Tripod - max weight actually matter?

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Cheng

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I've just taken delivery of a new tripod, the Benro travel angel. It's the C-168, and it claims it's max weight is 8kg. Similarly, the head I ordered, the Benro J1, is rated for 12kg (I think).

Surely this weight is just...over the top, even with the heaviest telephotos and pro bodies?

For example, you have one of the heaviest Nikon lenses and bodies, e.g. D3 and 200-400 F4. That's what, roughly 1.5kg and 3.2 kg ish? Making it just shy of 5 kg if you give a bit of lee way or extra weight, this is still far short of the 8kg maximum.

Now even though my tripod is on the light weight side of things - *only* supporting 8kg, I know that the more sturdy models and heads go 20,30, 40 kgs...

What do people actually place on these? Or is it not so much what you place on them, it's the rigidity?
 
It is both what they support and the rigidity.

An old trick to make a tripod more steady is to hang something heavy (not so as to b****r the tripod) from the underside of the head.
 
D300 with grip, Sigma 300-800, gimbal type head, sometimes a big torch as well.......it all adds up.
 
It's the rigidity. You could buy a 5kg tripod and hang 20kgs from it, it wouldn't collapse but it might wobble a bit ;)
 
fracster said:
D300 with grip, Sigma 300-800, gimbal type head, sometimes a big torch as well.......it all adds up.
Click to expand...

I tried to do some adding and I still couldn't! The D3 / 200-400 was one of the heaviest I found (in a 5 minute search)...

Perhaps it was relevant in the medium format days?

It all seems a little moot for landscapes with my D300 and 10-20mm...barely scratching 2kg I suspect (and for the majority of tripod users too) !
 
My D3, with the 600mm AFS II and a flash gun probably weighs in near 8kg. The old AFS II is 6kg on it's own I think! Plus some people hang beanbags off the bottom etc (my beanbag probably weighs 2 or 3kg). Oh, and then there is the 1.5kg of the Wimberley too..so we are up at over 10kg now...

Then add some wind when you are out and about and thigns soon start to get a bit wobbly through the viewfinder. The more weight the tripod will hold the less likely it is to flex under load/wind etc. Plus you can extend the legs out more before seeing the effects of flex and wobble.

Shooting wide angle won't need to be supported by a tripod that can hold 25kg but then that's why there are cheaper ones on the market :)
 
I have never understood the relevance of the load bearing figures. I also recently saw a picture with a guy literally hanging his full weight on a tripod - it was a Benro as it happens - quite safely. I can only think it is something to do with balance, perhaps relative to the spread of the legs, but if someone can tell me how this figure is derived, or is in any way at all useful, I'd be grateful.

If you want stability, don't extend the centre column (or even get a tripod without one). And hang a bag or something underneath from the hook generally provided for the purpose.
 
Personally I wouldn't want to overload a tripod just in case, I saw a chap recently with a 600 f4 and 1Ds on top of a Manfrotto 190 with a 128 head the whole set up looked very wobbly and ready to collapse at any moment. I remember years ago being advised that you should always aim for a tripod that is rated to hold twice as much as your gear weighs. If you want a good solid tripod taht will hold weight without a problem then look for an original Benbo. I've no idea what it's rated to hold but sometimes when I need a higher viewpoint I set it to half height and stand on it.
 
Cheng said:
I've just taken delivery of a new tripod, the Benro travel angel. It's the C-168, and it claims it's max weight is 8kg. Similarly, the head I ordered, the Benro J1, is rated for 12kg (I think).

Surely this weight is just...over the top, even with the heaviest telephotos and pro bodies?

For example, you have one of the heaviest Nikon lenses and bodies, e.g. D3 and 200-400 F4. That's what, roughly 1.5kg and 3.2 kg ish? Making it just shy of 5 kg if you give a bit of lee way or extra weight, this is still far short of the 8kg maximum.

Now even though my tripod is on the light weight side of things - *only* supporting 8kg, I know that the more sturdy models and heads go 20,30, 40 kgs...

What do people actually place on these? Or is it not so much what you place on them, it's the rigidity?
Click to expand...

Don't forget other formats than DSLRs. Even medium format is just that - MEDIUM format, with larger systems also being available.
 
Would you get in a lift with 8 people knowing it was only designed to hold the weight of 4 :nuts: :D

Having owned an old Manforotto before my Gitzo, I can full appreciate the difference. My 600mm on the Manfrotto was a nightmare if the legs were extended even a little bit. Put them up high for doing birds in flight and you could see the whole thing flex a little as I put my weight on the lens. Plus, looking through the viewfinder without touching the camera in even the slightest breeze resulted in so much wobble it was a joke. I'm not saying all rush out and get Gitzo, but I am saying don't go cheap if you do have heavy expensive gear because it does make a difference. Of course if you have light gear then not so much...
 
I personally think it is a guideline for the strength and rigidity of the tripod. I wouldn't want to run a 600 on my Gitzo 3540LS but I am very happy with the stability with a 500.

Having said that, I use a Manfrotto 190MF4 sometimes (rated to 4kg) with a Wimberley head (1kg), 1DsII (1.4kg), 500/4 (4.2 kg) and flash+bracket (1kg) - total 7.6kg and it hasn't let me down yet, it's just not as stable as the Gitzo...
 
fracster said:
D300 with grip, Sigma 300-800, gimbal type head, sometimes a big torch as well.......it all adds up.
Click to expand...

Why go for the Sigma 300-800mm, why not opt for the Sigma 200-500mm f2.8 at over 15Kg :D

I know I would have to be carefull hanging my bag under my tripod, total weight is about 8.5 Kg
 
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