Which travel tripod?

JohnnyG

JohnnyG

JohnnyG

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I'm looking at getting a tripod for travel and the like but as it will be my first have no idea where to start. :o
It will have to hold a Nikon D500 including big lenses and budget will be up to £150 so what should I be looking for and can anyone recommend some good ones please? :)
 
Manfrotto 055 is pretty solid. Cheap on the jungle site at the moment.

Recently bought one for cycling around with it strapped to backpack. Neighbour tried it with his 600 f/4; not brilliant fully extended but with center column down and lower legs a few inches from max extension he liked it.
 
Vanguard might be a make to consider. I use the "3 legged Thing" but have managed to pinch the inside of my thumb a couple of times on the screw open and shut stems.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
Manfrotto 055 is massive?

Get a carbon fibre, something that compact to about 1ft.
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Yeah, a 055 i probably the worst tripod you can buy for travel. It'll rarely fit in most peoples hold luggage!

EDIT: When you say big lenses, what do you mean? It's all relative.
 
Amp34 said:
Yeah, a 055 i probably the worst tripod you can buy for travel. It'll rarely fit in most peoples hold luggage!

EDIT: When you say big lenses, what do you mean? It's all relative.
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Indeed. I had to take the head off mine to get it to fit in my hold luggage... and even then it only just fit diagonally. Wasn't the biggest suitcase in the world but it was quite deep..

Befree are also not great, apparently
 
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I know this caused controversy last time I suggested it but I've got an XSCOURCE Q-666C carbon fibre travel tripod and it's hard to beat for under £100.

They say it's a Chinese knock-off of the MeFoto Roadtrip but less than half the price of the carbon model.

It's not perfect but it has served me well across Australia, Germany and around the UK, carrying a D810 + Nikkor 16-35mm.

I haven't used the MFRT so I don't know whether the little issues are because it's a knockoff or whether they are design flaws copied across from the original but I wouldn't hesitate in getting another one.
 
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It depends on what lenses you want to use?? I would be a tad weary of the rated loads of some of the Chinese tripods as they are probably overrated.

I actually found going to a shop and trying out a few tripods helped me out. Park Cameras is worth checking out if you are in London.

I was thinking of a compact CF travel tripod to take to airshows,but the problem is I found that with a D600,Sigma 100-300MM/F4 with a 1.4X TC and a gimble head,many of the more compact travel tripods under £200 flexed too much as they tend to use loads of sections,so they fold down more.

In the end I went for a secondhand Giottos MTL8351B:

http://www.albertofornasiero.it/Download/Depliant/Giottos.pdf

Its not been made for a few years,but is a three section tripod,and can take a 5KG load. I found the three section tripods just more stable than the four section ones.

Its rock solid with the kit I mentioned before,and I have travelled to airshows via public transport with it strapped to a rucksack.

Edit!!

If you really want something more compact,ideally you would want to increase your budget. I found this higher end 4 section one OK:

https://www.parkcameras.com/p/93700...ro4-4-section-carbon-fibre-tripod#prettyPhoto

These ones are lighter:

https://www.parkcameras.com/p/93700...90goc4tb-4-section-190-go-carbon-fibre-tripod
https://www.parkcameras.com/p/93701...n-fibre-tripod-with-ball-head-kit#prettyPhoto

However,with a lower weight,I expect they use less CF layers so won't be as rigid and when you get to the fourth section the tripod legs will be quite thin.
 
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Just spotted this:

Vanguard VEO 235AB Travel Tripod with TBH-50 Ball-Head

Portable - Weighing just 1.5kg, the VEO 235AB packs down to 38cm x 11.5cm thanks to it's 5-sections and patented Rapid Column Rotation, making it easy to take anywhere and quick to setup
Sturdy - With it's 23mm diameter legs, adjustable flip-locks and a maximum load capacity of 6kg, the VEO 235AB tripod is suitable for most combinations of gear
Versatile - With a maximum extended height of 145cm, the three easy set leg angles and free low angle adaptor also allow the VEO 235AB to get down low for macro shots or extra low angle photography
Ball-Head - The VEO 235AB includes the smooth TBH-50 with a separate pan-lock
VEO 235AB aluminium tripod with TBH-50 ball-head; Low-angle adaptor, Padded tripod bag; QS-60S quick release plate; Instructions
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Currently £101
 
Here is a review of the Vanguard:

https://phototrend.fr/2015/05/test-du-trepied-vanguard-veo-235ab/

Again,you see the problem with 4 section tripods - at full extension the last pair of legs is very thin.

If you are using a longer telephoto lens,I would probably try and aim for a three section tripod TBH.

A lot of reviews don't test stability and how quickly vibrations are damped out,which is very important when using a telephoto lens. Remember,if you are using a long lens,if the weather is inclement,ie,windy,thinner legs will increase the chance of oscillations in the tripod with longer legs.

Now you can attempt to weight the tripod down,but it does not always work on a lighter tripod.

Its what I realised when trying out a few tripods - its why I would seriously try and go to a few camera stores and look at the tripods in person.
 
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I'd say buy something at least 3x the load weight to what you put on it. D500 is ~800g, closer to 1.5Kg with a WA lens. OP is saying big lenses albeit not being specific.

I'm looking at it from using gitzo 3-series and 5-series with superteles (and my other lenses) but never have a problem with stability/wobble other than user induced through poor technique. I'm not saying go buy something at gitzo prices just to be aware of loads.

Admiral Huddy said:
4kg should be ample, no?

Depends on how big and heavy these lenses are.
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