Velbon Sherpa Pro CF-630 + QHD-61Q Ball head

[tiha]

What do you think about that combo? Is there anything better within that price range?

[René Damkot]

The Velbon tripod seems well enough:
Thread 1 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=347075&highlight=Velbon+Sherpa+Pro+CF-630), thread 2 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=150834&highlight=Velbon+Sherpa+Pro+CF-630).

Don't know the QR system, but it looks rather bulky.

[argyle]

Prior to moving up to a Gitzo tripod, I used (and still have) a Velbon El Carmagne 540 CF tripod. It handled my 5D with either a 100-400L or 70-200/2.8 without any problems. I would expect the 630 to work just as well. That being said, I did not use the Velbon QR system. I added a Gitzo 1277M ballhead to the legset and went with a RRS lever clamp, which is Arca-Swiss compatible. The problem with proprietary QR systems is that they're limited in their flexibility, and you can only use items made by Velbon (or whoever made the system). You'd be better off converting the setup to an Arca-Swiss QR system.