anyone used a travel angel tripod?

[SpinningCone]

i really need to get a new tripod/head .i do a lot of hiking and often use the pod for waterfalls and night shots, right now i use an old albinar 3 section, sturdy legs nice geared column but crappy pan head and its a bit heavy at 5+ pounds

i was thinking of getting this http://www.amazon.com/BENRO-TRAB068-Travel-Angel-TRAB/dp/B0027VSQ1K/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1266470498&sr=1-20

$200 its a bit expensive but the ballhead seems pretty good only weighs 2.4 poundsand and it collapses to 14"

is this pod worth it? wil this head hold an XSi with a canon 100-400 L ?

[RandyS]

Don't know the Benro myself but if you don't exceed the weight rating with your rig, and you can keep the shutter speeds high enough, then it may fit your needs. But I wouldn't bet that a $200 travel leg/ballhead combo will be stiff enough to take a good shot with a 400mm lens at lower shutter speeds.

It takes fairly stiff legs and a sturdy ballhead lock to keep a long lens still enough to take a sharp shot at anything under hand holding shutter speeds. The larger problem is that takes less movement to blur your shot as focal length increases. That, and the larger lens is more of a sail to catch a breeze passing your way.

[SpinningCone]

Don't know the Benro myself but if you don't exceed the weight rating with your rig, and you can keep the shutter speeds high enough, then it may fit your needs. But I wouldn't bet that a $200 travel leg/ballhead combo will be stiff enough to take a good shot with a 400mm lens at lower shutter speeds.

It takes fairly stiff legs and a sturdy ballhead lock to keep a long lens still enough to take a sharp shot at anything under hand holding shutter speeds. The larger problem is that takes less movement to blur your shot as focal length increases. That, and the larger lens is more of a sail to catch a breeze passing your way.

yeah its tough because there's no local stores here where i can test the tripod. i suspect im sacrificing some stability for the travel size/weight. tho i'm more worried about the head since i can get some pretty sturdy heavy legs for (relativly) cheap and mount the head on it for non hiking/travel work.

[Mike K]

I have inspected Benro tripods and the legs seem well built for the $. The CF is very sturdy and the column mechanism seems to work fine. However, the ballheads do not have a good reputation for durability. I would just get the legs and purchase a ballhead elsewhere.
Have you seen this popular thread:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=538298
Mike K

[sjlund]

I have this tripod and ballhead. I would not recommend using the 100-400 on this tripod in anything other than ideal conditions (stable footing, no wind, remote shutter, level on the ballhead). The ballhead is way to weak to hold it at an angle reliably.

I use the 17-55, 10-20, and rarely a 150mm macro on my tripod. I'm in the process of getting a Markins Q3T and RRS lever clamp to replace the Benro head.

I really like the tripod legs. They are light and pack very small. That being said, don't expect to use heavy glass on this set of legs. It's just too light-weight. it will physically hold the gear, but it won't hold it steady.

[SpinningCone]

based on what i'm hearing i might skip this one . still in a quandary about what to buy. hard to find what i want in an affordable price range.

[sjlund]

It's a really nice set of legs as long as you use it for what it's meant for.

As a lot of people say, you can choose two of the following three properties of a tripod:

1) Cheap
2) Light
3) Strong

Which two are you going to choose?

[pwnzored]

I have been using the TRA168 with the B-0 head and I really like the tripod. It has been very sturdy, and I have no complaints. It weighs 3.25 lbs with the B-0 head. Just a a note, I do not use a tripod that often, and when I do it is almost always for landscape pictures. I have used it with the 10-20 and 24-70 the majority of the time. I have only used it with the 70-200 once, but I did not have any issues when i did.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4390631830_8e483481c4_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eophotography/4223876586/)

I also wrote a short review here. (http://eophotographyonline.blogspot.com/2010/02/benro-travel-angel.html)

[bohdank]

It's a really nice set of legs as long as you use it for what it's meant for.

As a lot of people say, you can choose two of the following three properties of a tripod:

1) Cheap
2) Light
3) Strong

Which two are you going to choose?

I would change Strong to Stable. Stable assumes strong as a characteristic whereas Strong could mean it vibrates like a string.

[sjlund]

Yes, that would have been a better word.

[Merlyn3D]

I just pulled the trigger on a Benro TRA269 after reading around this forum for a bit. I definitely want something that's portable, but I don't want to buy 2 tripods for a good long while (I'm just getting into DSLR world), and the Benro seems to fit that bill.