Worth the extra £35 for the Manfrotto?

[Will James]

Hi everyone,

Looking at buying my first tripod.

Going to choose between the Redsnapper RS-284 & RSH-12 Ball Head for £109, or the Manfrotto 055XPROB with Manfrotto 496RC2 which I can get for a total of £145.

My question is is it worth it spending the extra money on the MF? The maximum weight I'll be putting on it is around 1.5kg out of the kit I have at the moment (500D + Tamron 70-300 VC USD), and I can't see this increasing by very much even if I upgraded my body and lenses.

I've read some excellent reviews about the Manfrotto and I'm sure it will be sturdier, easier to use, better build quality and more solid?

Any advice will be very appreciated.

 

[AndyB1976]

Hello Will

I was in your situation not so long ago and went for the 055XProB. I can't compare it to anything else in fairness other than those tosh ones that everyone usually starts out with.

Solid build, center column inverts aswell as horizontal. You can also get a short center column additionally which I did so its easier to go lower than having to invert the column.

I prefer the 'flick-locks' over 'twist-locks' on the legs personally. Nice solid feel to them engaging. I saw a cheaper Manfrotto complete with head in Currys and the build quality of that model is a significantly lower than the 055XProB.

You don't get a bag with it and sometimes I wished for something lighter and collapsing smaller when walking distances but that comes at a cost.

Andy

 

[Gupster]

Hi Will

Personally I'd go for the 055XPROB + 496RC2. Its a very, very solid bit of kit and considered a bit of a design classic apparently.

I've recently changed my tripod to a 055 because of the additional height it offered. My old one always seemed to need the centre column extended which of course leads to a reduction in stability. I was also asking it to hold up between 2-4kg which didn't help

Looking at the packages you're considering the Manfrotto kit is 26.5cm taller extended or 14cm taller unextended than the Redsnapper. It doesn't sound like a lot but it will make a hell of a difference during use.

The flip side is that the Manfrotto is heavy - it wasn't a problem for me and probably helps with stability but it may be something you'll need to consider. There's only about 0.5kg in it but if you're dragging it around all day it might make a difference :shrug:

The price of the kit is very good as well - that's a good find

Hope that helps


Mark

 

[antihero]

personally, i'd go for a Giottos MTL9351B tripod (£85 WEX) and Redsnapper ballhead. Will come out at around the same price as the frotto, but you'll get more for your money. Giottos gear is excellent for the price, as is the Red Snapper