Get a gitzo and sleep well

I have never heard of a Bogen tripod falling apart they are solid

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.

now they are made by benro but are they the same models just relabeled? or are there differences?
like materials
manufacturing
warranty
support

Specs are the same down to a fraction of a pound.

please show

ref models

Timm wrote:
Buy the Induro. Some one has to so they can tell how it works and holds up. After a year of use, let us know. We already know about the durability, usability, quality of build, and reliability of Gitzo, Manfrotto/Bogen, and Feisol tripods.

Seriously--
Timm

. How about you?

J.

You can check the Giottos and Induro offerings fairly easily. They track pretty closely. I'm not sure how accurate the metric/inch conversions, etc., are done, and there are pictures on the sites.

http://www.giottos.com/

One of the problems that Giottos and some of the others have had is the distribution and information channels haven't been real well handled.

Induro tripods are Benro tripods for the US market, I can only speak for the carbon fiber tipods.
The legs are excellent the hardware that holds it all together is junk, all of the hardware is cast pot metal, it is brittle, sooner or later it will break.

I have a C358, I have access to a machine shop, I pretty much refabricated all of the hardware from aircraft 6061 T6 aluminum.

The base plate that you attach your quick release plate to came unglued,
That is correct my MK3 and 500 mm lens was attached to the center column with glue and a tiny retaining pin.

I was having trouble trying to figure out one day why my tripod seemed like it was loose even though everything was tight, when I got home I dug a little deeper that's when I discoverd that the hole plate assembly was glued to the center column and retained with a tiny pin.

The weight of my MK3 Aand 500 broke the glue loose the plate neck assembly was rocking back and forth on the neck, if I had thrown this unit over my shoulder one more time I would have lost my whole rig, scary thought.

I cut the end off the neck of and completly refabricated the whole end piece, I used high strength aerospace adhesives and pinned the base onto the neck 4 places, it will never do that again.

After refubing the C358 it's a descent unit, I would be very careful with these tripods if you have any long lenses that you may use on it.

Do youself a favor if you use long lenses buy a Gitzo tripod and call it a day, you'll save yourself a bunch of headaches down the road.

Steve

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=318800

now i am being swayed

sjms wrote:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=318800

now i am being swayed

Run Forest run

Steve

i have a feisol 3371 and a gitzo Gt2540EX. i have no reason to even delve into the tripod world. i'm not a collector either like some

Just came across more Induro testimonials

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=26483323

Looks like Induro = Benro in terms of quality.

I've only had my Induro for about 5 months of light to moderate use, so I can't speak to overall longevity. But I have been pleased so far. Solid, nice build quality.

The only issue has been the feet. The standard, rubber feet were not really snug enough, and I lost 2 of them. The carbon fiber model I got came with stainless steel feet as well. Those are snug, and not in danger of falling off.

The Induro website is a farce. Trying to get replacement feet has been difficult. There are 4 models (of feet!), with no description of which model works with which tripod. I ordered some 2 weeks ago from B/H, but they're still on backorder.

patrick835 wrote:
i
i read that some people broke their camera and lens because the disc on the center part of the tripod- the part that joint 3 legs - fell off
i read another experience that it happened to someone but he was able to catch the camera strap before the whole thing fall down to the river
i read that it is not that durable

Patrick, did you read that on some random forum, from some random posters, or did you read it from posters you know and trust? I ask because, while the issue may be real, the internet is full of lies & misdirection along such lines.

Do you not think Gitzo has people working for them that post on such threads? Pretty easy to post that you own the competition's tripod, and it broke. That's certainly one way to boost sales, whether you make a great product or not. (Yeah, I know, some folks are going to immediate defend Gitzo, saying the wouldn't possibly do that, but I'm less naive. It's a nasty world.)

Well, OK, there seems to be some corraboration on this thread, from folks we know, so I'm somewhat concerned - but I'd like to see a little more proof. If there were a serious problem, why aren't the horror stories more widespread?

Gitzo is certainly worth every penny, for peace of mind, if you have the money.

However,, if you want to use the "long term reliability" argument then you really MUST suggest that no one buy a NEW Gitzo. -only model made 3+ years ago. A new Gitzo, even a new run of an older model, could easily be made with inferior parts, or cheaper labor / inferior QC, etc. That's happened to countless high-end companies over time.

Having said all that, I may still buy a Gitzo, but Giottos is right at the top of my list, with Induro still near the top, pending more info on this "glued plate" issue.

You deserve the Induro. Go for it.

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.

Please, no more advice. Cableaddict has all the answers, and that's not why he's here.

Please, no more confirmation, dcains believes everything he reads the first time, and that's good enough for me! (g)

Edited by Cableaddict on Jun 24, 2008 at 06:17 PM GMT

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:

http://www.tomwebsterphoto.com/Essays/Benro/benroks2.htm
-----------------------------------------

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.

I'm still looking at the Giottos tripods, tough.

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.

maybe a rarity but this post is not very encouraging.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=318800

I've had the Induro CX214 for year and have been quite pleased with it.