Lightweight tripod

M

mercurius

Messages
997
Edit My Images
Yes
Would appreciate some advice on a lightweight tripod I can use for landscape work. At the moment I have a Manfrotto 190 PRO B which feels like it weighs a ton and as a result I rarely use it. Trouble is my landscapes are not sharp enough hand-held, so I am thinking of trying to find a lightweight alternative that won't do my back in when I take it out on a shoot.

I have looked at the Manfrotto 190 carbon fibre version (not handled one, only seen them on line), but it only seems be be about half a kilo lighter than the tripod I already have and I'm not sure whether this is enough to make a difference and make me use it more often.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Would using a carbon fibre monopod be any better? It would probably be a lot lighter, but would it provide enough stability?

Thanks,

mercurius
 
I have a Manfrotto 190 CF jobbie (3 section version - 190CXPRO3 I think it's called) and chose it after spending a fair bit of time down at Morris Photographic, trying the various options. Yes, in answer to your question, it is noticeably lighter than the aluminium version. Half a kilo on something that weighs less than 2kg is a sizeable amount. I can quite happily lug this tripod over the mountains of Wales all day, strapped to the side of my hill walking pack and hardly notice it's there. I use the 486RC2 ball head which is reasonabley light too.

Bear in mind, a lot of 'bigger' CF tripods, such as the Manfrotto 055 series and, I believe, the Redsnapper, are of similar weight to your aluminium 190 so offer no weight saving benefits.

Not had cause to use a monopod so can't comment there.
 
I had to get a lightweight tripod as I've had back problems in the past. I looked at quite a few and finally plumped for the Gitzo GT1541T. Without a head it ways under a kilo. Its small enough and light enough to chuck inside your rucksack.

I have trouble with it in really strong winds (then I use my trusty old 055 - but makesure I drive as close to where I need to be as possible), or if I use a Sigma 120-300 on it (but that weighs a ton anway), other than that its great.

Do choose your head carefully though - the wrong head can weigh nearly as much as the tripod itself.
 
I've got the 190CXPRO3 and can confirm it's very light, much more so that some of the alloy ones I've used. A lot of the weight depends on the head you put on it though and you need to take this into consideration. I use the same head as below too and it's fairly lightweight. I have a 695cx carbon monopod too which I tend to take most places instead of the tripod as you barely notice the weight of it at all, generally used with no head on it for longer lenses. If I was shooting landscapes I'd always take my tripod though as it's much more stable than you can get with a monopod, especially if you're doing longer exposures.

Dudie said:
I have a Manfrotto 190 CF jobbie (3 section version - 190CXPRO3 I think it's called) and chose it after spending a fair bit of time down at Morris Photographic, trying the various options. Yes, in answer to your question, it is noticeably lighter than the aluminium version. Half a kilo on something that weighs less than 2kg is a sizeable amount. I can quite happily lug this tripod over the mountains of Wales all day, strapped to the side of my hill walking pack and hardly notice it's there. I use the 486RC2 ball head which is reasonabley light too.

Bear in mind, a lot of 'bigger' CF tripods, such as the Manfrotto 055 series and, I believe, the Redsnapper, are of similar weight to your aluminium 190 so offer no weight saving benefits.

Not had cause to use a monopod so can't comment there.
Click to expand...
 
I've got a Giottos GB1060 which is light, well made and only £30.

The only drawback is that it is very low, but at least that means that it is pretty stable and not blown around in the wind.

I have used it for landscapes as it is easy to carry around and also has the benefit of being discrete in use (but not much use for looking over hedges)

Amp34 has wrtiten a review
 
Hi all,

Thanks for your help and advice.

rhubarb,
The Gitzo GT1541T sounds about right for me in terms of its weight, though I need to check whether my camera, lens and existing head would be within the 3kg limit. Basically I use a Nikon D70 with the 28-200 VR lens and a 322RC2 Manfrotto head.

Failing that I will have to consider the 190CXPRO3 (as suggested by HairyDuck).

I haven't used Morris before are they good? Are there any other suppliers for tripods would be worth looking at for keen prices?

Thanks,

mercurius
 
The Gitzo tripods are crackers......as are the Giottos...I use Manfrotto myself but thats sheer taste
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top