Tripod purchasing options

I've read the Tripod purchasing threads until my eyes have gone cross eyed, but the whole world of tripods and heads still seems difficult to grasp.

I'm holding onto a bunch of gift cards - $120 for BH and $50 for Amazon, and my grand plan is to pick up some legs from BHPhoto and a head from Amazon. I'm not adverse to putting a little bit of cash in, but as I rarely use tripods, I don't want to sink too much cash.

This doesn't need to be super portable, and I stand at 6', I suspect I'll use this around the house, maybe for portraits on locations. No where I won't be lugging a heavy bag or three already.

Recommendations for kit in the above ballpark prices? I'm not brand loyal - I had been looking at Manfrotto gear, but I'm certainly not married too it.

Manfrotto 055XPROB and Manfrotto 498RC2. Get either one from either place and use gift cards accordingly.

That puts me at close to $100 in cash out of pocket, something I was hoping to avoid - for a light tripod user, is the hive mind that it's not worth going cheaper?

How do you figure $100?

Manfrotto 055XPROB (from B&H) LINK: $140 - $25 MIR - $120 Gift Card = -$5

-or-

Manfrotto 190XPROB (from B&H) LINK:$135 - $25 MIR - $120 Gift Card = -$10

-and-

Manfrotto 498RC2 (from Amazon) LINK: $105 - $10 MIR - $50 Gift Card = $45
---------------

For a Total of $35 - $40


And yea, of course you can go cheaper, but even for casual use I wouldnt recommend anything less than that tripod setup.

I will also recommend the Manfrotto 055XProB with 498RC2 head. Very sturdy and you might find yourself using it a lot more then you think.

But you can always step down to the 190 series. It's smaller then the 055.

ben_r_ wrote in post #13646482
How do you figure $100?

Manfrotto 055XPROB (from B&H) LINK: $140 - $25 MIR - $120 Gift Card = -$5 (Free)

Manfrotto 498RC2 (from Amazon) LINK: $105 - $10 MIR - $50 Gift Card = $45

And yea, of course you can go cheaper, but even for casual use I wouldnt recommend anything less than that tripod setup.

ah, that works better - the link I found on BHPhoto was more like $160 - but it was hard finding even that amongst all their packages!

Thats a much more accessable range for me - and thank you for pointing me to the links - I'll look tonight, and post if I do go with it!

I updated with another option for the legs.

And youre quite welcome. I just want to see you get a good tripod, I dont care if it sits in the closet and you use it once, STILL that one time will be a good tool for the job.

ben_r_ has the right combination.

I bought both at Christmas and love the set-up...Darn good tripod..And REBATES!!!!

ben_r_ wrote in post #13646566
I updated with another option for the legs.

And youre quite welcome. I just want to see you get a good tripod, I dont care if it sits in the closet and you use it once, STILL that one time will be a good tool for the job.

and this is where I start to go cross eyed ... whats the difference between the two legs?

055 is taller and can hold 15.4lbs where the 190 is shorter by 5-7 inches and can hold 11lbs.

Gotcha - thanks!

pcj wrote in post #13646585
and this is where I start to go cross eyed ... whats the difference between the two legs?

Cheaper one is lighter in weight, but less stable. Cheaper one has less of a max load capacity. Everything in the support world is a trade off. You cant have one attribute without loosing on another.

the 055 is beefier and taller, I believe. I would go with that. You don't sound like you hike much. I'm the same height as you and it works for me. I don't need to bend over much to use it fully extended. There is also a vertically adjustable center column if you want to go really tall but stability gets compromised quickly. With the 190, you would probably be crouching down a lot.

I'm 6'1" and I find the 055 with 498rc2 head to be the perfect combo. I do have to bend my knees a little but not as much as it would be if I got the 190.

Thanks for the assistance folks (especially Ben_r_) - I've just placed the order for both pieces of kit (I went with the 055) - should be delivered by the end of week.