Benro vs Oben, am I missing something???

I do very little photography that requires support but I I need some new legs for the few times that I do. Budget is important as is stability (weight I can deal with).

That said, I found two that grabbed my eye at B&H and while the Oben seems like a great deal, for an extra $30, the Benro seems to have it beat nicely. Anyone have a thought on which way they'd go with this choice??

Oben AC2310

Folded 23"
Weight 3.95
Load 17.6
Max 62"
Cost $80 on sale


Benro A0190T

Folded 16"
Weight 2.3
Load 13
Max 64"
Cost $110

I'm open to other options as well and considered the Induro 8MAT214 and Manfrotto 190XB options as well but it still seems the above Benro wins out.

I posted a question about that 2310 too here:

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1256764

Would appear that not many people have the Obens.

FEChariot wrote in post #15367085
I posted a question about that 2310 too here:

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1256764

Would appear that not many people have the Obens.

thanks for replying though. In the end, I think I am going to opt for an Induro as I really do prefer the twist lock legs over flip levers. The Induro folds to 19" and only weighs about 3 lbs but supports 13. For what I'll use it for, that's perfect.

The Oben looks like a steal at the prices B&H has and I'm guessing they are doing that to get the product out there and name recognized. Thing is, you can grab a Benro Classic that spec's slightly better but doesn't cost a whole lot more.

namasste wrote in post #15367162
thanks for replying though. In the end, I think I am going to opt for an Induro as I really do prefer the twist lock legs over flip levers. The Induro folds to 19" and only weighs about 3 lbs but supports 13. For what I'll use it for, that's perfect.

The Oben looks like a steal at the prices B&H has and I'm guessing they are doing that to get the product out there and name recognized. Thing is, you can grab a Benro Classic that spec's slightly better but doesn't cost a whole lot more.

What head are you going to put on them?

FEChariot wrote in post #15367320
What head are you going to put on them?

Manfrotto 496 RC2. The other one that got my attention was the Redged 424. Twist locks and folds to just 20" but supports 18.7#. Only $100 for the legs. Seems like that, coupled with the ballhead I have would make a decent, lightweight setup for the times I need a tripod.

namasste wrote in post #15367381
Manfrotto 496 RC2. The other one that got my attention was the Redged 424. Twist locks and folds to just 20" but supports 18.7#. Only $100 for the legs. Seems like that, coupled with the ballhead I have would make a decent, lightweight setup for the times I need a tripod.

I'm not sure how tall you are but the max height of the redged at 58" would be a little too low for my preferences. BTW, you have some really great stuff on your website and I was really amazed that some of those great shots where taken with the relatively lowly 30D.

I have a Manfrotto 484 head on my gorillapod and I love the quality of it. I would really like to buy a ball head with multiple bubble levels and a separate pan knob. Aside from some Vanguard options, of which I have had bad experience with in my film days, the cheapest option I can find that meets my criteria is the Manfroto 055 ball head with Q5 QR. That however is $185 without legs. I just don't use a tripod enough to justify that much. The Oben BA series has the nice levels, the BB series has the separate pan knob. Why can't someone have both for under $100?

I had an Oben and it was fine. Nothing special, nothing bad. Though now that i have an RRS tripod i can truly say you get what you pay for.

.02

symbolphoto wrote in post #15370363
I had an Oben and it was fine. Nothing special, nothing bad. Though now that i have an RRS tripod i can truly say you get what you pay for.

.02

B&H doesn't list RRS as an option for tripods. Is it an abbreviation?

Really Right Stuff. They sell directly; B&H doesn't carry them, nor does anyone else.

FEChariot wrote in post #15368839
I'm not sure how tall you are but the max height of the redged at 58" would be a little too low for my preferences. BTW, you have some really great stuff on your website and I was really amazed that some of those great shots where taken with the relatively lowly 30D.

I have a Manfrotto 484 head on my gorillapod and I love the quality of it. I would really like to buy a ball head with multiple bubble levels and a separate pan knob. Aside from some Vanguard options, of which I have had bad experience with in my film days, the cheapest option I can find that meets my criteria is the Manfroto 055 ball head with Q5 QR. That however is $185 without legs. I just don't use a tripod enough to justify that much. The Oben BA series has the nice levels, the BB series has the separate pan knob. Why can't someone have both for under $100?

Thanks, one of my favorite images I've ever taken was with the 30D and a 28-105 lens that cost me $150, I really appreciate you having a look at my site. It desperately needs an update as I have a ton of images on my hard drive that ought to replace a lot of what's there now...not enough hours in the day!!

Jon wrote in post #15370724
Really Right Stuff. They sell directly; B&H doesn't carry them, nor does anyone else.

Holy crap that's expensive. Compared to that, as much as I use tripods, I am more than happy with the cheaper stuff that Oben and Manfrotto stock.

namasste wrote in post #15371008
Thanks, one of my favorite images I've ever taken was with the 30D and a 28-105 lens that cost me $150, I really appreciate you having a look at my site. It desperately needs an update as I have a ton of images on my hard drive that ought to replace a lot of what's there now...not enough hours in the day!!

... Not enough hours in the day. You can say that again.

In regards to Benro vs Oben, I am looking for a travel tripod within the $200-$450 range.

I've been unable to find much information on Oben, whereas
Benro's http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …avel_angel_ii_t​ripod.html has had some phenomenal reviews.

The Oben I am looking at is the http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …tion_foldable_c​arbon.html

I went to my local camera store (Calumet Photo) and I was able to see and feel the Benro. Solid construction, great quality build, the head was arca swiss style, I knew my camera would be secure and it would the necessary weight. It was lightweight, which I would need since I do photojournalistic photography.

My question is that I want to know which Tripod do you guys think is better, and what are the reviews on Oben, I know the Gradus Group LLC owns the brand, but I can only find Oben sold on B&H and Amazon.

Thank you

I ended up buying an Oben and am very happy with it. I think it was the 2300AC or something. It was a close out sale and that model isn't for sale anymore however.

If you do go with benro check out dcphotostuff on ebay, he sources straight from China (where they are made) for much much less than the prices on B&H, I know you have to send it back to china for warranty work, but I saved about 150 bucks buying through him so that is worth even a couple of trips to China. Many have bought from him on this site and have been happy with the service. This is a link to his tripods/support page on ebay. http://stores.ebay.com …438&_trksid=p46​34.c0.m322