Tripod - better than Redsnapper for the money?

benners

benners

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am looking at improving on the tripod I currently have (a £15 one from Argos, so shouldn't be hard!)

i don't really want to spend huge amounts on something I'm not going to use a great deal... however when I do use it, I'm getting pretty annoyed with my current cheapo one for being a bit flimsy and, well, cheap :D

i think i want to go for a carbon-fibre tripod with a non-ball head.

the combo of the RedSnapper rsh-528 3-way panning head + 283c legs for £165 (+ the 10% discount) ... though I notice that the 283c is currently out of stock... anyone know if it will come back in soon?

or can I spend the £165 elsewhere for a good deal?
 
Chris Primadona said:
They are pretty good value for money if you are buying new. If you don't mind buying second hand you will get something a bit better for the money.
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thanks Chris :) will keep an eye out on the classifieds forum
 
kokakaste2 said:
Hmm looks good, equal Manfrotto (or other makes) would be a lot more than that.
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i'm pretty tempted and there's some good reviews knocking about... only problem is it's out of stock! just waiting to hear back from them if they're getting any more in :)
 
benners said:
I think I would prefer carbon fibre and a 3way head :thumbs:
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puzzled

CF = light , then add a heavy 3-way -- why not a ball-head..?

ok, not hunted internet but assume [prob wrong] that all 3-way's heavy

my Giotto MH5001 3-way and Manfrotto 290 alloy weigh a ton - but rock steady in a breeze
 
Yardbent said:
puzzled

CF = light , then add a heavy 3-way -- why not a ball-head..?

ok, not hunted internet but assume [prob wrong] that all 3-way's heavy

my Giotto MH5001 3-way and Manfrotto 290 alloy weigh a ton - but rock steady in a breeze
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the RedSnapper 283c + 3way head = 2.26kg

it's not going to blow over when a mouse farts :D and I prefer something as light as possible as it will be carried around a lot... along with a gripped d700, 70-200 f2.8, etc. so every gram counts!

the general concensus i get is that the ball heads are more prone to creep than 3ways. a lot of the times i'd use the tripod are for long exposures, so would prefer the security of a 3way (from what i've read)
 
I've got a Redsnapper monopod with ball head and for the money it's a cracking bit of kit
 
So what is the benefit of carbon fibre tripods over alloy ones? Othan than potential corrosion and weight?

I would have thought that a heavy camera on top of a carbon fibre tripod isn't going to be as stable or have as low a centre of gravity as the same camera on an alloy one... Surely that should outweigh (no pun intended!) the benefit of convenience?

Has anyone tried the redsnapper ball head? Is it actually rock solid?
 
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disco41 said:
I've got a Redsnapper monopod with ball head and for the money it's a cracking bit of kit
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there's loads of encouraging reviews around, so doesn't seem I'll have to worry about the quality :)

can get the 324C carbon fibre tripod + rsh-528 3way head for £183.56 + p&p

struggling to find another quality CF tripod + head for the money :)
 
Catdaddy said:
So what is the benefit of carbon fibre tripods over alloy ones? Othan than potential corrosion and weight?

I would have thought that a heavy camera on top of a carbon fibre tripod isn't going to be as stable or have as low a centre of gravity as the same camera on an alloy one... Surely that should outweigh (no pun intended!) the benefit of convenience?

Has anyone tried the redsnapper ball head? Is it actually rock solid?
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CF tripods don't get as cold in winter (easier to work without gloves). Also using heavy camera on top isn't really a problem. I don't own any long telephoto lenses but 24-70 with 5Dii (or RZ67 w/ 110mm lens) is no problem. :)
 
I use a redsnapper ball head on my redsnapper tripod. Done quite a few long exposures now (with a 10 stop so some have been around 2mins) and it hasn't shifted at all. It locks solid in place.

I think the redsnappers are real good value for the money, really happy with mine.
 
Catdaddy said:
So what is the benefit of carbon fibre tripods over alloy ones? Othan than potential corrosion and weight?

I would have thought that a heavy camera on top of a carbon fibre tripod isn't going to be as stable or have as low a centre of gravity as the same camera on an alloy one... Surely that should outweigh (no pun intended!) the benefit of convenience?

Has anyone tried the redsnapper ball head? Is it actually rock solid?
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Lighter
Stronger/Stiffer
No Corrosion
Warmer in the cold

pretty much better in every respect except price
 
The Redsnapper 528 3 way head is a horrible piece underengineered rubbish IMHO. Mine snapped clean in half under the weight of a 550D and 50mm. It wasn't even very well used. The shaft where the adjustment handles clamp is far far too thin for any serious load bearing.

I now use a 12 ball head which is much sturdier and feels very nice.
 
Looking for a tripod myself but only have £50 to spend at the mo!
 
GeForce Junky said:
The Redsnapper 528 3 way head is a horrible piece underengineered rubbish IMHO. Mine snapped clean in half under the weight of a 550D and 50mm. It wasn't even very well used. The shaft where the adjustment handles clamp is far far too thin for any serious load bearing.

I now use a 12 ball head which is much sturdier and feels very nice.
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Really? Before I got a ball head I used mine with a 1D3 and 120-300 f2.8 without any issues, the 1D3 and 24-70L were used on it quite a lot. Neither combo is very light.
 
Have to say I didn't like the 3-way RS head and would suggest people get the ball head instead.
 
I'm not on my laptop at the moment as I'm away for the weekend. If I was I'd post up a photo of the tube the handles clamp onto when to tighten them up. Its prehaps 16mm in diameter but the hole in the center of mine was **** poorly located. The wall thickness on one side was about 1.5mm and on the other side 0.5mm. It also appears to be cast, not machined which didn't help the strength. I'd definatly never trust one again. Luckily when mine snapped the tripod was set up really low so when I picked up the tripod the camera only fell about 2ft onto some soft grass.
 
For the money, i think redsnapper is hard to beat. I looked at plenty within that price and even the big name where nowhere near as good in that price range
 
having been convinced about getting one of the CF tripods, the alloy 283 and 284 are only a few hundred grams heavier, so think they're better value for money.

what are the differences between the 283 and 284 (apart from # of leg sections and 283 seems to extend a touch higher)? are there benefits to one over the other?
 
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