Anything near equivalent to the Gitzo 1541T?

I e-mailed the seller about the Benro...little worried about being from china but being that benro is a chinese company that's a given. It looks every bit as good as the Gitzo and better in some ways as pointed out. Can this model be used as a monopod like I am seeing some of benros do? That would be a nice plus.

Ok he confirmed they'd ship the latest version of the one mentioned so I bought it. Now the next question is which ballhead...Markins Q3t? I have one right now but its a cheapy proline from dolica...it works but droops a decent amount even with light lenses.

Any important factors in the QR and/or camera plate?

Nice, congrats sdiver

I just picked up a photoclam pro-34ns ballhead from kerry @ reallybigcameras. I know peter_n is markins user and is very knowledgeable.

I would recommend giving HorusBennu a try for ballheads. I tired one of theirs and now I have two more on the way, that alone says something right?

Is that the HorusBennu with inoperative links?

http://www.slrshophk.c​om/

Yeah that doesn't inspire confidence if they can't keep their website working...

Sdiver2489 wrote in post #11994159
Yeah that doesn't inspire confidence if they can't keep their website working...

Savas K wrote in post #11993093
Is that the HorusBennu with inoperative links?

http://www.slrshophk.c​om/

Thats not their website... funny you go to "www.slrshophk.com" instead of the obvious "www.horusbennu.com"..​. come on guys, I'm sure you could have searched a little better than you did.

http://www.horusbennu.​com/home.html

themadman wrote in post #11994776
Thats not their website... funny you go to "www.slrshophk.com" instead of the obvious "www.horusbennu.com"..​. come on guys, I'm sure you could have searched a little better than you did.

http://www.horusbennu.​com/home.html

My bad, I was looking for their english website. With some translating I found my way through that website though.

Sdiver2489 wrote in post #11991018
Weird, that product isn't on the USA website from what I see.

The US distributor doesn't carry some of the best Benro products like the tripod you've just bought. Benro makes fantastic systematics (they call them combination tripods) and the two equivalent Gitzo 5-series, the C4770T and C4780T are about half the price of the Gitzos. But the distributor here doesn't carry them.

Sdiver2489 wrote in post #11992222
Ok he confirmed they'd ship the latest version of the one mentioned so I bought it. Luckily I got a 10% off elec. coupon on ebay and used that and got it for $293 shipped....I like it. That's tolerable.

Great deal, congrats! It'll take a couple weeks to arrive but worth the wait. I think you'll be impressed with the quality. You'll be able to use spikes on the tripod and Benro, Gitzo and RRS spikes and foot accessories all fit as they use a standard 3/8"-16 threaded bolt. RRS make some absolutely awesome claw feet for use on rocks! Also

Sdiver2489 wrote in post #11992222
Now the next question is which ballhead...Markins Q3t?

itsmejson wrote in post #11992716
I just picked up a photoclam pro-34ns ballhead from kerry @ reallybigcameras.

I think you should give the Photo Clam some serious consideration and Kerry is just a great guy to deal with. I would email him and ask his advice about what ballhead he would recommend for your gear, he tends to be a bit conservative and that's good. I see you have a 17-55/2.8, I use a Nikon 17-55/2.8 that's 100+gm heavier than your lens with some weighty glass at the front end. I have two Markins Q3T ballheads and they do not do well with the 17-55.

When you read about matching a ballhead to your gear the advice you get is not to exceed xyz mm in focal length. So here's a 55mm lens not working well on a ballhead that is rated up to 200mm. There's absolutely no problem with lockdown, creep, or anything like that, the issue is with the friction sweet spot. You have to set the friction so tight that the rig is very difficult to move on the Q3T, and surprisingly if you point the lens down the friction becomes loose and the rig drops. Both my Q3T ballheads behave the same way so I think this rig is just too much for it. I'm assuming the solution is either a collar on the lens (I'd have to get one custom made) or a bigger ballhead. I'm thinking about it.

Given all of that, I do like the Markins ballheads. My Q3Ts are beautifully made and smooth as butter to use with the exception of the heavy zoom. I've been very happy with them. I also like the Photo Clam very much, again beautifully manufactured and exceptionally easy to use. In general, ball diameter is the primary spec I look to and the Markins Q3T is 38mm, the new Photo Clam Pro-34NS is 34mm. The Photo Clam ballheads have a numbered index ring on the ball locking knob that makes it very easy to change rigs and very quickly adjust the friction sweet spot accordingly. I wish the Markins had that feature (which is copied from Arca-Swiss).

When you look at the Photo Clams on the RBC web site, check out the location of the knobs and the drop slot and make sure they work for you. The location of the drop slot on the new Photo Clam Pro-34NS doesn't work for me because I like the drop slot at the front facing the subject and the ball locking knob on the left.

Sdiver2489 wrote in post #11992222
Any important factors in the QR and/or camera plate?

Most people like the lever quick releases here, I prefer the screw knob release as I have plates from a number of manufacturers. WRT plates, the RRS ones are very good; well made and they have an index mark on the horizontal and vertical section to easily center the middle of the sensor over the center of the clamp. I also understand they deal with cabling into the side of Canon bodies better than the Kirk plates. I use them on my Fuji S5 body and they're great. See if you can get one used; they're ridiculously expensive.

peter_n wrote in post #11987271
I use a Benro C2680T, also sold on eBay as the C-268 M8 (don't ask!). It's about an inch longer and 9 oz heavier. However it has beefier legs; max dia. is 29mm and min is 18.5mm and a higher max load rating. The best thing is it's taller by about six inches so you use much less of the center column. You can remove the rubber feet and put spikes on the Benro, and the Gitzo & RRS spikes/claw feet fit the Benro too. I've taken it apart and it has very similar design/construction to the Gitzo and the build quality is excellent. I bought mine in September of last year for $323, you can still buy them on eBay for $325. Mine is going on a long trip in a few weeks then after that I'll write a review as I'll have had it for a few months and I've given it a bit of a bashing. Below is a pic of the base/top section area of the Benro and my Gitzo for comparison.

What exact ballhead is that?

I bought mine without a ballhead. I don't like the Benro ballheads.

peter_n wrote in post #11994897
I bought mine without a ballhead. I don't like the Benro ballheads.

I didn't buy a ballhead yet either, that's why I am wondering which you show on that Benro tripod to get an idea of size.

Also with what you said about plates and QR...if I get a QR do I have to get a plate from the same vendor or is there something I should look for in the specs to make sure they are compatible? I could be wrong but I believe you just have to adjust QR's for the specific plate so if you used a number of them it would get annoying.

Theres nothing quite like the original

ben_r_ wrote in post #11995070
Theres nothing quite like the original

You lost me...

Sdiver2489 wrote in post #11995111
You lost me...

lol, uh original being THE GT1541T

...since youre thread title stated you were looking for something "similar" to that.