Tripod for travel

[dalyd]

Dear all, thanks for the great forum, I don't post much but I spend a lot of time reading people's comments.

I currently have a manfrotto 141RC tripod which seems to be a pretty good piece of gear. Unfortunately it is quiet heavy and as a result I don't cart it around much with me. I am keen to buy a light weight tripod that I can travel with, presumably it will get packed in my luggage when traveling so space and weight is a major consideration. I guess my requirements will push me into the expensive end of the market so I would appreciate some opinions before I commit.

What are the pro's and con's of the various heads available?

Cheers

[djwixx]

A friend of mine just picked up a Bogen Manfrotto 190XB and I was extremely surprised at how small and light it was. Amazon are currently selling it with a 486RC2 ball head which is equally compact but extremely easy to use. All for less than $200 seems a good deal to me.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eda8703-20

I have a 322RC2 and a 488RC2 on my tripod and monopod and can thoroughly recommend both. I would suggest both may not be compact enough for your travel requirements.

You might want to make sure you check the capability of any tripod relative the the lenses you are using. At the compact end you may be limited to 300mm, for the sake of practicality.

[prinothcat]

A friend of mine just picked up a Bogen Manfrotto 190XB and I was extremely surprised at how small and light it was. Amazon are currently selling it with a 486RC2 ball head which is equally compact but extremely easy to use. All for less than $200 seems a good deal to me.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eda8703-20

I have this setup and while it's not the lightest rig, it does travel in my backpack. Collapsed it's ~ 24-30", a bit shorter if you remove the head. I have found it's not quite up to the task of holding my D200 with the 80-200 mounted when fully extended. The bottom leg sections are a bit shaky. I probably paid 250usd retail at Ritz. Hmmm mine is actually a 190 XPRoB

[dalyd]

The 70 - 200 f4 L IS isn't all that heavy but it doesn't have a mount. But Prinothcat's comment re stability worry me a bit.

Not necessarily size to fit a backpack that is important, rather into a suitcase (weight and compactness more the issue than length), can hang under a day-pack when cruising around

[prinothcat]

The 70 - 200 f4 L IS isn't all that heavy but it doesn't have a mount. But Prinothcat's comment re stability worry me a bit.

Not necessarily size to fit a backpack that is important, rather into a suitcase (weight and compactness more the issue than length), can hang under a day-pack when cruising around

My ProB is listed 3+ pounds and 22" collapsed, so it would likely fit in a regular suitcase but maybe not in a carry on. As for stability I don't generally use it fully extended, so those thin lower legs are rarely an issue. Also that Nikkor 80-200 2.8 I mentioned is a tank of a lens. It's by far my heaviest set up and rarely is on the tripod.

[jdepould]

I don't think the 80-200 is all that heavy, especially compared to a long f/2.8 prime. I guess it's just a matter of perspective.

[marxz]

The 70 - 200 f4 L IS isn't all that heavy but it doesn't have a mount. But Prinothcat's comment re stability worry me a bit.

All I can say is buy the mounting collar... I've seen 3rd party ones that are about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of Canon article but there's no way your going to get a stable camera with even the "lighter" f/4 70-200 waving around out front. This will only be exacerbated on a lighter tripod so try get it as close to center of balance as possible by using the collar.

also check that the tripod has a hook or velcro loop at the bottom of its extension column, when you set your tripod up hang your backpack/daypack/camera bag from this and that will add extra weight low down and increase stability

[prinothcat]

also check that the tripod has a hook or velcro loop at the bottom of its extension column, when you set your tripod up hang your backpack/daypack/camera bag from this and that will add extra weight low down and increase stability

The 190 ProB does have a hook.