's actually very similar spec to the feisol in terms of legs but doesn't have the wide top plate. It does have quite a good arrangement for totally eliminating the centre column though. It's pretty good but a couple of occasions recently have had me hunting for a bit more stability. In an ideal world I'd have all of these options along side each other to compare but back here on planet earth....
 
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nandbytes said:
true to some extent, we are are not always on flat ground.
I simply use the ball head to level for slight differences.
I wouldn't say its a hindrance, but just a few centimetres down would have been nice for me. It's no biggie. The point I was trying to make was to take the ballhead height into account :)
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Indeed. Wasn't an argument, just curious :)
 
nandbytes said:
true to some extent, we are are not always on flat ground.
I simply use the ball head to level for slight differences.
I wouldn't say its a hindrance, but just a few centimetres down would have been nice for me. It's no biggie. The point I was trying to make was to take the ballhead height into account :)
Click to expand...

I'm with you on this. I like a height that you can just fully extend the legs, chuck it down and know that most of the time it will land about eye height. It just makes the whole set up process slicker. Most of the time at least.
 
gad-westy said:
My 3LT Winston is three sections. It's actually very similar spec to the feisol in terms of legs but doesn't have the wide top plate. It does have quite a good arrangement for totally eliminating the centre column though. It's pretty good but a couple of occasions recently have had me hunting for a bit more stability. In an ideal I'd have all of these options along side each other to compare but back here on planet earth....
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Just looked it up, didn't realise they had this. Seems very similar to my feisol expect its 650g heavier but it does have a central column. Not sure how much it'd weight without it.

In that case I think skip the tournament tripod. I agree would nice to get them all and test them, not to mention sourcing some of these tripods in the UK is hard (and only going to get harder soon)
 
nandbytes said:
Just looked it up, didn't realise they had this. Seems very similar to my feisol expect its 650g heavier but it does have a central column. Not sure how much it'd weight without it.

In that case I think skip the tournament tripod. I agree would nice to get them all and test them, not to mention sourcing some of these tripods in the UK is hard (and only going to get harder soon)
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3LT is 1.65kg with head, no centre column. Think legs alone are around 1.1kg. There cannot be 650g between them unless the Feisol is made of helium!

Feisols are particularly hard to find in the UK. Doesn't seem to be any distribution. Hard to stomach paying £60 delivery! It's making the Benro much more appealing.
 
gad-westy said:
3LT is 1.65kg with head, no centre column. Think legs alone are around 1.1kg. There cannot be 650g between them unless the Feisol is made of helium!

Feisols are particularly hard to find in the UK. Doesn't seem to be any distribution. Hard to stomach paying £60 delivery! It's making the Benro much more appealing.
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ah right the spec was with the head. The website quote 1.75kg for both with and without head (https://3leggedthing.com/winston)
that's about the same as feisol then. I wish they made a 4 leg section version like feisol :(
 
nandbytes said:
ah right the spec was with the head. The website quote 1.75kg for both with and without head (https://3leggedthing.com/winston)
that's about the same as feisol then. I wish they made a 4 leg section version like feisol :(
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Igore me. It's 1.5kg without head or centre column and 1.9kg with head. I guess weight on site is with centre column but no head. So is quite a bit heavier than the Feisol.
 
The W said:
i got a C3370TN back in the autumn from srs microsystems. Happy with it and they're still selling them for £319.
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Well, I gave in and ordered from SRS. Can't decide whether to thank you for the heads up or blame you for being £319 down!

I'll try to report back when it arrives this week.
 
gad-westy said:
Well, I gave in and ordered from SRS. Can't decide whether to thank you for the heads up or blame you for being £319 down!

I'll try to report back when it arrives this week.
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Hi Graham, what are your thoughts on this tripod? I've been thinking about this one myself, to use with a gimbal head and long telephoto lens. Do you think it would be up to this?

Cheers,

Dave
 
Callophrys said:
Hi Graham, what are your thoughts on this tripod? I've been thinking about this one myself, to use with a gimbal head and long telephoto lens. Do you think it would be up to this?

Cheers,

Dave
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Really happy with it Dave. I've put it through it's paces a bit now. It's been out and about a lot and stripped down for cleaning a couple of times too. It's rock solid, as good as anything I've experienced and the height for me (5ft9) is just about perfect. The only tiny negative I can give you is that the hook for hanging a weight off easily works loose. I might just remove it to be honest.

I don't use a gimbal and my biggest lens is a 150-600 but I can't see how there could be any issues at all with long lens stuff. You can hang off the thing if you feel inclined. I know feisol, gitzo and really right stuff make similarly sturdy stuff, but I don't think you'd find anything significantly stronger. It's a set of fat legs with a big fat plate at the top, it's pretty much bombproof!
 
Thanks for the kind offer Graham, but I think I'm sold! I was already keen on this, but your comments have swung it for me.

Cheers,

Dave
 
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