Tripod + head £80-150

Guitarman0 · 5 Jun 2012 at 22:21

Hi guys,

I am trying to plan my next few purchases photography wise so this purchase may not happen for a good few months but what tripod and head would you guys recommend for between £80-150? Preferably I would like to spend around £130ish but can stretch if needed. Sturdiness is my number 1 priority followed by weight followed by compactness.

I would quite like a ball head but not one of the ones with the grips if possible. I would like carbon fibre if my budget stretches to that but I would prefer a good quality aluminium tripod (or whatever they are made from

) to less sturdy carbon fibre tripod.

If possible it would be nice for it to be able to get low to the ground as well

What do you guys recommend?

EDIT: I forgot to mention I don't mind buying 2nd hand.

Razor-BladE · 5 Jun 2012 at 23:13

If you're not already, get onto TP and start making a few posts so that you have access to the classifieds. Manfrotto tripod are very decent and you should be able to get a 055XPROB and ball head for a reasonable price.

Vertigo · 6 Jun 2012 at 18:43

I went for a Manfrotto 190XPROB and 486RC2 head and couldn't be happier with it.

Guitarman0 · 6 Jun 2012 at 18:48

Thanks for the replies. I just had a look at that manfrotto combo you mentioned Vertigo and it looks like exactly what I am looking for

. Thanks.

Razor-BladE · 6 Jun 2012 at 19:52

I can vouch for the 486RC2. I have that on my 190XDB and it's good stuff!

Vertigo · 6 Jun 2012 at 21:03

Guitarman0 said:
Thanks for the replies. I just had a look at that manfrotto combo you mentioned Vertigo and it looks like exactly what I am looking for . Thanks.

No probs. I went to a high-street shop and tried both the 190XPROB and the 055XPROB that Razor mentioned. The latter is basically a more 'beefy' version but is significantly heavier and I found the 190 was more than solid enough.

Vertigo · 7 Jun 2012 at 20:25

Slight mistake here - the head I have is the 496RC2, not the 486RC2

BruceLee · 9 Jun 2012 at 13:58

I had the 190XPROB and a Manfrotto head, changed to a 055XPROB and 486RC2 ball head and it's much better. OK it's a bit heavier but it gives more height and the central head column can be useful too. With the 190XPROB I was leaning over all the time, the 055 comes up to head height which is useful for me (6ft 2).

Whichever you get choose a good ball head, so much better than the usual pan/tilt ones which are so slow to use if you are switching between landscape and portrait.

Mines been with me everywhere, apart from sea salt and sand in it which I need to clean it's been very reliable.

Skynet-T800 · 9 Jun 2012 at 15:15

BruceLee said:
I had the 190XPROB and a Manfrotto head, changed to a 055XPROB and 486RC2 ball head and it's much better. OK it's a bit heavier but it gives more height and the central head column can be useful too. With the 190XPROB I was leaning over all the time, the 055 comes up to head height which is useful for me (6ft 2).

Whichever you get choose a good ball head, so much better than the usual pan/tilt ones which are so slow to use if you are switching between landscape and portrait.

Mines been with me everywhere, apart from sea salt and sand in it which I need to clean it's been very reliable.

Can the ball heads take a load of weight? so they ever slip, creep?

BruceLee · 10 Jun 2012 at 12:57

Yeah no problem, you get the Manfrotto metal foot plate and screw that on to the camera (or lens if it's a large telephoto) and it has a locking mechanism that's very secure. I've walked around lots just holding the tripod with camera attached and not been worried. It's a much better system than the cheaper tripods where you have to screw the camera on to the tripod itself, much faster. Also the independent legs are almost a necessity for landscapes compared to some tripods where the legs are connected to the central column.
OK it's heavier than a carbon fibre version but I'd rather not pay carbon fibre money.
I've not tried any of the other brands tripods (Giotto, Red Snapper etc) but always been impressed with my Manfrottos.

EDIT: The various Manfrotto heads are ranged in weight categories, obviously the cheaper ones take less weight. Think mine is rated to 10kg but worth double checking

Magic_x_uk · 2 Aug 2012 at 09:57

any updates on this, want a tripod around the £100 or so mark. wont use it (so i think) a great deal. For a Nikon DSLR no big lenses as of yet. Just general landscape work etc. But would prefer to buy one that I do not have to replace.

Prefer to buy once and leave it at that. Knowing I have a good quality one

cokecan · 2 Aug 2012 at 10:21

Slightly related to the topic....do you guys rate Gitzo for tripods?

Invertigo · 2 Aug 2012 at 12:44

cokecan72 said:
Slightly related to the topic....do you guys rate Gitzo for tripods?

Absolutely. Used a Mountaineer Series with a Ball head (cant remember exact models) and it was brilliant. Solid as a rock, and fairly light too. Pricey though! You'd be looking at £500+ for that setup

Invertigo · 2 Aug 2012 at 12:45

Magic_x_uk said:
any updates on this, want a tripod around the £100 or so mark. wont use it (so i think) a great deal. For a Nikon DSLR no big lenses as of yet. Just general landscape work etc. But would prefer to buy one that I do not have to replace.

Prefer to buy once and leave it at that. Knowing I have a good quality one

The Manfrotto combo listed above (190, 486 head) or the Redsnapper legs/ball head combo.

Ksanti · 2 Aug 2012 at 12:51

I got a non branded aluminium + ballhead one off of the rainforest for £50 and it's an absolute tank. If it's for studio work I'd recommend it. I would say it might be worth having two tripods; one heavy duty studio stuff, one for taking around with you, but of course it depends on what you want it for.

If it's for general stuff then I'm afraid I can't really help you as for the moment I've just put up with not having a properly transportable tripod and just used my dad's old Velbon.

BruceLee · 3 Aug 2012 at 00:32

Magic_x_uk said:
any updates on this, want a tripod around the £100 or so mark. wont use it (so i think) a great deal. For a Nikon DSLR no big lenses as of yet. Just general landscape work etc. But would prefer to buy one that I do not have to replace.

Prefer to buy once and leave it at that. Knowing I have a good quality one

Invertigo said:
The Manfrotto combo listed above (190, 486 head) or the Redsnapper legs/ball head combo.

As above, I can't fault either the 190 or 055, I prefer the 055 as it's taller (I don't use the central column that much but it can come in handy). The independent legs are very useful.

I would say that what head you get is just as important, on the 190 I had a normal tilt/pan head which was a pain as I couldn't change from portrait to landscape quickly, ball heads for me are much faster and precise, but we don't know what you want to use the tripod for, ball head wouldn't be much good for SLR video work etc.

Much as with anything else, buy cheap buy twice, a tripod is much like a lens and it's worth the investment for me as I use it a lot .

Credo · 3 Aug 2012 at 21:40

Another vote here for the 055XPROB / 496RC2 combo, just got mine and it's great. I went for the 055 over the 190 for the extra height, not worried about the weight. The 496RC2 can take 6Kg, so it's fine for all but the heaviest gear. I love the centre column, it's very flexible and great for macro's which I love.