manfrotto 190xpro3 or vanguard alta pro 263ap

[dean messenger]

arghhh help lol!!

ok ive got 2 tripods ( different websites in shopping cart. price difference is £10 so no biggies there.
one is Vanguard alta Pro 263AP with pan and tilt PH-32 head
the other is Manfrotto MT190XPRO3 with 804RC2 pan and tilt head.

differences 5kg on the vanguard, 7kg on manfrotto.
however its 4kg on the manfrotto head or 5kg on the vanguard head ( or go for vanguard ballhead for extra £10 bringing it to identical price of the manfrotto and getting 10kg load.

height wise the vanguard goes higher to 177 cm and the manfrotto 160cm.

both have the top section that has the adjustable swinging arm. vanguard can be locked in several positions, manfrotto seems to be just horizontal.
both have quick release locking levers.
vanguard has a centre hook for hanging extra weight as well as a bag that hooks between the legs for putting weight in.
also the head has a larger rectangular top plate.
both weigh 2kg ( or around 2.6 with the head )
manfrotto is 60cm closed the vanguard 63.5cm

Both are well known quality brands , so im at a total loss and need to pull the trigegr before 4pm today to get delivery tomorrow!

both have retractable spiked feet too.

help!

 

[dean messenger]

well as much as i liked the look of the vanguard i ended up choosing the manfrotto simply due to its reputation and range of compatible products. will most likely spend a few days regretting it and wishing i had gone for the vanguard instead but then if i had i would have felt the same and wished i had gone for the manfrotto.
rather a pain as theres n camera shops around here so not like i could have gone and tested both out which would have been alot better. still should be with me tomorrow

 

[EspressoJunkie]

I have the vanguard ( with a different head though),having previously used manfrotto tripods.

It's well built and as solid as my 190xprob was. The centre column does move in several directions when unlocked although this isn't really a deal breaker as it's not something Id personally use that often, but it's nice to have the option.

What did sway me was the fact that the vanguard is taller,meaning that you avoid using the centre column for height more.

They're both great but I doubt very much that you'd regret the vanguard.

 

[dean messenger]

lol well as i went for the manfrotto i could well regret it. height wise im not the tallest in the world ( 5'11 ) so shouldnt be to much of a problem with the manfrotto.
i would have actually preferred to by the head seperate but budget didnt allow so was limited to whatever kit was out there and the ballhead on the vanguard was the smallest bh-100 that has no friction control . if they had bundled the vanguard with the bh-250 then it would have been a new brainer. im not 100% convinced by the head thats coming with the manfrotto ( free from wex the 804RC2 Tripod Head ) but i guess i could always sell the head straight away and see if i can get something slightly better second hand.