p.1 #7 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
Induro is the upper end product along with a seperate facility of the Benro company backed by US investment and distributership. they are trying the Gitzo/Manfrotto design/market/production model
p.1 #10 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
Yes, and good luck with keeping tripods as made in the USA. Manfrotto and Gitzo are both made outside the USA. Really Right Suff is the only USA made tripod equipment I can think of.
p.1 #11 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
I don't get too worked up over keeping my photography dollars in the US, but Benro would have to first stop selling garbage before I'd ever trust their products. Even the lowest end Manfrotto stuff is honestly made and sold, and is a reasonable value for the price.
p.1 #15 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
now imagine putting on a nice fluid head too for those nice pan and tilt for the cinema experience. your now up to an easy 6-8 lbs total. this is not unusual for this type of equipment. in fact its still pretty light. there is no reason to use CF. and almost nowhere you could use it. the 100mm halfbowl setup alone is a bit of the weight. its a bargain to me.
p.1 #16 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
Yeah, hihats have been used for years for video and filmmaking. Gitzo has long had a baby series 3, and Manfrotto's version is optimized for filmmaking, with a 100mm bowl and tie-down points. Miller makes a similar one.
I wouldn't put a $50k cine rig on a Benro, in any case. Or a $5k Nikon, for that matter.
p.1 #17 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
why wouldn't you? we've put cameras where the aren't designed to be many times. i can't truely opinionate on this particular piece of gear at this point with a blanket statement. but i will see it in October between the 25-27 at Photo Plus and then i will see structurely how it is executed and what i would put on it.
p.1 #18 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
There are very few people here who use such gear regularly, or even know what it's for. Presumably people shopping for Sachtlers know what they need, and aren't going to risk thousands to save pennies. People looking for cheaper options would do well to look at the well-established options from Manfrotto and Miller, which are comparably priced to the product you linked.
Whatever name they slap on their stuff, I just don't trust Benro. They've earned that mistrust fair and square.
p.1 #20 · now here's a table top tripod (actually a hi hat)
I've seen plenty of Benro stuff, and owned one of their ballheads. It was junk, and the exact same head is still available for sale in my local camera shop with an Induro label on it for $200. They're a low buck job shop, not a manufacturer with any visible commitment to a high standard of quality.
They couldn't be further from the RRS manufacturing and design ethic that you're usually so eager to promote. RRS won't put their name on anything that doesn't meet their standards. I respect them for that. Not only will Benro put their name on junk, they'll gladly put *your* name on it for you. If that means copying a Gitzo design and putting "SJMS" on it in Gitzo trade dress, no problem. They're your guys. They're not trustworthy, so it doesn't matter what they're selling, or how good the price is.
