Lightweight travel Tripod

Amp34

Amp34

Amp34

Caporegime
Joined
25 Jul 2005
Posts
28,851
Location
Canada
I have a 055Pro and a Giottos 1060 tripod(s) at the moment but neither are brilliant for general travel photography (either too big and heavy or too short).

I'm looking at getting a nice light mid sized one that I can dump in my travel bag but which can take a bit of weight and get high enough. What do you guys use?

Currently my eye is on a Manfrotto 190CXPro which at 1.3kg and 50-58cm packed is pretty nice but it only has a loading capacity of 5kg (i'm thinking of buying a 120-300 f/2.8 in the near future). The other option is a Benro tripod of some kind, what else? £200 is really at the top end of my limit but I know it's fairly difficult to get any less than that!

Thanks
 
Height, weight, stability.

Pick 2.

Seriously don't even consider using a travel 'pod with the 120-300 2.8, it's far to heavy. Remember, the 'limit' is exactly that, the limit before you risk ruining your tripod, not the weight it can take and be stable.

Anyway, my 2 tripods are a Redsnapper RS-284 (fairly lightweight for when it's only a days walking/shooting) and a Redsnapper ball head, the big RSH-12. The tripod that goes backpacking with me is my Slik Sprint Mini which weighs less than a kilo, but when combined with my D3 and 28-70 2.6 ends up with the legs splayed out to ground level (although when it's like this it's absolutely solid). I'm in the process of upgrading the Redsnapper to a Gitzo, and I nearly got a Gitzo to replace the Slik but realised that there isn't really a tripod to rival the Slik for what I do.

Benro has a nice travel tripod which folds flat, but it's not exactly light and will set you back more than your £200 anyway.
 
I agree, that's why I think the max height I'm going to get is just over a metre, but then the actual "equation" should look something like this:

Height, weight, stability.

Pick 2.

But remember, the best tripod is the one you have with you.
Click to expand...

I very much doubt the 190CXPro will suddenly collapse at 5kg, the biggest issue will be the vibration unsettling longer lenses, hence the mention of using OS on a tripod*. It'll spend most of it's life doing landscapes with a D7000 and 12-24ish and 17-55 f/2.8 which will be well within tolerance. I actually went and looked at the 190CXPro today and had a play, it's a very nice little tripod, not as sturdy as the 055Pro but I'd expect that, easily took the weight of me pushing down on it though.

For me 1.9kg is pretty damn heavy for a tripod to carry around all day, although the biggest issue for me with the 055 when travelling is actually the physical dimensions, which something like the 190 really reduces. I used to cycle my 055Pro up to dartmoor for days of shooting, which was fine, but I wouldn't have taken it if the main aim wasn't to get photos. That little Slik Spirit Mini looks very nice, does the same job as my Giottos 1060 but looks like it gets a little higher, a little small for what I currently want though.

Benro do a couple of nice looking tripods in the 0.9-1.3kg range, not too much over budget so I'd be very interested in one of those if anyone has experience with them (unfortunately I can't try them out at a local shop).

*And just to add while using it in the UK I would probably be using the 120-300, if I buy it, with the 055Pro.
 
Velbon is another option certainly, I almost bought one of those a few years ago but ended up with the 055Pro... Sometimes I wish I had bought the Velbon instead! I may have to have more of a look at them as they are well regarded.

My local shop also had tripods from Three Legged Things, anyone used them? Some of them are coming in at around the £200 mark and they have a max weight of 8kg and a detachable monopod feature.
 
Trust me, anything that says it can take 5kg shouldn't be used with any more than about 3kg if you want it to last and be stable.

The smaller Benros you talk of we sell and while great for normal use, won't be stable enough for a big lens, and probably not really that great for a bigger SLR.

1.9kg is the weight of my Redsnapper legs, the head weighs close to that again, if you want a tripod you can rely on you'll need to go to the gym. If you can carry the 120-300 around I'm sure you can carry the tripod too.

The Slik is ideal for me but I genuinely think that for most people it'll be useless. With the legs extended and a semi decent setup it's far from sturdy, with the legs splayed out the legs bow too much for me to feel confident it'd last more than a few months of use, and with the legs out but not extended it's solid as a rock but only about 5cm off the ground.

As general rules of thumb:
The more leg sections you add, the less stable you get.
The more weight you add, the more stable you get.
To get a small tripod with a large max height, the more leg sections you require.
The moment you add a centre column you've lost stability, raised or not even a small breeze will cause vibrations up the poll. If you can remove it great, if not I don't even consider it any more.

There are outliers to those rules, but then the trade off is cost (think Gitzo). If there was a cheap tripod that was sturdy, small folded down, weight next to nothing and went full height we'd all be using one. And we aren't.

Velbon's are horrible. In fact horrible doesn't even cover it.
 
Thanks for the information, however you're preaching to the converted, however having carried my 055pro on holiday (and on my back) more than once I want something significantly lighter. 1.9kg is just too heavy and the tripod as a whole is too big, I'm not sure the people I'd be going with would be too happy...

It's interesting you suggest the Benros are too small and weak for a big lens, they are supposed to be almost identical to the Gitzo tripods you appear to be recommending and and are used by professionals the world over. Plenty of people use small, light tripods with long lenses, just depends on getting the right one, which is why I'm looking for recommendations.:)

Anyway lets suggest I won't be using a 120-300 and using a 70-300 instead. A small, light travel tripod for general use that doesn't need to go too high. I have the same problem with the Gittos, it's stable at around 40cm in height and although it's max weight is supposed to be 2.5kg I've used it with significantly more weight and lenses of 300mm.

Sorry if I'm sounding aggressive but I don't want to be stuck on a single point when there is a lot more important things to be discussed, like other recommendations. For example I'm tempted by the Three Legged Things Adrian Tripod, £150 with a claimed weight of 1.3kg, folded length of 420mm, a max height of 1.2m and a max weight of 8kg, which seems very interesting, cheaper, smaller folded up and greater weight capacity (although a D7000 and 17-55, with a head would only be around 2.5kg).
 
Last edited:
Amp34 said:
It's interesting you suggest the Benros are too small and weak for a big lens, they are supposed to be almost identical to the Gitzo tripods
Click to expand...

As are Giottos, and various Chinese imitations. Until you actually compare them. It's like saying a Tamron is almost identical to a Nikon lens, except the build quality, optical performance and autofocus is no where near as good.

Benro's are great, once you start pumping some money into them. The Benro Flat Traveller series is amazing, it's relatively lightweight (not light enough for you mind but...), but the small light weight tripods are exactly that.

If you're not going to use the 120-300 then you're opening up more possibilities. You really should be looking at a hefty tripod for that lens, hell I'm in the market for a gimbal head because it's just too heavy and long for a ball or pan head.

I can't comment on Three Legged Thing tripods as it's not something we stock and I've never had the chance to play with one.
 
Do you have a 120-300 then? I have been thinking I may have to get a Gimbal of some kind if I use it on a regular basis (for on top of the 055) but for obvious reasons that doesn't really figure into the travel side of things. My feeling is that the sort of safari I'd be doing, mostly moving around in small cars and lots of walking I wouldn't be using a tripod for wildlife photography and if I was I wound't have an issue with the tripod being half extended, meaning the 5kg max limit on the occasion I use it wouldn't be an issue. The 120-300 would most likely be used on a monopod or just rested on the side of something (car), or used in hand.
 
Yeah I have one, and from experience you just can't use it hand held; take a burst of shots and it gets more and more ground in the photo!

You'll want a monopod at the very least, but if you're not moving a good tripod is the best bet so you don't have to continuously support it and as I say, a gimbal head if you can afford it is a must as ball heads just won't give you a pleasant experience. It's definitely a lens you go out to use, not go out and use.

hide_and_seek_by_auraomega-d56ke6y.jpg

Hide and Seek
 
A tripod can only support about 1.5 times it own weight, and that only applies to good tripods, 3 legs, no central column.

The smaller lighter tripods are good for holding up tomato plants, runner beans etc.

I would look at a monopod and a bean-bag for your lighter traveling needs.
 
D.P. said:
A tripod can only support about 1.5 times it own weight, and that only applies to good tripods, 3 legs, no central column.

The smaller lighter tripods are good for holding up tomato plants, runner beans etc.

I would look at a monopod and a bean-bag for your lighter traveling needs.
Click to expand...

In which case all those buying Gitzos are throwing money down the drain. ;)

It's also one of the reasons why good tripods have hooks underneath, so you can load up the tripod with weight to reduce any vibration, some even provide aftermarket products to help you do so. (such as some Manfrotto tripods, 3LT and Gitzo).

I'd still need a travel tripod to stick my D7000 and 17-55 on, beanbags and monopods don't work very well with 30 second exposures... Although we have already had this conversation before.:)

Auraomega thanks for the input on the 120-300, I haven't been able to actually get hold of one in a camera shop to try it for weight etc yet! Still umming and arring over one but for a few weeks safari I think I'd kick myself if I didn't have a very good long lens, after that it may get sold for something smaller like a 70-200 f/4 or 300 f/4 etc.
 
Where are you located mate? I'd be happy to let you have a play with mine (ooer). I've also got the 2x and while it makes the images a bit soft it's better to have a soft photo than none at all.

D.P. while on the right track, you're generalising it a bit there. My Slik can easily take more than 1.5kg and is as stable as any Gitzo (and yes I've compared), it also depends on how you're using it, the ratio between height and area plays a bigger part than weight.
 
I'm based in London... Bit far unfortunately! Thanks for the offer though :) Interesting to hear about the 2x TC, it's something I would probably buy to go with it, maybe along with the 1.4x.

And yep, I agree totally RE the tripod comment. The height is just about the most important factor, rather than weight of the tripod, it's why all the high end light tripods only hit 1.1-1.2m. You can immediately increase stability by reducing the height anyway by not undoing the legs entirely.

Edit: How much does the TC affect the AF?
 
Last edited:
Interested in this as well. Had been considering an aluminium Benro Travel Angel just so that I could throw it into a backpack when I'm out for the day as it folds to about 460mm. Probably wouldn't use much more than a 24-105 and more likely a 17-40 at some point in the future, nothing overly big anyhow. Have never used twist locks though but they seem to get a good enough rep.
 
I occasionally head down to London for jobs, next time I'm heading that way I'll give you a shout if I remember! The 2x makes autofocus a little slower, but nothing major, if you're shooting at 600mm you're probably going to be focusing on something very far away, so I just set to infinity which speeds focus up. Haven't tested the 1.4x yet, waiting for one to come in second hand so I can get a bargain ;)

The Benro Travel Angel is a bit bleh for the money, invest a bit more and get one of the higher spec flat travellers and you won't regret it, a bit heavier but easier to pack away (bungee cords and the drink pocket on the side of most bags) and a lot more stable, not to mention the monopod which can come in handy sometimes.

Twist lock legs are generally a better bet as the clip locks eventually snap.
 
Auraomega, sounds excellent, thanks, and that is a good tip on the focusing.

At the moment I think I'm shortlisting to the 190CXPro, a Benro (not sure which), and the 3LT Adrian. The 190CXPro is a lot longer folded down though but has less joints, even though it has a lower load capacity... The Benros, not sure about yet and maybe a little out of my budget still, although I have seen a couple of the Gitzo traveller series for around £350 imported, which isn't far off the Benros if I did decide on those. The Adrian is definitely becoming the best contender so far. Significantly cheaper than both other options at £150 but with specs similar to the Benro and almost identical spec wise to the highly regarded Brian, but made of Aluminium not CF... The Brian looks even better but the extra £100+ for CF and a 4g weight saving... Is it worth it?
 
Amp34 said:
In which case all those buying Gitzos are throwing money down the drain. ;)

It's also one of the reasons why good tripods have hooks underneath, so you can load up the tripod with weight to reduce any vibration, some even provide aftermarket products to help you do so. (such as some Manfrotto tripods, 3LT and Gitzo).

I'd still need a travel tripod to stick my D7000 and 17-55 on, beanbags and monopods don't work very well with 30 second exposures... Although we have already had this conversation before.:)

Auraomega thanks for the input on the 120-300, I haven't been able to actually get hold of one in a camera shop to try it for weight etc yet! Still umming and arring over one but for a few weeks safari I think I'd kick myself if I didn't have a very good long lens, after that it may get sold for something smaller like a 70-200 f/4 or 300 f/4 etc.
Click to expand...


I have a Gitzo and I certainly didn't throw away money, but then it doesn't have to support 10 times its own weight! Anyway, you misunderstand, it is notability the pure mass, it is the construction of the tripod that matters, hanging a bag underneath won't I prove rigidity.


You need to decide what you want from the tripod. A tripod to support 300mm f/2.8 lens may not confirm to your ideas of a traveling tripod, however, a monopod to support the lens would. Yes, a monopod won't allow long exposures.
You Sould also think what you mean by a traveling tripod, I travel with my Gitzo 3531 + RRS bh-55, I'll go on some fairly demanding hikes.
 
Yet you're forgetting what was already posted, rigidity is not just a function of weight (in fact it isn't really a function at all, although probably a fairly good approximation due to the other factors that affect both rigidity and weight). Rigidity is a function of material used, size and design*. A small metre high tripod weighing 2kg could probably hold the weight of a person if designed right, a 2m tripod weighing 2kg with a poor design could struggle at 3-4 kg.

Hanging weight underneath a tripod increases ability to withstand forces and reduces vibrational impact (of done correctly, for example not having a swinging bag underneath creating inertia due to the wind).

I agree with the second paragraph though, which is why I already mentioned I would be using a monopod most of the time with a long lens... The tripod would be used on occasion for that but mostly for shorter, lighter lenses... And yes, we all know you are a he-man**, however some of us aren't (;)), and besides that tripod would struggle to fit in my hold luggage, if it did I would just take my 055Pro...

And well I don't know many people that would spend £600 on a Gitzo traveller at 1kg in weight and only have 1.5kg of weight on it... I'd expect a Pro camera (1D, D3/4), with something like a 14-24, 24-70, or 70-200 f/2.8, then you have the weight of the head. I'm guessing 3-4kg is a fairly standard weight to be used on a <1kg Gitzo, but maybe that's just me, maybe people spend £600 on a Gitzo tripod and stick their point and shoot on it, or there 500D and 18-55 kit lens?:p Ok, I may be labouring the point here but I don't stand by the suggestion of 1.5x a tripods weight on anything but a cheap tripod.

* A prime example being Aircraft wings. New designs and composite materials have significantly increased rigidity and decreased weight, same with car components, even lens and camera parts.

**But as you have mentioned several times before you spend a lot of time without a tripod. We all shoot in different ways, that affects our buying decisions...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom