Budget limited travel tripod

[jaholbro]

Haven't been into photography in quite some time, just picked up a 40d as my first digital slr, had a film slr in the past. In October I'm heading up California Rt 1 from las angeles to napa for part of our honeymoon. I'll be picking up a 10-22 and possibly a 70-200 f/4L. I'm looking for a tripod setup that will fit in or on the bag i'm getting, f-stop tilopa, and plan to use it as a carry on. So size does matter. I don't want to spend any more than $400 for the full setup, ok maybe $500...

[puggle]

I have a Gitzo Traveler carbon fiber tripod that is amazing because it folds up very compact and is very light weight. Only thing, it was very pricey. A friend recently found a more cost effective well-made tripod that is very similar, and half the price. It's a chinese company, and their products, I've heard, are getting strong reviews.

Here's the link:

http://www.feisol.com/english/feisolen.htm

[jaholbro]

I've seen all the recommendations on Gitzo, however that's just not an option. With the Feisol, would you get their head or a different head?

[5teve]

Given your budget I would check out the Benro tripods. I did a review of the C-269 travel angel model with B-1 ballhead and love it. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=664575

[Grentz]

Benro/Induro (same company) or Feisol would be my recommendations for a good mid-budget travel tripod.

The Feisol CT-3441S is the one I have had my eyes on for quite awhile:
http://www.feisol.net/feisol-ct3441s-with-center-column-tripod-p-38.html

[tropicsmania]

I got the Feisol CT-3441S to use as both a travel and a regular tripod. It arrived yesterday but since it's technically a "gift" I don't actually get to use it until next weekend. The tripod seems incredibly solid, folds down to a very reasonable length (and comes in really cool colors too). The Feisol seemed to be the best reasonably priced tripod that I could find. The Feisol also came with a great carrying bag. Gitzo was just more than I would pay.

I got a Photoclam ballhead (PC-33NS) for the tripod. Again, I haven't tried it but it seems like it will work well. I have read of some problems with Photoclam ballheads failing rather quickly but I trust a Korean product more than a Chinese product. I guess time will tell. It also helps that I bought both through a US dealer (not e-bay) so if there are problems there is someone I can go to and I'm not left hanging.

[michelleq]

Hi, just like to share my experience with Benro. Total setup cost me $410, it's the travel Angel C-169 with the B-1 ballhead. Played around with it for a long while in the store before I purchased it, works great with the 5D MKII + grip + 16-35mm titled in various angles. The legs are really stable and the ballhead (which is the the 2nd generation of the B series ballheads) amazes me, handles the setup really well, no creeping.

The best part of this is the compactness of the tripod when folded up - around 37cm (according to the manufacture's figures) or as long as my 15" macbook pro. weight is around 1.6kg(with the ballhead)

The heaviest setup I've worked with this is 5D II + grip + 70-200 f2.8, holds well and stable even when tilted off the center plane. FYI, i've also tested this combination with the aluminum version A-169 + B-1, again, I'm impressed. The difference in weight was why i chose the carbon fibre variation.

I've tried out the Gitzo 1541T + markins Q3T briefly at the store as well, and yes, I would say the Gitzo does feels more sturdy despite the lightweight. The markins ballhead is definitely feels much more smoother than the Benro B-1. But for my usage, the Benro met my needs and the price is almost a-third of the gitzo.

[ALaS]

You've got to check out Feisol CF tripods. Awesome affordable tripods and monopods!