I am usually the type of guy that will pay a little extra for quality or us made goods.
With that said...I am also in the market for a new tripod. It doesn't have to be carbon, It should be less than 6 pounds or so with a head. I like really tall tripods....like 60" and taller. Hopefully high 50's with no extension on the head tube. Most of my gear is relatively light...the heaviest is probably an XTI with a 200mm 2.8L.
In my research into which tripod to purchase, it seems that there are tons of tripods from tons of manufacturers. I am not in the markes for a 300 dollar plus tripod....I know spend the money now or spend it later....I am still convinced that I can get a decent combo of a tripod and head for less than 300....say what you will, we are all entitled to our opinions.
Anyway....in the past I have been able to loosely determine a product's quality by it's country of origin. And I have my eye on a couple of manufacturers and wondered if those on this forum would be able to help me with my purchase and determine the country of manufacture of the following. Thanks for the help!
Manfrotto.....Italy
Gitzo..........France
Vanguard....China? (These seem to really catch my eye 264AT pro looks really neat)
Velbon........China?
Benro..........?
Induro..........?
Slik.............Japan?
I would also like to promote any discussion on other quality products. I like to not purchase chinese goods, but, If it is a quality product, I will
Great list from sjms. Thanks. Regarding tripos, all I can say is that I am using a Vanguard 283CT carbon fiber tripod, and am very satisfied with it. It is sturdy enough for my needs, and has enough versatility for me.
Up-and-comer Sirui made in China. My first Chinese 'keeper', got it for travel. Legs are non-rotating w/twist locks, fold upward for compactness. Non-rotating CC. Very complete - includes padded bag, retractable foot spikes, long and short center column, extra head mount (for short column evidently), and spare hex key. Accommodates both 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 head threads. So far so good...time will tell. Also own Italian and French ones. The Chinese seem to be learning quality manufacturing quickly.
Yeah - I'd never heard of them either, but evidently they're well-known in Asia and used to manufacture for Benro/Induro, but went out on their own a couple of years ago.
i was in Beijing last November '09 and visited a few shops. they had a few local brand names but not that particular one. in Tokyo in April '10 nothing bear bearing that moniker either. but then there are so many now. maybe not quite as well known as you were led to believe. you have no idea how many small "shops" have sprouted up in various parts of china with machining capability. the past few years capital abounded. the quick $ Yuan rules.
I use a Manfrotto 190PROB with a 486 ball head. Think these are the same legs sold as the 055PROB in the US. Works well with my heaviest equipment. I used a D100 with grip and have upgraded to the D300. Biggest lens is the 80-200 F2.8.
As we all know. Pay now and pay later or just pay now for the best you need/can afford/justify. This combo cost me 250C$. I'm still happy with it but question the $80 Optex tripods sitting in the basement.
With the Manfrotto I've bought quality and useability. Serves my needs and that's what I expect my equipment to do. When my needs change my equipment will change.
This could be the thread I've been looking for. I have a Manfrotto 190 that I cannot find any info on. It has aluminum legs, says Professional Tripod Manfrotto Made in Italy , 190/GF19. It has a #200 video head.
I've been trying to find info on whether the head can be replaced with a ball head but it doesn't seem like the video head can be removed.
If anyone has any idea what model I'm talking about I'd really appreciate any info.
Thanks,appreciate it.
three screws from the bottom going up of the tripod centerpost platform should be 120 deg apart. back them off. and unless someone loctited the center stud on it should spin off with a little bit of effort. tighten the pan lock up before you try.
Wow, that was easy. Not hard to tell I'm new to this. Didn't realize those screws had that much to do with it.
Thank you very much, really appreciate it.
Every day I get blown away by how much info and help there are on forums. Life would have been so much easier if we had this 30-40 years ago.
