/tg/ Tripod General

i have seen all sorts of cancer on this site, but this thread takes the cake.

t. oncologist.

>>3024754

there have also been bag generals.

>>3024750
> Aluminum vs Carbon Fiber or super Oldschool Wood?
Chinese carbon fiber tripod.

> Why was old Manfrotto so much better?
IMO the brand was always not the best option for travel tripods.

And their heavier studio tripods were still fine last time I checked.

Just buy a cheap one on amazon, you autistic fucktard

>>3024750
>taking it this far
kill yourself. saged

I've got a cheap-arse Fotopro. Probably could've had an equivalent from China for 60€. Still, it's halfway decent, with twist-lock multi-segment legs, height adjustment, and a basic ball head. Haven't wanted more so far; it works well enough for long exposures on film w/ various Iron Curtain bits and bobs. Spirit levels on the head as well, better results with those than from eyeballing it. Stable up to at least three kilos without hook-weights or anything.

I do wish the arca-swiss mounting plate didn't unscrew itself from my glorious smelly leaky Soviet-ass piece of shit Kiev 88.

>>3024750
For Christmas I bought myself a Manfrotto 055xpro3 tripod and an xpro3wayhead, shit is cash.

Overkill for my camera but sweet for large heavy binoculars and 'scopes. The 90 degree doodad is great for big bino's (no more crinked neck).

Need a quick help bros!

I've got cannon 700d and I need a cheap tripod that could also be good for filming (at least go in that direction). What should I look for if I have no idea about tripods?

>>3025192
>filming
fluid head

I got one for five dollars at goodwill

it holds my camera still so my pictures dont come out blurry

>>3025201
exellent

>>3025193
Is Hama Star 62 (or 63) good for filming? Which one is better?

>>3025213
> tripod without decent fluid head
> good for video
No.
> paying extra for a crappy Weifeng (or such) rebrand
He also can't into China.

>>3025215
Can you help me then? Its my first time buying a tripod.

>>3025215
http://www.canosa.com.hr/foto-tripod-69/stativi-glave-i-oprema/

Are there any good tripods for what I'm looking here on the first page? I know its not your language but you should still be able to help I think.

>>3025217
those are all shit

>>3025233
Is there and good one under $100? If not whats my best pick here?

>>3025213
if you are really broke it will do I suppose, but really you are much better off paying for something much sturdier. look at a 190 or 055 as a minimum benchmark. Manfrotto / Bogan are the cheapest (that I know of) tripods that are easily repairable and any decent camera store will be able to order from their parts catalogue. they have plenty of video heads to chose from so just get the head that fits your budget

A good tripod will last you decades but you will buy cheap ones over and over again.

Since it's now active, may as well ask instead of it being passed over in the gear thread.
I've been using a mefoto roadtrip and backpacker for a while and their smaller size/portability work well for me along with the quick release plates. I also have a manfrotto at home used for scanning.
They say the load is rated for 17.6lbs/8 kilos and the tripod itself seems to be capable of taking the weight but the ball head isn't. I got a 4x5 field camera at the start of the year and while the ball head is fine with a 150mm lens, putting a 240mm on and racking the bellows isn't stable at all, the ball head is less secure and drops down.

Any recommendations for a good tripod head with movements, that's solid and can take a more unevenly distributed load like this? Bonus points for quick release plates that are small and relatively cheap to buy spares of.

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>>3024750
Fucking ancient Vancor I found at an antique shop for 10e. Heavy and not very convenient but far more solid than any of those rickety Chinese shits that go for under 100e. Will buy a better pod when I have the money, as in never.

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>>3025290
if you are real cheap and if your field camera has enough movements you can ditch the head all together

I use a manfrotto 141RC that works perfectly well for my crown graphic, longest lens is a schneider tele-xenar 360mm f5.5

>>3025290
PS
if you switch to an arca swiss style quick release, you can get really long plates that let you centre to the balance point better. that way you can get away with a smaller ball head and lighter weight tripod

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>>3025309
>>3025312
Thanks for the advice. I'll try without a head and see if I can get away with it but might be a bit more limiting for more vertical work.
>if you switch to an arca swiss style quick release, you can get really long plates that let you centre to the balance point better. that way you can get away with a smaller ball head and lighter weight tripod
I'm guessing you mean these style of plates? Screw it in and secure the plate farther along? I checked and it seems they fit my head so I'll pick one up and see if they can displace a bit of the dead air.

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>Why was old Manfrotto so much better?

I feel like Manfrotto and Gitzo used to both have pro lines but more and more Gitzo is becoming their pro line and Manfrotto is their value line.

Also from Wiki
Lino Manfrotto died (at the age of 80) on February 5, 2017.

Picked up a manfrotto 3021bpro with the 808rc4 head for $15 this weekend. Will this be a good first tripod?

I have a fotopro c5i, but it wobbles when the wind hits my 4x5 field camera. What's an affordable carbon fiber tripod that I could use instead? I need something that is a little sturdier, such that I could trust it not to break when I weight it down with the hook. Also a sturdier centre column

>>3028260
$15 is a great price for both together (if that's not a typo - if it was supposed to be $150, that's pretty shit).

Either way, it should be fine. Not a big fan of the Manfrotto plates though. I prefer Arca compatible.

>>3028293
E302C, P303C, Q666C, Q999C or such off Aliexpress. Note you will need the weight on the hook, like other carbon tripods they're too light in wind otherwise.

You could also go with a Benro or Sirui or such - but I see no immediate reason to unless you want one that resists salt water or somehow vertical column capability on a travel tripod or something. Or maybe if that's how you're going to get the best offer for another tripod head that you might want.

>>3028260
good tripod and should last you a long time
$15 is a smoking deal $150 is still ok

>>3028327
I agree Arca plates are better but unfortunately manfrotto plates are more common here.

>>3028397
> I agree Arca plates are better but unfortunately manfrotto plates are more common here.
I don't even know what stores "here" have these days - I usually order online where Arca compatible gear is more common anyhow.

A lot of it is direct imports from China.

I just picked up a vanguard Alta pro 283ct and it's a little overkill but I don't ever want to buy another tripod.

>>3028421
the store here has both but my university's studio uses manfrotto on it's studio stands and rental tripods. however a lot of the commercial studio gear uses manfrotto hex plates

i got a 100 buck one meant for telescopes and binos built to last and has a very smooth ball head for video.

>>3028327
>>3028397
$15 is accurate, from an estate sale. Picked up a few film bodies aswell.

Thanks for the feedback :)

>>3028478
They might have gotten their equipment years ago before Arca swiss compatible became also a third party industry standard.

If you kit yourself out, I can only suggest to get Arca. Heads, L-brackets, plates and all the other gizmos are overall cheaper, more numerous, better etc.

If you really need to use your university's gear on your tripod at some point (why?), it won't kill you to swap heads.

[ And either way, my suggestion for a Carbon tripod remains a Chinese one - for example these >>3028331 ]

>>3028331
Mostly I just want the central column to be sturdy. Even when I weight down the c5i, it wobbles because the central column isn't very strongly held by the center ring. Doesn't matter how much I tighten it. I wish I could get a Gitzo but I'm not made of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

>>3028618
First two got an additional locking screw besides of the center column ring. It's not necessary to lock the center column, but you can use it for locking or reducing play a little more.

Doesn't make the tripod vibration proof in case you got blast-like gusts of wind and that is the problem, works for practically anything else.

> I wish I could get a Gitzo
I could get one and I don't care to.

>>3028630
So I could trust these cheaper tripods not to snap on my equipment? There are so many assholes out there who talk shit about chinese products and their build quality that it infects the mind.

>>3028643
I trust it with my equipment which isn't too cheap. Worked just fine so far. Also worked fine in my own testing (more than specified pressure on the 12kg rated E302C plus backpack underneath and other stuff).

I would still suggest you do your own conveyance testing since I didn't have a sample big enough to vouch for the overall QA of these companies, but I suspect it's just fine due to the overwhelmingly positive Ali reviews (present and past), and the people here and that I know besides me who got one of these.

> There are so many assholes out there who talk shit about chinese products and their build quality that it infects the mind.
Usually people who don't realize how much of their shit is price hiked Chinese rebrands.

Anyhow, the tripods are good, like so many other photography related goods from China.

If you want something with more western hype, you could buy Sirui (certainly, they too are fine), but the whole "famous brand" thing costs more.

You guys are being ridiculous about this.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-tripod/

or

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-travel-tripod/ if you have to carry your stuff a ways.

>>3028728
> You guys are being ridiculous about this.
So your not ridiculous suggestion is to pay 50-100% or more extra to get a less Chinese sounding rebrand of a Chinese tripod and help a referral link business in the process?

For example that "best" travel tripod, the $150 MeFoto is alu and a pendant to a ~$60-80 tripod. The carbon model costs about three fifty ( https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/926383-REG/benro_c1350q1t_carbon_fibr_travel_tripod.html ).

>>3028741
I'm not him, but how about the vanguard? What's the chinese equivalent studio tripod then?

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>>3028744
I don't have a good overview over what's a good equivalent to some unnamed Vanguard model. Maybe actually one of the Alu tripods already mentioned?

If not that, I know Benro, Sirui and many other manufacturers make studio tripods. (Pic is a random video Benro from the higher end of their lineup.)

That said, big heavy & fairly sturdy studio tripods are likely to be available for cheap locally.

>>3028785
thx, benro looks good on paper and it's not like I can even afford a manfrotto with a head

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>what tripod do you use
Slik Pro 700DX - It weighs a fair bit, but heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it breaks you can always hit people with it.
>Aluminum vs Carbon Fiber or super Old School Wood?
TITANIUM BITCH
>Tripod questions - Why was old Manfrotto so much better?
The collection was more extensive and the parts were more substantial. Probably.

>>3028741
Carbon could really save me that weight, though. I'm finding weight is a serious limit with the 4x5. The camera is aluminum and not too heavy, however 2 lenses and the film holders (holy fuck, the film holders) really tack on some serious weight. Currently, throwing 2 lenses in my backpack plus 16 shots of holders and the tripod is right up against my poor back's limit.

>>3028785
Just get a used Manfrotto 190 tripod and a 496 or 498 RC2 ball head (or 3-way if you prefer that)
Should cost less than a new chinese one from the usable brands.

I feel kinda dumb asking this but can someone explain the differences of the tripod release plate styles.

>>3028899
Arca swiss compatible is at this point the quasi industry standard because it has high versatility and sits very securely even in short, fairly roughly finished or worn clamps. Works great with a lot of styles of brackets and plates and stuff and things. No problem to get the required groves integrated into a camera L-bracket, for instance, even if it's not going all the way around both sides of the L it still works,

Manfrotto's plate styles are actually in mostly incompatible styles (Q2, Q5, RC2 and RC4 come to mind, maybe there were more). Some of which can be inserted by pushing down on the tripod socket from the top.

Most of them do not sit as tight as Arca ones and they do not have nearly as many heads, brackets and plates to choose from, partly also because a bunch of these need to be exactly a certain size.

Apart from these, there are quite many shitty vendors who tried to make their own plate styles to gain some extra money, but few use these.

I personally just say: Go with Arca unless you know you can't for some reason. It'll give you more choice, cheaper on average.

>>3028831
Is that you?
Fuck you're old.
Also, you look like you have a chromosomal disorder.

>>3028921
>all this edge

>>3028805
No problem. Glad you found something.

>>3028861
If a Manfrotto 190 is available cheaply, that too will surely be a great choice for a studio tripod.

I'd still go with an Arca compatible head. It's just the much bigger and IMO the more secure system (RC2 has been quite dangerous for me with things seeming locked that weren't etc, Q5 was just annoying).

>>3028929
You can switch the head plate on the 498 head.

>>3028911
I think what is confusing me is when I look at pictures online I am not seeing them all under the same scale.

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>>3028931
Switching head plates was more of a Manfrotto phase for me. With Arca I actually generally prefer fixed clamps now because there are almost no compatibility problems anyhow.

And the 498 head or its sucessor are priced within ~$10 of pic related professional Sirui head.

Whereas you could actually buy a cheaper but reasonable 8kg load rating Arca head with friction control knob for ~$20 total incl. shipping.

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>>3028943
$20 will only give you a head worth of $20. You get what you pay for, especially with the shitbucket chinese fakes.

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>>3028945
> $20 will only give you a head worth of $20.
That's not how it actually works.

Rebrand a tripod for burgers and yuropoors and a <$60 tripod (I'm gonna assume they don't pay the individual international reseller retail price + air freight) is now $150+.

>>3028936
I don't feel like gathering a lot of my equipment right now, but here's some.

Top of this snapshit has a Q5 and 2xRC2 clamps (IIRC the two RC2 are both third party, Q5 and head is original Manfrotto).

Bottom are both Arca. The L-bracket shows the usual width better, but plates can overlap the clamp like on the square plate. Arca plates / brackets can be very short or very long.

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>>3028943
Sirui heads don't seem to hold up well to not being cleaned and getting wet. I know from experience.. :/

That said, excellent value if you look after them, hold a ton and are very fluid/smooth.

>>3028835
> Carbon could really save me that weight, though.
Sure? I initially only mentioned "C"arbon tripods, too. I also very much like these for travel.

My argument was more about pointing out how much the MeFoto or such are marked up because of "muh western burger/yuropoor branding" vs. buying a not so marked up tripod off Ali.

Carbon MeFoto: ~$350
Indicated Carbon Tripods from Ali: ~$120-160 shipped; maybe less sometimes

>>3028970
Did it corrode / trap dirt somewhere? I got mine wet before, but nothing happened. [Not usually making it dirty, though.]

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>>3029329
>Carbon Tripods from Ali
>Ebay is even cheaper

Just about to order this, as I really can't tell the difference between it and a Sirui/Mefoto/3LT.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/profession-Carbon-Fibre-Camera-Tripod-Monopod-Ball-Head-For-Nikon-Canon-Camera-DV/32259231027.html?spm=2114.40010308.4.1.xf1QMW

Looks very stable/solid in video.

>>3029394
Zomei Z888C? I have one.

>>3029403
You like?

>>3029394
Don't make the same mistake I did. It's a wobbly shit and a pain in the ass setting it up, the leg tension things don't always lock correctly even though they seem to be tight and the leg just collapses under load.
I had to buy a Befree for travel and nobody is buying this shit off me even at 1/3rd price.

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On the topic of chinese carbon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/COMAN-EMU-TM287C-Tripod-Carbon/dp/B00RVW7DX2

I bough one of these on ebay when the price was still good. Very sturdy and stable, holds 20kg.

The cons are the shit ballhead and somewhat thin / flimsy center column. I can hear the carbon sort of crack when I tighten the column twist lock.

>>3029394
> $226
That's a fairly higher price than basically any I mentioned in >>3028331, twice as much as the equally sized tripods. (E302C, Q666C)

Never actually had one of these Zomei though. Maybe the quality is so great that the higher price is justified... but my actual guess is that it's ~the same thing at a higher price.

>>3028921
Nope, not me.

The tripod came with him and now he wont leave.

>>3029548
Definitely looks like it might be from the Beike QZSD Zomei Dic&Mic (...) lineage of tripods - pretty close to a Z888C albeit with 5 sections.

Alas, can't make out any model that exactly matches it now in the myriad of tripods. Probably an actually discontinued model...?

>>3029681
its on ebay for a lot less, the ali exprss link just had the best description

>falling for the chinese shill
ISHYGDDT