I'm tired of these cheap Best Buy tripods and ready to just drop some cash on something that can handle my lenses. I recently purchased a 150-500mm Sigma and a brand new Sunpak tripod(I know you get what you pay for) and the weight of the lens snapped the base of the tripod off within 30 minutes of use. I'd like to get a tripod / monopod combo if possible and am willing to drop a few hundred if need be.
Yup, Manfrotto. When I was first starting, I bought a series of cheep,cheep tripods. They all malfunctioned.
If I had gone with the best, I could have had two Manfrottos instead of one. Eventually I broke down and got
the carbon fiber edition as well. So. I probably should say "I could have had 2 Manfrottos for the price of 3."
I loveeeee my oben not cheap...Manfrotto has great ones as well...get one with a steel ball gimbal head. You won't be disappointed...my oben has been through abuse and use and is still strong and works at its best
ETA: These really are about the cheapest you can go without significant sacrifices - I should know, I own all of them.
Alternatively, if you happen to be rich, named Schlake, have a trust fund of some sort, or have taken up robbing banks as a hobby, then might I point you at RRS. There's really not anything better.
The ball head mount also seems the way to go. That's where my cheap ones keep snapping. A ball head looks much stronger.
Also, I wanted to add that Best Buy was a good sport about the return. I had the tripod for about a month. It snapped so I walked into Best Buy with 2 pieces in my hand without the box or receipt and they took it back and refunded my money without asking a question.
Still, tripods are so user based it's hard recomending something. But people tend to forget that you are trusting your tripod for gear worth thousands of dollars, so why go cheap?
But a good bang for the buck is Feisol some of my friends are using it and like it a lot.
ETA: These really are about the cheapest you can go without significant sacrifices - I should know, I own all of them.
Alternatively, if you happen to be rich, named Schlake, have a trust fund of some sort, or have taken up robbing banks as a hobby, then might I point you at RRS. There's really not anything better.
Make sure it's the right height for you...I'm short so mine is just right but if a tall(er) person was using it they'd have to stoop over to use it...they come in different heights.
My Manfrotto has been great - I love it. It has a built in level but when the ground is wonky, I use my in camera level. The only thing I regret/wish is that it was just a weeeee bit smaller/compact for travel. I've taken mine all over it's just a bit tall on the backpack...
Was able to take my tripod out on a test drive today. I took it on a short swamp walk and around some areas nearby my house. I must say that it was worth the money and better than any tripod I have ever owned in my life which is not saying much (see my thread title).
One complaint though. The quick release plates are nice and I am glad the combo came with 2 of them but they are real loose in the on the head. The amount of play is terrible in my opinion especially when trying to keep a long lens stable. Are there any replacement options that would be a tighter fit with this head? Why would the plates on a $350 tripod be so darn loose?
Was able to take my tripod out on a test drive today. I took it on a short swamp walk and around some areas nearby my house. I must say that it was worth the money and better than any tripod I have ever owned in my life which is not saying much (see my thread title).
One complaint though. The quick release plates are nice and I am glad the combo came with 2 of them but they are real loose in the on the head. The amount of play is terrible in my opinion especially when trying to keep a long lens stable. Are there any replacement options that would be a tighter fit with this head? Why would the plates on a $350 tripod be so darn loose?
The ballhead I use has a screw adjuster than can really crank down on those. Maybe yours has a similar function?
