Help me choose a carbon fibre tripod

andy_fozzy

andy_fozzy

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Hi all :wave:

Got a few quid spare, and looking at a new carbon fibre tripod.
I'm thinking CF because is lighter, is that right?

Anyway, the Manfrotto I have at the moment is ok, but a bit annoying. You have to take the centre column off, swap the bit that the head screws into around, just so you can spread the legs apart to get down low to the ground, if that makes sense :thinking:

So I looking for one which eliminates that problem.

Any suggestions?

I'll have about £200 to spend.

Cheers :thumbs:
 
Maybe this Benro C-297 if you want the column to do tricks http://cgi.ebay.com/BENRO-C-297-M8-...050?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3eff38fc5a

Tons of choice on that site - recommended ebay supplier. A lot of folks here have bought from him, with delivery in a few days and nothing extra to pay :thumbs:

It's Gitzo copy, at half the cost. You can't touch Benro for quality and value at those prices. I have the C-257 with J-2 head. Much better than Manfrotto :)
 
:plusone: on Benro/Induro legs. They are heavyer than the equivalent Gitzo but much lighter on the pocket! They are real good value and rock steady. I also have a Benro ball head but I am reluctant to recommend that, maybe I am asking too much of it though.
 
Linky to a UK Benro dealer that we have used before. They have only a limited range though.
 
DonnaM said:
:plusone: on Benro/Induro legs. They are heavyer than the equivalent Gitzo but much lighter on the pocket! They are real good value and rock steady. I also have a Benro ball head but I am reluctant to recommend that, maybe I am asking too much of it though.
Click to expand...

The equivalent of the Benro C-297 mentioned above is the Gitzo GT2531 Explorer, and that is actually heavier - 1.63kg vs 1.85kg. You can buy them both at Warehouse Express, where the Benro is £320 and the Gitzo £405, both plus delivery. The Benro from DC's Store on ebay is about £208 at today's rates, inc delivery.

There is some bad rep on Benro heads, but I think that depends on which one you've got. The current B-series and J-series are certainly very good, the Arca-Swiss copies.

Edit: I ordered some stuff from PhotoPal. They took my money even though it was out of stock, took several days to tell me that and then another week to refund. They also promised to tell me when it would be back in stock, but that was three months ago. They work out of a house in Bedford and claim to be the official UK importers, but they're not - that's Kenro Ltd.
 
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andy_fozzy said:
:razz:

:D

I admit to being a wimp, but not the too much money bit :'(
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Perhaps it was a bit harsh :D

But I do get asked this at club level quite a bit - being 'old school' - a 'proper' tripod is supposed to be heavy to help with rigidity, and I have seen CFs struggle in little more than a breeze. At FOCUS a few years back I, and another Pro, were looking over these new-fangled super light tripods and noted that in one range (not telling which) the same model tripod legs (exact same size, spec only one was CF) was less than 1lb lighter but 3x the price :eek:

We reasoned that if the weight really was an issue we could give up the beer for 2 weeks and lose that 1lb - then use the £300 saved for NOT buying the CF version for a good weekend away for photography :)

If you're mountaineering or walking unaided to the Pole - then yes weight saving is a must - otherwise, keep off the beer & chips for a while buy a proper tripod and you're sorted :D

DD
 
I recently bought a Giottos carbon fibre tripod. Very pleased with it, indeed!:thumbs:
 
I've got a couple of CF tripods, a velbon and Manfrotto, they are lighter than their aluminium conterparts but not by that much, there is a massive difference in rigidity though, Ilove my Velbon, even after my mate thought it was plastic. :)
 
It's a good point you are making DD.
And you've got me thinking now :thinking:

I have been togging in a few situations where the wind has almost blown my pod over.
So a CF one would have blown over???

The weight is an issue, especially with all the other gear in my bag!!
Although now my 1D MKII has gone it should be a bit better :D
 
Can never have too many toys eh Andy?

Be intrigued to see how you get on with your new purchase..ie how the weight difference is a benefit, performance of different legs etc.

TBH I haven't really considered a CF Tri or Mono as the 100-400 and 1 D weigh a ton anyway!...oh and all the biscuits I carry too!

Cheers

Rob
 
Avarice, it's not weight that I see as the big advantage, alloy tripods are kind of springy.... CF doesn't do that anywhere near as much.
 
I'm also interested in a CF tripod, and the Benro looks so nice that I'll probably go for it.
But I'm not sure; could someone tell me, would my Manfrotto head fit the Benro or any other make I might choose?
What I'm asking is; is the screw thread on top of the tripod a universal size?

Paul
 
YosemitePaul said:
I'm also interested in a CF tripod, and the Benro looks so nice that I'll probably go for it.
But I'm not sure; could someone tell me, would my Manfrotto head fit the Benro or any other make I might choose?
What I'm asking is; is the screw thread on top of the tripod a universal size?

Paul
Click to expand...

Yep it'll be fine Paul :thumbs:
 
I own and I would recommend the Manfrotto 055CXPRO4. It has the Q90 system so changing the central column is quick and easy, no unscrewing involved. The central column is also CF. Compact and light.

£250

1027601_2.jpg
 
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avarice08 said:
Can never have too many toys eh Andy?

Be intrigued to see how you get on with your new purchase..ie how the weight difference is a benefit, performance of different legs etc.

TBH I haven't really considered a CF Tri or Mono as the 100-400 and 1 D weigh a ton anyway!...oh and all the biscuits I carry too!

Cheers

Rob
Click to expand...

:D Deffo mate!!

I've never spent allot on a tripod. The Manfrotto I have now is fine-ish. It was 99 quid from Jessops and has done a sterling job.
TBH, the truth is that I want one that gets down and low to the ground without having to swap head mounts around.
It's a real pain.

CF just seemed to be the way forward........
 
Digifrog said:
I own and I would recommend the Manfrotto 055CXPRO4. It has the Q90 system so changing the central column is quick and easy, no unscrewing involved. The central column is also CF. Compact and light.

£250

1027601_2.jpg
Click to expand...

That looks nice :naughty:

What's the max height?
 
DiddyDave said:
Many years ago there was a prog on tv with a landscape photographer who used a cinema-type tripod - that b****r weighed over 30lbs and he carried up hill, dale, everywhere - true believer in weight=stiffness=strength=no camera shake

Now he was a bit OTT to say the least, but I still kinda agree :)

DD
Click to expand...

Can you remember what kind of camera he was using? A 30lb tripod is a tad bonkers for a pro SLR but I can understand his point if he had something bulky - like a Gandolfi.

A mate of mine (a film cameraman) bought one of the last Gandolfis ever made - it was a beautiful looking thing.
 
Ozei said:
Sorry - wrong link. I meant this one, which comes with a head http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BENRO-C-298-M...cessories_TripodsSupports&hash=item3cada1eafd.
Click to expand...

Yes, B-series and J-series heads come with Arca-Swiss compatible QR plates.

DiddyDave said:
Perhaps it was a bit harsh :D

But I do get asked this at club level quite a bit - being 'old school' - a 'proper' tripod is supposed to be heavy to help with rigidity, and I have seen CFs struggle in little more than a breeze. At FOCUS a few years back I, and another Pro, were looking over these new-fangled super light tripods and noted that in one range (not telling which) the same model tripod legs (exact same size, spec only one was CF) was less than 1lb lighter but 3x the price :eek:

We reasoned that if the weight really was an issue we could give up the beer for 2 weeks and lose that 1lb - then use the £300 saved for NOT buying the CF version for a good weekend away for photography :)

If you're mountaineering or walking unaided to the Pole - then yes weight saving is a must - otherwise, keep off the beer & chips for a while buy a proper tripod and you're sorted :D

DD
Click to expand...

Fair point about weight. A good tripod is about damping vibration as well as rigidity and weight helps a lot with that. Carbon is supposed to be better for vibration than alli, and wood better still - I'll stick with carbon thanks.

The usual way of sorting it is to hang your camera bag underneath and most tripods provide a hook for that purpose.
 
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HoppyUK said:
The usual way of sorting it is to hang your camera bag underneath and most tripods provide a hook for that purpose.
Click to expand...

Thats what I used to do, now I have a new way...

If I'm not on concrete, I carry a 12" aluminium screw picket used for marquees and stuff, screw it into the ground and attach the picket to the bag ring with a bungee so its nice and taught. Since I've been doing that its only fallen over once (inside and sans picket) when I walked into it :bonk:
 
cw318is said:
Thats what I used to do, now I have a new way...

If I'm not on concrete, I carry a 12" aluminium screw picket used for marquees and stuff, screw it into the ground and attach the picket to the bag ring with a bungee so its nice and taught. Since I've been doing that its only fallen over once (inside and sans picket) when I walked into it :bonk:
Click to expand...

Bungee and camera bag is a good combo, and adjustable for height :thumbs:
 
i've just been researching these, i essentially wanted a gitzo 1227 (GT2531 is the current version) you know something no more than 1.6kg, 130-140cm height without extending the centre column and of course a good load capacity/wide leg diameter.

the benro c-257 is supposely the closest 3rd party copy (the c-297 has a flip out column for macro) and then there's the manfrotto 055cxprob but still these are not exactly cheap...

the cheaper options seem to be Red Snapper 283C, Giottos MTL 8351, but the most interesting one is Horusbennu C-2540 (see ebay).

The Horusbennu is the most feature packed one, lightest while being able to hold 12kg (assuming you can trust the specs) it can also convert one of the legs into a monopod - but they are a complete unknown
 
Digifrog said:
I own and I would recommend the Manfrotto 055CXPRO4. It has the Q90 system so changing the central column is quick and easy, no unscrewing involved. The central column is also CF. Compact and light. £250
Click to expand...

:thumbs:

I have the Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 (about £210 )which is a slightly smaller version of the 055.
The Q90 column is great and very quick to swap to 90 degrees.
The column can also be fully removed and replaced in the inverted position
which is perfect to get right down in the dirt. :lol:
 
I have a velbon CF-630 tripod - purchased from EdBray last year.
The weight saving is quite nice - but the lack of vibration through the thing is excellent.

More importantly, for me, the centre column is a two part one - the bottom 3/4 unscrews and the remaining can be used as a shorter column. Since I never raise the centre column up above minimum this is perfect as it means I can virtually rest the tripod on the ground - yes, it goes that low!
 
Thanks guys.

A few more to consider :thumbs:

Richard, like the sound of your one.
The Velbons with the unscrew-able poles are looking favourable right now
 
I'll take a couple of photos tomorrow if you want showing how low it goes...
 
Dave is actually right...........God that hurts..........:D............Unless you carry large heavy lenses or carry stuff over hills and mountains, then you really don`t need CF. Just my opinion I hasten to add.
 
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