Spec Me a Heavy Duty Tripod

Tysonator

Tysonator

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T
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Hi All,

I would like a cheapy ( chinse knock off is fine ) Heavey tripod for star gazing / astro shots and wildlife.
The weight will be caon EOS 7Dii and either 100-400L mkii or sigma 150-600 Comtempoary lens at my most extreme weight use.
I am not in the market for a Nick Page or Tomas Heaton heavey duty extreme weather, salt water proof tripod as I will not be doing their landscape shots.
Not that I would not mind, just I do not have spare time to camp out, hike, get rained on type of photograph shoots.


My only limititation is that I like lever clamps and not the screw to lock ones.

many thanks

T
 
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Got myself a nice used Benro C/F from the Classifieds way back and it is a great, solid tripod, heartily recommed them. :)
 
Tysonator said:
Hi All,

I would like a cheapy ( chinse knock off is fine ) Heavey tripod for star gazing / astro shots and wildlife........T
Click to expand...

I recently bought a RED Snapper....RS 284 (no head)
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/red-snapper-rs-284-tripod.712354/#post-8729842

it is absolutely perfect - complete with optional short centre column and carry case

my problem is I can not remove my Manfrotto 496RC2 from my tripod ---- jammed solid..:mad:
a local machinist will take a look over the weekend

if no joy, I will be selling the RS for what I paid £32 - and I'll absorb the postage

if the RS would suit you - let me know
 
Yardbent said:
I recently bought a RED Snapper....RS 284 (no head)
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/red-snapper-rs-284-tripod.712354/#post-8729842

it is absolutely perfect - complete with optional short centre column and carry case

my problem is I can not remove my Manfrotto 496RC2 from my tripod ---- jammed solid..:mad:
a local machinist will take a look over the weekend

if no joy, I will be selling the RS for what I paid £32 - and I'll absorb the postage

if the RS would suit you - let me know
Click to expand...


Hi,

thanks for the offer, I would normally take you up on you offer. My only pet hate with tripods is the screw to lock systems. I just can not get on with them and I like the lever system best.
Otherwise I would have been interested.

T
 
I have a Vanguard 263AB 100 which is very sturdy
 
How about a used Manfrotto 075 - heavy but pretty solid and shouldn't cost a fortune
 
Tysonator said:
I have read some reviews and it does have some very good aspects about !
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I consider Vanguard tripods to be Manfrotto equivalent for less money... And stick with aluminum if budget conscious; the CF weight savings isn't much considering what you pay for it.
 
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Manfrotto 055XPROB. Heavy as fck
 
I've had an 055 and it's on the weighty side but some years ago was the go to vfm tripod if you wanted stability at a reasonable price.

The 075 was the recommended choice for garden photography many moons ago if you wanted stability. You just wouldn't want to carry it far legs only came in about 10lb
View: https://youtu.be/biFqUJRMWlo


These days the choice is far wider but s/h offers the ultimate vfm imo especially with heavier tripods; people buy one and the discover how much work it is to lug it around [emoji23]
 
Tysonator said:
The Manfrotto 055 looks like a sturdy beast !
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It's fine as long as you keep it well away from salty water. Don't forget a good stable head. My recommendations are 410 (or 405) and video heads 500, 502, etc.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
It's fine as long as you keep it well away from salty water. Don't forget a good stable head. My recommendations are 410 (or 405) and video heads 500, 502, etc.
Click to expand...

I have watched a YouTube video of Nick Page were he takes his tripods in the surf / sea water to get his seascapes, and of course he does have to do maintenance on the legs.
Thankfully I will not be doing a Nick Page,....lol
I do own a Manfrotto 804RC2 3 axis tilt head which should be up to the job.
 
I picked up an 055CL for 35 quid from ebay. Aluminium but quite sturdy. Weighs 2.4 kg without head.

Tried a geekoto CF one from amazon - cost 129 quid - nice and shiny and orange trim but as a tripod about as stable as a blancmanche. It went back.

There is an innorel set of cf legs at 329 on amazon - looks like a gitzo 4 or 5 clone but i guess no support / parts. also available on aliexpress for less but by the time you’ve added vat shipping etc ( and limited return policy ) amazon better bet:


The centre column site has rankings of tripods and real data.

thecentercolumn.com

All Purpose Tripod Rankings

This set of rankings includes tripods considered to be all purpose. Their height is tall enough to get the camera to eye level for most people. They are typically more stable than the smaller tra…
thecentercolumn.com thecentercolumn.com
 
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I have an original 055b Pro none carbon fibre, won't part with it.

It's had everything from a 5d2 with 100-400L to a 1D3 with the same lens.

I have an 804rc2 head on it, which has screw levers but have never had any problems. I've even had a 6" newtonian telescope on it once with the 5d2. Solid as a rock.
 
Tysonator said:
The Manfrotto 055 looks like a sturdy beast !
Click to expand...
I have the 055 aluminium version.
It's "F" heavy but I could use it as a car axle stand.

It's supported a 1dx3 and 300mm 2.8 with no issues.
 
soupdragon said:
I have the 055 aluminium version.
It's "F" heavy but I could use it as a car axle stand.

It's supported a 1dx3 and 300mm 2.8 with no issues.
Click to expand...


LOL....
the 055 seems to the one to have as my home and transported tripod ( ie in car ) and I can still use my SLIK Pro as my travel tripod till I purchase a Manfrotto Befree model.
 
If it wasnt for the aversion to twist locks I’d suggest an artcise tripod from amazon. I got an as90c for stargazing as my 5 series gitzo isn’t tall enough for me not to have to get on my knees for startracking alignment and i’m getting to old and decrepit for that. I looked for a gitzo used or new but was into very rare territory for a tall 5 series or 3-4 times the price for new. I thought i would take a chance on the artcise at that ratio and if it didn’t pan out then it wasnt gitzo money.

Might be same as the innorell one just branded artcise but really solid. They also do a slightly smaller, and i mean slightly, for about £200 an as80c

I prefer the twist locks as i used to end up with pinched fingers on cold mornings with the levers on my manfrotto or stiff/ loose levers from shooting on beaches, but we each have our preference.

 
Jim_Tod said:
If it wasnt for the aversion to twist locks I’d suggest an artcise tripod from amazon. I got an as90c for stargazing as my 5 series gitzo isn’t tall enough for me not to have to get on my knees for startracking alignment and i’m getting to old and decrepit for that. I looked for a gitzo used or new but was into very rare territory for a tall 5 series or 3-4 times the price for new. I thought i would take a chance on the artcise at that ratio and if it didn’t pan out then it wasnt gitzo money.

Might be same as the innorell one just branded artcise but really solid. They also do a slightly smaller, and i mean slightly, for about £200 an as80c

I prefer the twist locks as i used to end up with pinched fingers on cold mornings with the levers on my manfrotto or stiff/ loose levers from shooting on beaches, but we each have our preference.

Click to expand...

yep - same one as the innorel. Useful to know you’re got one and it’s good
 
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