CF Tripods

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Luke_

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Luke
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So I have decided to get a really good tripod + head, so it will last and it will be lighter lugging it around on landscape shoots!

I have two options, price isnt really an issue, im just looking at these three combo's, seeing what will offer me a better pod!

Have any of you got these tripods, or tripods made by the same people, what would you rate build quality as? As a TP member we also get 10% of RS, but I think the silk is a better pod?

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Option 1
Slik Pro 714 CF II Tripod
Manfrotto 804RC2 3 Way Head

Spec

* Folded Length: 460mm
* Maximum operating Height: 1530mm
* Maximum centre column extension 330mm
* Weight 1390g
* Leg lock type Twist Lock System
* 4 section leg
* Diameter of leg: 24mm for top section of leg
* Soft grip on top section of leg
* 2-way leg tip rubber and spiked
* Multi position leg
* Suggested maximum load: 5/10kg

The PRO 714 CF-II has SLIK Twist-Lock Leg Locks to insure sturdy camera support. The Twist-Lock legs allow the tripod to support up to 10 pounds of camera equipment, more than enough to handle a digital SLR. The tripod is an excellent traveler, and can easily be strapped onto most of today's photo backpacks.

The maximum height reaches 61 inches (eye level). For low angle photography the PRO 714 CF-II has SLIK multi-angle leg locks that allow the angle of each leg to be positioned individually. Combined with the included short column, this full-sized tripod can be lowered to just 7.25 inches from the ground. Another benefit of the multi-angle leg locks is the tripod's ability for easy setup and positioning on uneven ground like rock or steps.

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Option 2

Red Snapper 283 CF Tripod
RSH-12 Monoball

Sizes and Details:

Max. height - 1600mm (column extended)
Max. height - 1345mm (column not extended)
Min. height - 290mm
Min. height(column reversed)- 0mm
Folded length 620mm
Tube dia. - 28mm
Weight - 1600g
Max Load - 8kg

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Luke_ said:
So I have decided to get a really good tripod + head, so it will last and it will be lighter lugging it around on landscape shoots!

I have two options, price isnt really an issue, im just looking at these three combo's, seeing what will offer me a better pod!
Click to expand...

If budget really isn't an issue, then I would seriously look at the Gitzo range for the legs;

http://www.gitzo.com

and Really right Stuff for the head;

http://reallyrightstuff.com/

They are both expensive, but about as good as you can get. :)
 
I meant price isnt an issue between the two I am looking at, sorry that wasn't very clear!
 
Im tempted by the red snapper, after phoning them up they were very helpfull and the fact that there is a spirt level on the tripod itself as opposed to the head is a great feature!
 
can i just ask... why spend so much on a tripod? what difference do they have with something that cost like £20? other than weight?
 
Weight.

If im going on a 5 mile hike, I dont want to be lugging round a big ass tripod.
 
wjames said:
can i just ask... why spend so much on a tripod? what difference do they have with something that cost like £20? other than weight?
Click to expand...

seriously...? in general the more you spend the more stable your tripod will be. The cheap, lightweight ones tend to wobble all over the place and are often more hassle than they're worth. As the price goes up so does the weight and the stability, then as the price gets higher the stability continues to improve a bit but the weight comes back down. Try a £30 off brand tripod alongside a £400+ Gitzo and you'll soon see the difference.
 
postcardcv said:
seriously...? in general the more you spend the more stable your tripod will be. The cheap, lightweight ones tend to wobble all over the place and are often more hassle than they're worth. As the price goes up so does the weight and the stability, then as the price gets higher the stability continues to improve a bit but the weight comes back down. Try a £30 off brand tripod alongside a £400+ Gitzo and you'll soon see the difference.
Click to expand...

But put an expensive lightweight tripod next to a cheap but heavier tripod in a wind tunnel and turn the wind speed up - the expensive on will blow over before the cheap one.

Its all about compromise, a lightweight tripod is good for portability and a heavy tripod for stability - where you meet in the middle as a compromise is down to the individual.
 
bostin said:
But put an expensive lightweight tripod next to a cheap but heavier tripod in a wind tunnel and turn the wind speed up - the expensive on will blow over before the cheap one.

Its all about compromise, a lightweight tripod is good for portability and a heavy tripod for stability - where you meet in the middle as a compromise is down to the individual.
Click to expand...

That's true, but I guess not many of us take shots in a wind tunnel. Really cheap (sub £40) tripods tend ot be very light weight and vibrate like mad, as they get a bit more expensive and heavier they get a lot better. Tripods like the Manfrotto 055 cut a good middle ground between weight, cost and stability. But stand one next to a Gitzo CF (which is lighter but much more expensive) and you'll see the extra stability.

My take on tripods is that you really do get what you pay for - cheap tends to be crap, mid price is very good at doing the job but the top end shows you what stability really is.
 
Re tripods; low price, low weight and high stability - you can only ever have two out of three!
 
bostin said:
But put an expensive lightweight tripod next to a cheap but heavier tripod in a wind tunnel and turn the wind speed up - the expensive on will blow over before the cheap one.

Its all about compromise, a lightweight tripod is good for portability and a heavy tripod for stability - where you meet in the middle as a compromise is down to the individual.
Click to expand...

A very good compromise can be made :)

Get the lightest decent quality tripod you can is my advice, so long as it is tall enough without always needing to extend the centre column.

Then get a bungee cord and attach your bag to the hook usually found either somewhere around the head or on the end of the centre column. Makes a light tripod pretty bomb proof, especially if you take a little time to make the attachment adjustable so you always get the right weight and tension :thumbs:
 
postcardcv said:
That's true, but I guess not many of us take shots in a wind tunnel.
Click to expand...

Haha that made me LOL, not sure if it was meant to. My take on the tri-pod thing is that I basically need to buy one as soon as possible, but really can't be doing with spending more than the cost of a lens on one. I own a nifty fifty so.... ;)
 
HoppyUK said:
Then get a bungee cord and attach your bag to the hook usually found either somewhere around the head or on the end of the centre column:
Click to expand...

Agree, thats one way of doing it - if done properly, trouble is quite often if not done properly the bag hanging underneath the tripod will exceed the weight capacity of the tripod an actually make it less stable and in danger of collapsing.

That's true, but I guess not many of us take shots in a wind tunnel.

No, but ultimately a tripod is all about stability and a good light one will usually always fall over before a heavy one. The £400+ Gitzo is better at supporting more weight than the mid price range manfrotto, I don't believe that makes it more stable - maybe more rigid, but you could argue that loads more weight on top of a lighter tripod makes it less stable. Don't get me wrong, money no object I would buy a Gitzo anytime but for many people they are off the radar.

It comes down to choosing the heaviest tripod you know you will take out on location with you - buy a heavy tripod but don't take it, it's useless. Take a light tripod and it's better than the heavy one because you are using it - compromise, and the best thing is there are plenty of good mid price range tripods out there
 
I've got the redsnapper CF tripod. I took it to padstow, walked about 8 miles with it and never noticed it in it's carrybag.

My overloaded Lowepro backpack on the otherhand...


You won't be disappointed with the redsnapper.

Hint: Look for the little pocket inside the bag...
 
postcardcv said:
seriously...? in general the more you spend the more stable your tripod will be. The cheap, lightweight ones tend to wobble all over the place and are often more hassle than they're worth. As the price goes up so does the weight and the stability, then as the price gets higher the stability continues to improve a bit but the weight comes back down. Try a £30 off brand tripod alongside a £400+ Gitzo and you'll soon see the difference.
Click to expand...

This is generally true but as with everything else you also pay for the dubious privilege of owning a "brand name". I find that Redsnapper is a very good contradiction to that rule (the more expensive the better) as their aluminium tripod costs as little as some portable rubbish ones yet you will be struggled to find something of that quality in a famous brands for less than 200 quid.

I also find RS not compromising on build with 3 sections, solid construction and features unlike cheap tripods in the same price range.
 
Byker28i said:
I've got the redsnapper CF tripod. I took it to padstow, walked about 8 miles with it and never noticed it in it's carrybag.

My overloaded Lowepro backpack on the otherhand...


You won't be disappointed with the redsnapper.

Hint: Look for the little pocket inside the bag...
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, all the reviews on it are top notch!
 
dalex_257 said:
This is generally true but as with everything else you also pay for the dubious privilege of owning a "brand name". I find that Redsnapper is a very good contradiction to that rule (the more expensive the better) as their aluminium tripod costs as little as some portable rubbish ones yet you will be struggled to find something of that quality in a famous brands for less than 200 quid.

I also find RS not compromising on build with 3 sections, solid construction and features unlike cheap tripods in the same price range.
Click to expand...

I always assumed that part of the cost of a Gitzo was paying for the name, but then I tried one and it showed up the weaknesses of my Manfrotto - I was truely amazed by how stable it is.

I've heard others saying good things about Red Snapper tripods, I'd like to try one but with no stockist near me I can't. As I already have a couple of tripods I can't justify buying another one just to try it...
 
bostin said:
Agree, thats one way of doing it - if done properly, trouble is quite often if not done properly the bag hanging underneath the tripod will exceed the weight capacity of the tripod an actually make it less stable and in danger of collapsing.
Click to expand...

The tripod's weight capacity, apart from being plucked pretty much from nowhere, refers to the stability of the tripod with a big top heavy weight. It's more to do with height vs spread, and not much to do with how much weight the thing can carry, slung underneath.

In my post above I also referred to adjusting the weight for optimum stability - you really don't need much to increase stability enormously as it's at the bottom - perfect. Certainly no need to strain the thing to breaking point.

I've used plenty of rubbish tripods and none has ever collapsed. I had one topple over though. Ouch :eek: That's not going to happen twice.
 
postcardcv said:
I always assumed that part of the cost of a Gitzo was paying for the name, but then I tried one and it showed up the weaknesses of my Manfrotto - I was truely amazed by how stable it is.

I've heard others saying good things about Red Snapper tripods, I'd like to try one but with no stockist near me I can't. As I already have a couple of tripods I can't justify buying another one just to try it...
Click to expand...

Well I would not go as far as comparing it to Gitzo - but for the legs price (50 quid) you would struggle to find anything even remotely close to this (pricewise) with the same quality. IMO it is way better than cheaper Manfrottos I used to compare it with when I've chosen mine.
 
Got it yesterday, and wow.

The head is amazing, never used a ball head before, and i really like the idea, also very practical with the quick release.

The tripod is strong, sterdy and light all at the same time.

It supports much more weight than my aluminium one and I can life it up with two fingers!
 
Luke_ said:
Got it yesterday, and wow.

The head is amazing, never used a ball head before, and i really like the idea, also very practical with the quick release.

The tripod is strong, sterdy and light all at the same time.

It supports much more weight than my aluminium one and I can life it up with two fingers!
Click to expand...

Enjoy your "redsnapping" ;)
 
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