Tripod ?

[Mitsubishiman]

Hello everyone, I am in the market for a good tripod, I have a few that as you know have pros and cons, I used to prefer lightweight for a long carry in, however that sacrifices stability, I am a land surveyor and have access to serious tripods that can be utilized with a head adapter, definately stable however also heavy.

Looking around the $200 figure and would consider streching it if needed.

Mainly for landscape work, ocasionally will have to carry up to a mile, I saw this one and would prefer to get the advice of someone that has it, or an alternative that has been good to you.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034139-REG/manfrotto_mt055xpro3_aluminum_tripod.html

For the record I dislike long pan handles, and prefer a 3-Way vs. Ball

I realize that both light and stable do not coexist, however i am sure some of you have found a acceptable middle version.

[ScottyP]

If you get Manfrotto, be sure to get a head that is Arca Swiss compatible.  They make them now. Before all their stuff needed Manfroto plates, etc.  No sense locking yourself into a system when you don't have to.

Arca Swiss is a brand, but most other manufacturers of plates, L brackets, heads, etc. make their stuff "Arca Swiss compatible" because it is the standard. 

[jrhoffman75]

Light, stable, inexpensive. Choose any two. 

You our can get a Gitzo that weighs less than half of the link you selected, and is very stable, but it's $600. 

A lot depends on the camera& lens you are trying to support. 

Perhaps you can get the tripod on a 30 day return, or can try it in a store you can see how it works with your gear. 

I have a 1D Mark IV and found that I needed a Gitzo to ensure stability. My wife has a Rebel with kit lens and she was fine with an outfit Less than half the price. 

[TTMartin]

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@Mitsubishiman wrote:

Hello everyone, I am in the market for a good tripod, I have a few that as you know have pros and cons, I used to prefer lightweight for a long carry in, however that sacrifices stability, I am a land surveyor and have access to serious tripods that can be utilized with a head adapter, definately stable however also heavy.

Looking around the $200 figure and would consider streching it if needed.

Mainly for landscape work, ocasionally will have to carry up to a mile, I saw this one and would prefer to get the advice of someone that has it, or an alternative that has been good to you.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034139-REG/manfrotto_mt055xpro3_aluminum_tripod.html

For the record I dislike long pan handles, and prefer a 3-Way vs. Ball

I realize that both light and stable do not coexist, however i am sure some of you have found a acceptable middle version.

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Take a look at Induro/Benro Tripods. Personally I prefer twist lock legs to lever lock legs. Since you use a lot of tripods in your work you may already have your own opinions on that.

Higher load capacity, taller height, lower cost, similar weight, and same or better quality.

Benro TMA37AL Mach3 AL Series 3 Long Tripod, 3 Section, Twist Lock (Black)

[Waddizzle]

"Take a look at Induro/Benro Tripods. Personally I prefer twist lock legs to lever lock legs. Since you use a lot of tripods in your work you may already have your own opinions on that.

Higher load capacity, taller height, lower cost, similar weight, and same or better quality."

Excellent tripod at the link, but being sold at a terrible price.....way, way, way too high.

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I like heads that use Arca-Swiss plates, too.  I decided to go in that direction mainly because nearly every L-Bracket that I've seen claims to be Arca-Swiss compatible.  I plan to buy one someday soon.

[TCampbell]

I have three tripods... 

I have an Induro tripod (with Benro ball-head) that has aluminum legs with twist lock.  It's rock solid.  But it's heavy (not good for carrying for extended hikes.)

I have a Benro "Travel Angel" tripod that is carbon fiber, compact, and extremely light.   I can carry it all day long and hardly even feel it.  But the down side is that the legs are "springy" and I have to use care to make sure it isn't vibrating when I take a shot (use a remote release or timer to take the shots and protect it from wind.). It also has twist-lock legs.

My newest tripod is a Manfrotto 057 series tripod.  It's carbon fiber and it's the largest and beefier carbon fiber tripod that Manfrotto makes.  While it's light weight for it's size, it's such a large tripod that it's not all that light (not good for extended hikes.). It has lever-lock legs.  

The Manfrotto 055 and 190 series tripods are their top sellers.  The 055 is a bit larger and beefier (not nearly as big as the 057 series) than the 190 series.  

You can literally get any brand "head" (ball head, pan-tilt head, etc.) and lots of options on quick-release plates.  I prefer the "Arca-Swiss" type saddle and plates due to their universal adaptability.  The head typically attaches to the tripod top-plate via a 3/8" 16-tpi bolt.

I've come to prefer the lever-lock legs because their quicker to release and lock (adjustment is faster) but you do have to maintain them (they usually have a nylock nut so you can adjust the clamping tension so the leg isn't too loose when clamped, nor too tight -- twist lock legs don't have this problem, but they take a little longer to lock-unlock.)

[ebiggs1]

"I've come to prefer the lever-lock legs because their quicker to release and lock (adjustment is faster) ... you can adjust the clamping tension so the leg isn't too loose when clamped, nor too tight."

1+ 

As to the mounting plates, who are you going to share with?  Nobody, so it really makes little difference. Arca plates are fine and work well but so do all the rest.  Plates have different functions. Choose the style that suits your requirements.

[TCampbell]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

As to the mounting plates, who are you going to share with?  Nobody, so it really makes little difference. Arca plates are fine and work well but so do all the rest.  Plates have different functions. Choose the style that suits your requirements.

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I have a couple of monopods and a few tripods... and a few different head types & sizes made by 2 different brands.  So basically I share the plates across my own gear.  But since all the heads have Arcs-Swiss saddles I can just leave the plates on the bodies and lenses.  Even my Black Rapid strap has an Arca-Swiss saddle (they call it the "Archatech Swiftclamp").

Another nice feature is that the dovetail bars come in many different lengths -- handy if you've got a long lens on the camera and would like to slide the camera forward or backward along the rail to balance the load. 

Before I switched to Arca-Swiss type quick-release saddles and dovetail plates, I used quick-release plates that couldn't even be interchanged between heads made by the same vendor because the heads were different sizes and each size head called for a different size plate.

[ebiggs1]

"Arca plates are fine and work well but so do all the rest.  Plates have different functions. Choose the style that suits your requirements."

You miss the point, my friend.  I use and like Arca plates.  Got'em from 2" to 8" !   However, the huge Manfrotto 501 plate holds the Mk IV and Sigma 600mm lens far more steady than the tiny, comparable, Arca plate.  Use the plate that satisfies your requirement is all I said.

If being able to use the same plate on a dozen different tripods is what you need, by all means go with the Arca.

If you are an amateur with one tripod, it makes little difference.

Personally I have set ups that I have come to find work well.  I generally leave the plate mounted on each lens permanently. Each lens has the plate that works best for it.  The interchangeability of plates is secondary to performance for me.  Again this is IMHO.  You may not put performance above flexibility.  But being an astronomer I would certainly have not thought so.