I'm surprised no one has suggested a 3-series aluminum Gitzo (1320, 1345, etc.). They're the gold standard in reliability, offer rock solid support, and they're very affordable in aluminum.
Really, don't put your 400/2.8 on a crappy set of legs.
Well, I still stand by my original stance of wanting more confirmation, (it's a nasty world, after all. I don' trust NOBODY) but I am certainly skeptical of the cheaper brands at this point.
Having done some searching, I found other this report on the bad build quality of a Benro head:
As always, one must question who is making the report, but this does look bad. This report also says that Markins heads are made in Korea, which I didn't know. That's not bad, of course. What it does mean is that "cheaper labor" can't be a reason the less-expensive gear is less expensive.
That leaves only the far scarier alternative explanations.
Dynatran 858 (aluminum beast) will be 3 years old in mid-July. It's in the back of the truck, ready for those odd shots. It's never let me (or my gear) down. The pistol-grip ballhead is great, but the design simply does not lend itself to really long or heavy gear. Manfrotto's design suffers the same fate.
I have a Dynatran 104(?) with CF legs. Great for zoo trips and such, when the 858 would be a backbreaker. It's only about a year old, so I can't really speak about longevity, yet.
The old fashion wisdom said: You 'll get for what you paid for!
Be aware of those damn Chinese's fake, after they stole the design from other manufacture (which the company also paid for their lesson from letting China to produce in order to cut cost, and end up their design was stolen by the Chinese with reverse-engineer method !). Trust me, someday down the road, you will hear another new name at cheaper price!
If you're referring to the rumor that Gitzo for a time used Benro (or some other China-based manufacturer) for outsourcing production, Gitzo's product manager has publicly denied any such thing ever took place, and common sense wold have to agree.
Further, whether or not Benro, Induro, et al., "stole" or "reverse-engineered" any of Gitzo's designs is a moot point, too. Three legs and some leg locks is all it takes to make something you can call a tripod. None of this is rocket science, and I can't imagine how any such treachery would be needed to design a cheap, knock-off, low-tech consumer product. Nothing like knocking-off an iPhone or a guided missle. I could build one from scratch using PVC tubing and compression fittings from Home Depot in short order.
What does make a difference is the research and development a high-end manufacturer puts into their product initially, their continued evolution of that product (based on more research and experience), and customer support after the sale. That's where Benro, Induro, Dynatran, et al, fail miserably, with the notable exception appearing to be Feisol, at least to some extent.
Too many uneducated consumers are available and vulnerable to buzz-word marketing, and anyone choosing a tripod based solely on price or material it's made from (i.e. CF) had better be happy with an inferior product, and perhaps be wiling to spend more the second time to get he job done right in the future.
I have an induro, and I feel like I screwed up royal. It was the only one at the shop that fit my gear size requirement, and I matched it with an induro ballhead. The head works fine, the tripod is a piece of junk. It's sturdy for the price, but one leg gets jammed up pretty bad, and I expect the pounding I have to put on it extending or collapsing it is going to make this a short lived purchase.
I don't know why anyone would ever buy an Induro tripod once you know the truth about them. I remember seeing them when they were first brought into the US (before Adorama and others picked them up). They looked "OK", but not better than Gitzo... Then I looked at the specs... These things are no where near as effective on a size/weight/support ratio and are in reality third or fourth rate products.
The problem is that they're Chinese knockoffs designed for look like a professional tripod and to capitalize on the "carbon fiber" market. They started out selling on the internet (ebay) and then were imported by the MAC group (Pocket Wizards, Mamiya, et. al.) Under the outer layer, it's a little scary and with their "professional" price for unquestionably inferior quality, they're just not worth buying.....
Their other products are terrible too, most notably their heads which are absolute garbage (there was a thread on another site where a guy took one apart. appalling bad and cheaply manufactured). it was so poorly constructed of inferior and cheap "pot metal" no could believe it...
I own many tripods including Gitzo, Bogen/Manfrotto, et. al. I'm all for buying what works and saving some money if there's a suitable alternative, but I will NEVER spend a dime on any Induro product, and will caution everyone else to give them a wide birth.
Seriously, these guys deserve to get an EXTREMELY BAD reputation and go out of business. It's that bad...
Hatteras photo wrote:
You have almost 10 grand in lens and camera and you want to go cheep on your tripod I don`t get it
Induro isn't a cheap tripod, they make very good one's. I have a CX214 that I use when I'm using my big ass Gitzo.
So, how many Induro buyers have experienced a problem?
I count no personal accounts so far, other than the problem with feet inadvertently falling off.
I've dragged my Induro CX214 to many places . . . mountain trails, snow fields, far-away tropical islands . . . only one lost foot so far in more than 1-year's use in non "light-duty".
Chris Noyes wrote:
So, how many Induro buyers have experienced a problem?
I count no personal accounts so far, other than the problem with feet inadvertently falling off.
Time to read a little slower. See above
"I have an induro, ............the tripod is a piece of junk.
I've dragged my Induro CX214 to many places . . . mountain trails, snow fields, far-away tropical islands . . . only one lost foot so far in more than 1-year's use in non "light-duty".
I can't say I'll ever have more direct hands on experience with one than I already have. Once you see the inside you have to have a screw lose (or nothing else available) to buy one.
Anyone thinking of buying one is much better off saving a little longer and buying a Gitzo/Manfrotto or even a Slik. Benro/Induro are not worth it at any price IMO. Think of the resale on a Gitzo (80% or more sometimes in my experience) while the Chinese knock off's are just about worthless on the resale market once people know what they are.
Get CF over aluminum - they are stiffer and can provide a rock solid platform, especially for that hefty lens. Their stiffness is more important than their weight. I would go for Gitzo which is well proven with these hefty lens.
Hi. Reading the posts on tripods it seems to me that unless you spend mega bucks on gear then the affordable gear is not up to the job. Induro is a very well made and is a tripod that WILL do the job, having said that check out Benro tripods and Ball-heads which are an excellent copy of the Induro. Carbon fiber retail around $325. In your part of the world B&H are the stockists. Check them out.Regards
Andrew J wrote:
Dynatran, Flashpoint, and Induros are all Benro.
As of a few weeks ago the pricing worked something like this:
1. Amvona Dynatran $100
2. Adorama Flashpoint $200
3. Camera shop Induro $300
The same Benro tripod with different markings.
So I got quite a deal on my aluminum Dynatrans @ $50 each. Now I feel even better about my tripods.
jamesf99 wrote:
Time to read a little slower. See above
"I have an induro, ............the tripod is a piece of junk.
I can't say I'll ever have more direct hands on experience with one than I already have. Once you see the inside you have to have a screw lose (or nothing else available) to buy one.
Anyone thinking of buying one is much better off saving a little longer and buying a Gitzo/Manfrotto or even a Slik. Benro/Induro are not worth it at any price IMO. Think of the resale on a Gitzo (80% or more sometimes in my experience) while the Chinese knock off's are just about worthless on the resale market once people know what they are....Show more →
My bad. There's one negative report. Any more out there? I'd be (more) interested to hear about problems with the Induro CF pods.
With the experience I've had, I certainly wouldn't write-off the whole brand based on one poor review, or any of the amplified reviews I have seen in the past year.
I don`t get it 