Benro or Vanguard?

The Benro GA 158FB1 and the Vanguard 264 AB100 or on sale at Adorama and BH Photo. I'm looking for a new tripod with a large load capacity. I want to be able to mount my Canon 400 F/2.8 on either. I'm not looking to spend a mint as I do very little tripod work. Does anyone have experience with either of these or have another recommendation? Thx!

This is not meant to sound sarcastic - but please tell me you are joking!

Surely you would not risk such a nice lens on a "Mickey Mouse" tripod. Start with a 3 series Gitzo or RRS - don't bother with this tat , get a tripod that will work.

Please don't waste your money/risk your lens on one of these.

Theron, Tripod advice is often the hardest to follow, but if you are able to accept it from John, you’ll end up saving tons of money in the long run.

How do I know this? I’m guilty of thinking I was smart enough to figure out a way to save money and still get the quality I needed. After two unsuccessful attempts, I now have a very nice RRS setup that’s a pleasure to use.

With the flip of a lever, I can go from a ball head to a gimbal in a few seconds.

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't trying to be cute or funny. I don't use tripods but once in a blue moon. I'm just looking at what the description on load capacity. This is the reason I reach out to the forum, looking for some guidance. I will avoid these two and continue to look. As stated earlier, I don't want to drop $1K into a tripod. If I can't find one in a reasonable price range without risking my camera and lens, then I'll go without.

Thanks!

Theron

The Benro on Amazon only has 9 reviews and a few are negative and involve a tripod collapse after a few months. The Vanguard has 962 reviews many of which seem to address stability issues.

You can buy a "Mickey Mouse" tripod new, it will be relatively unstable initially then ultimately fail. Then you buy another one, and after that another. Or, you can look around for a used quality tripod made by Gitzo or RRS and buy once and ultimately save money. Yes, they're expensive but they will last a very long time. Gitzo tripods are well liked on this forum and you can find used Gitzo and other good tripods in the Classifieds: For Sale. Also a great read on tripods is Thom Hogan's Tripod 101.

tmalone893 wrote in post #18765824
Thanks for the replies. I wasn't trying to be cute or funny. I don't use tripods but once in a blue moon. I'm just looking at what the description on load capacity. This is the reason I reach out to the forum, looking for some guidance. I will avoid these two and continue to look. As stated earlier, I don't want to drop $1K into a tripod. If I can't find one in a reasonable price range without risking my camera and lens, then I'll go without.

Thanks!

Theron

I didn't mean to offend - perhaps I worded my post a little strongly?

My concern is that you do not waste money and get unsatisfactory results.

The first rule in buying a tripod is forget weight ratings - they are meaningless. For example the older 3 series Gitzo tripods (eg my, ex, G1329 Mk2) were rated at 12 kilos bot were tested at about 100 kilos, certainly mine would easily support me at 110 kilos! On the other hand my Manfrotto 055XPRO could be collapsed and folded away without releasing the leg locks - which would you prefer to put your lens on?

As to $1k on a tripod? Well I freely admit to being a bit of a tripod junkie and I spent quite a bit! About $1300 in your money (EEK!) however that was for three brand new Gitzo tripods, a new Gitzo Mono Pod and a used Gitzo Traveller - expensive? The cheapest tripod that I have ever bought was the above mentioned used G1329 Mk2 Systematic which was $127 at today's exchange rates. You may have to be patient but good quality tripods do come along at sensible money - just not that often.

johnf3f wrote in post #18766396
I didn't mean to offend - perhaps I worded my post a little strongly?

My concern is that you do not waste money and get unsatisfactory results.

The first rule in buying a tripod is forget weight ratings - they are meaningless. For example the older 3 series Gitzo tripods (eg my, ex, G1329 Mk2) were rated at 12 kilos bot were tested at about 100 kilos, certainly mine would easily support me at 110 kilos! On the other hand my Manfrotto 055XPRO could be collapsed and folded away without releasing the leg locks - which would you prefer to put your lens on?

As to $1k on a tripod? Well I freely admit to being a bit of a tripod junkie and I spent quite a bit! About $1300 in your money (EEK!) however that was for three brand new Gitzo tripods, a new Gitzo Mono Pod and a used Gitzo Traveller - expensive? The cheapest tripod that I have ever bought was the above mentioned used G1329 Mk2 Systematic which was $127 at today's exchange rates. You may have to be patient but good quality tripods do come along at sensible money - just not that often.

Thanks! With as long as I have been doing photography, one would think I would know a few things about tripods. I just don't..... I have a small travel SLIK, bought it years ago for long exposure pics, and a Manfrotto monopod that holds that 400m with no issues. I just wanted something to take some moon pics and possibly a few wildlife photos. I'm a sports guy so I'm lacking in the knowledge of good legs. Thanks again for the replies and info.

Theron

My first tripod was a Slik too! It was aluminum. That was a long time ago, then I didn't use it that much - just on vacations really so it lasted a long time. My second was a used Gitzo and I've bought and sold a lot of tripods since then. I think your best bet is don't buy lunch every other day and hunt for a used Gitzo, the best two places to look are the classifieds on this forum and on the FM forum (fredmiranda.com).

You'll also need a decent ballhead as well - very few tripod manufacturers make good ballheads and vice-versa. I don't use Canon equipment but an f2.8/400 sounds like it's heavy, and probably expensive too. There are lots of choices and many threads on ballheads on this forum. Just make sure that you get a head that employs the Arca-Swiss clamping and rail system which is virtually universal now. Stay away from the Manfrotto heads, they have a different clamping system that is not well regarded.

Gitzo, RRS, Induro Grand series; https://www.indurogear​.com …cts/grand-induro-tripods/

For that lens you want series 3 or larger (3, 4, or 5) in Gitzo or Induro.
I'm not clear on the RRS numbering.

Agreed. Benro are not reliable. Even the brand new ones give trouble.

J R Mohan wrote in post #18768786
Agreed. Benro are not reliable. Even the brand new ones give trouble.

I bought one of the original Benro Travel Angels around 8 years ago when I needed something small and light to take on a hiking trip in the mountains. I've carried that thing across the country and back shooting in all kinds of conditions. It held up admirably and I would still be using it today had I not lost it in the desert somewhere. I recently bought a Benro TMA48CXL tripod because I needed something that would reach over 7 feet tall and I'm pretty impressed with it. I fully expect to get the same 8 years or more from this one as I did the last one.

Sounds stupid but I am on my third Benro..And will not recommend it to anyone. I also have a bunch of similar products with different brand tags..They all work but all have different issues. And the only reliable one is Gitzo.

Mark K wrote in post #18774406
Sounds stupid but I am on my third Benro..And will not recommend it to anyone. I also have a bunch of similar products with different brand tags..They all work but all have different issues. And the only reliable one is Gitzo.

Totally agree!
I have found Gitzo to be cheaper in the long run, and cheaper in the short run too! I can't afford the Benro/Induro etc tripods. Note I buy very carefully!

Gitzo is better than RRS?