Does anyone have any experience with Sirui Tripods? I am looking at their carbon fiber T-1204X traveller and would appreciate any feedback on Sirui tripods in general.
My friend rented one when we were in Yellowstone a month ago. r4203L I think. It was very well built. My reaction was - a smidge more weight but had looked and performed as well as my gitzo and I have 3 gitzo's so thats a very high complement. The more weight was because it was a stronger tripod with thicker legs but carbon.
I would buy a sirui based on this experience. It was about $300 less than gitzo with similar quality. The hardware, locks and legs were of very high quality.
I did not look at the smaller ones, but if they are similar in quality to the large ones, they will be good.
I have kicked the tires with Benro, Induro... and until now I would not buy any other than gitzo.
as more and more tripod makers show up from China it gets harder and harder to distinguish one from another except by their names, eclectic that they can be. the equipment themselves are looking pretty much the same generally with some color differences or maybe some overmolding or grips.
Thanks for the feedback. The tripod I am looking at would be a lightweight/compact alternate to my Gitzo 3 series and be used primarily for hiking/backpacking.
I am not necessarily expecting the fit or finish to rival a Gitzo or RRS but am trying to get a general feel for the overall quality. Even though it is fairly inexpensive I certainly don't want it to start falling apart on me after a few years. Or to have fit/finish that is so poor that it is a bother to use.
Have you looked into the Feisol CT 3442?
At under 2.4 lbs without ballhead it is still nearly tall enough for me at 6'4" without any center column. Folds down to a rather small size for travelling. Loving everything about it so far
I've got the K20x and K30x ballheads (Sirui) which are great with some minor issues. The levels dont all work, one had no fluid in it.
Happily using an N2204 for two years with no trouble. I also own a Gitzo and bought this one as a traveler. Not quite Gitzo's leg lock smoothness in my experience, but it's good enough, small enough, and light enough. I think you'll be satisfied with them.
Hey,
I bought the aluminum version of that same tripod just for backpacking because it folds so small. I have been very happy with it and find it very comparable with my larger Gitzo CF legs. I think one big piece of the equation with tripods is just making sure you are getting the appropriate size and weight capacity for your needs. I haven't had my tripod long enough to give a thorough assessment but so far so good! The only negative is that the main screw that the leg hinges on came loose pretty quickly. I think all I need is some sort of pressure washer or something to keep it tight...
Still Bill wrote:
Happily using an N2204 for two years with no trouble. I also own a Gitzo and bought this one as a traveler. Not quite Gitzo's leg lock smoothness in my experience, but it's good enough, small enough, and light enough. I think you'll be satisfied with them.
I too have an N2204 and am more pleased with it than the three Gitzos and two Benros I have owned. This one beats 'em all for features and build quality.
Not quite a tripod but i have the k20 ballhead or something like that and am very happy with it. It may be just me but i do like how sirui doesnt attempt to hide behind some pseudo european image like vanguard, benro and the like.
The only negative is that the main screw that the leg hinges on came loose pretty quickly. I think all I need is some sort of pressure washer or something to keep it tight...
Ditto on that problem, don't forget to carry around the supplied star drive wrench. Otherwise, I'm very happy with my Traveller Sirui. I moved over after the collets on my Gitzo 1541T all wore out and the replacement service from New Jersey Manfrotto turned into a bad joke. After six months, they still couldn't get a complete set shipped so I'm waiting on UK parts.
polylepis wrote:
The only negative is that the main screw that the leg hinges on came loose pretty quickly. I think all I need is some sort of pressure washer or something to keep it tight...
Ditto on that problem, don't forget to carry around the supplied star drive wrench. Otherwise, I'm very happy with my Traveller Sirui. I moved over after the collets on my Gitzo 1541T all wore out and the replacement service from New Jersey Manfrotto turned into a bad joke. After six months, they still couldn't get a complete set shipped so I'm waiting on UK parts.
The only negative is that the main screw that the leg hinges on came loose pretty quickly. I think all I need is some sort of pressure washer or something to keep it tight...
Ditto on that problem, don't forget to carry around the supplied star drive wrench. Otherwise, I'm very happy with my Traveller Sirui. I moved over after the collets on my Gitzo 1541T all wore out and the replacement service from New Jersey Manfrotto turned into a bad joke. After six months, they still couldn't get a complete set shipped so I'm waiting on UK parts.
