I've got a trip to the Rockies coming up and I'd like to pick up a small and light travel tripod to compliment my monopod. OK.. so here's my unreasonable expectations, I figure I'm going to have to bend on at least one of them:
- light weight.. light as possible
- small, I'm hoping no more than about 2 feet long collapsed
- around $100, I don't want to spend a fortune
- able to take a Arca Swiss style QR clamp (this might be the hard part)
I don't really care how sturdy it is.. I have a remote release and I don't intend to be using the thing in heavy winds.. I basically just want something I can throw the camera on to either run out in front of the camera after tripping the self timer, or to be able to take 1-3 second shots of waterfalls etc. I plan on doing a lot of hiking, so it needs to be small and light. Right now I have a set of Manfrotto 190 legs and a rather large ball head.. it's not TOO heavy... but heavier than I'd like to hike with also carrying the day's food and other hiking stuff besides my camera gear. Any suggestions? I MIGHT be willing to go up to $200 if it's a really nice tripod, but I don't get to do a lot of this kinda stuff, my normal excursions are short enough I dont mind taking my Manfrotto.
A full size tripod that is light and inexpensive is going to be as rigid as a limp noodle.
Consider changing your tactic and use a short stubby tripod that you can rest on rocks, ledges, car roof, or other stable platforms to gain height. For extreme portability I use a Manfrotto 209 with RRS BH-25 Pro mini ball head with quick release clamp.
Otherwise if you want a very lightweight close-to-full-size tripod, consider Slik Pro 613 legs at just around $200.00 - that's without a ball head.
AJ Nadershahi wrote:
... For extreme portability I use a Manfrotto 209 with RRS BH-25 Pro mini ball head with quick release clamp.
Me too, Manfrotto 345 tabletop kit, that is (same 209 base and mini head, with an extension post). If the load is well-balanced, it will support more than its rated 2 kg - I've used it with 70-200/2.8L IS on 1DII (3.2kg). If the load is not well-balanced, it will fall over, but you know that, so you're ready to catch it.
I have a Bogen 725B. Surprisingly stable for it's price. I've got some night shots with it and it's done pretty well. I took some recently at the L.A County fair and got a few that are soft and I haven't figured out why - I did a couple with the center post raised some and it may be them.
You would have to replace the top plate with an Arca Swiss compatible plate. readily available from RRS, Kirk, etc.
The legs are "independently adjustable" in the sense that they aren't connected, however, but there's only one angle setting, you can't get close to the ground (not withstanding putting a camera on the bottom of ther post and working upside down. The tripod is about $110 US, the new plate might run from $60-$90 or so depending on brand, etc. Not super light but not unwieldy or obnoxiously heavy either.
I picked up a Manfrotto MODO 785B for hiking. Chose it because it was the lightest tripod made by a decent company that I could find. It has an attached ball head, quick release, snap-lock legs, center column, and only weighs just over 2lbs. It extends to 59" and collapses to 17". I've only used it with my 18-55 and 55-200, so haven't tested anything heavy on it. Sure is easy to set up and use though.
I actually went to the local camera store and tried out the Slik Mini legs.. and they seems about perfect for what I want. They're extremely light and look sturdy enough for what I want. The big plus was the removable ball head and the hook on the end of the center post. I'll probably be going with one of these. The biggest problem I found was almost all the small travel tripods that aren't $400+ Carbon Fiber all had a non removable head and QR system.. but I think the Slik legs are a gem. No, they're not going to be in the league of the CF legs, but I dont really think I'll be extending more than the first segment, so they should be good enough for a 2 second exposure on a waterfall.
