Tripod recommendations?

Going to Cali

Going to Cali

Going to Cali

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23 Aug 2004
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I'm planning a hiking trip in Banff and Waterton/Glacier and would like a decent tripod for some long exposure shots.

Can anyone recommend a tripod suitable for a Nikon D3100, the largest lens weighs approx 750g.

I'm looking for something that is stable on rough terrain, won't blow over in the wind, has a flexible (rotates to portrait / landscape) and secure mount and ideally easily stored in a regular back pack.

Ideally would like to spend around £100, but willing to pay more if it is necessary for the quality keeping in mind the camera was around £300. Any suggestions?
 
No Idea with pan head tbh, I always use a ball head. Mines a 496rc2 but I'm going to sell it and upgrade it for a Mh054 or 55 soon because I want the pan feature the 496 lacks :)
 
If you can push a little more get the 190CX (not Pro version). It's the carbon fibre version of the 190XPro but doesn't have the Q90 system (allowing you to set the centre column at right angles), what it does allow you to do is remove the centre column all together and attach the head directly to the legs, saving a few hundred extra grams.

With the centre column removed I used it very successfully with a D7000 and Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 (inc 1.4TC - around 4kg weight on it). The head is important with that sort of weight though, I was using a light 494RC2 which was fine in landscape but not so much in portrait with that weight.

http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/190cx-carbon-fibre-3-section-tripod

It may be a little out of your budget though as it's a fair amount more expensive, but worth it IMO, it saves you about 1/3 of the weight.
 
^^^ Also center columns reduce stability so should be removed unless the extra height is ability required. In engineering terms putting a load on top of a triangular structure is a stable construction, putting a weight on top of a pole is not at all stable, and vibrations are magnified by the length of the pole, think of a ruler pressed against the side of a table where you twang the end, the longer the ruler sticks out the greater the amplitude of the movement.
 
Thank you for the advice and suggestions. I eventually chose the velbon rexi l. I liked the look of the manfrotto, however, a big consideration is size. I'll be taking it on the plane to Canada and with me on our hikes, it being so compact end getting good reviews won out.
Looking forward to some nice long exposure shots, hopefully even some of the northern lights
 
I would suggest a UK company called redsnapper, they make good tripods.

I bought a set earlier this year for night sky photos in Finland - had no issues with stability, and folds up into a small bag.
 
My red Snapper 324 is still going strong but I replaced the ball head with the Calumet one and it's just better all round :)

CF one is a great and cheap tripod for travel especially.
 
Ultimately, it boils down to how large a tripod you want to carry around. I've recently gone through a bit of a tripod revelation.

Velbon Ultra Rexi L paired with a Redsnapper RSH-61 ball head is fantastic. The ultimate travel tripod. I don't think you can go smaller or sturdier for cheaper.

The above will cope fine with a 5D3 + 70-300L.
 
I still take the Red Snapper around with me though, it gives me a good workout :cool:
 
Nah! Anyone that says it's fun to carry a heavy and/or large tripod around are lying!

(Unless you plan to beat someone to death with it)
 
2StepSteve said:
Nah! Anyone that says it's fun to carry a heavy and/or large tripod around are lying!

(Unless you plan to beat someone to death with it)
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If you have a heavy and large lens on the end of the tripod then it actually makes carrying the whole setup quite easy. I prefer to take my 300mm f/4.0 attached to a monopod or big tripod (gitzo 3531 + BH-55) instead of hanging from my neck strap.

Moreover, I wouldn't want to carry a tripod that could not properly stablise my long heavy lenses because then it is wasted weight and could be detrimental to image quality.

Barring that, yeah, the lighter the better.
 
2StepSteve said:
Velbon Ultra Rexi L paired with a Redsnapper RSH-61 ball head is fantastic. The ultimate travel tripod. I don't think you can go smaller or sturdier for cheaper.
.
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I bought the Manfrotto 498-rc2, which was about 3 times the cost of the RSH-61.

For a Tamron 18-270, is there any benefit in having the manfrotto over the redsnapper? I'm tempted to return the Manfrotto and buy the Redsnapper just to save myself the £45-50.
 
D.P. said:
If you have a heavy and large lens on the end of the tripod then it actually makes carrying the whole setup quite easy. I prefer to take my 300mm f/4.0 attached to a monopod or big tripod (gitzo 3531 + BH-55) instead of hanging from my neck strap.

Moreover, I wouldn't want to carry a tripod that could not properly stablise my long heavy lenses because then it is wasted weight and could be detrimental to image quality.

Barring that, yeah, the lighter the better.
Click to expand...

A 300 f/4 isn't really a long or particularly heavy lens TBH.

On the other hand I agree that hanging a biggish lens round your neck with the standard strap is a little annoying, especially if you're one of those people that insist on putting the camera on your chest (not saying you are just commenting in general)!

I got a blackrapid strap and the quick release system is great, swapping from carrying the camera to the lens in double quick time with both just dangling at my side. I certainly wouldn't be keen on carrying a 3kg tripod unless I was using a seriously heavy/long piece of equipment (like a 600 f/4). The only issue with my setup at the moment is the head isn't the best with 4kg on it, but then it is the mini ball head, not really designed for anything as heavy/long as that. Just need to find a nice lightweight head to replace it with.
 
2StepSteve said:
Ultimately, it boils down to how large a tripod you want to carry around. I've recently gone through a bit of a tripod revelation.

Velbon Ultra Rexi L paired with a Redsnapper RSH-61 ball head is fantastic. The ultimate travel tripod. I don't think you can go smaller or sturdier for cheaper.

The above will cope fine with a 5D3 + 70-300L.
Click to expand...

This is the tripod I've been looking at for when I'm out on my bike , nice and compact and light too
 
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