Help me spend my money on a tripod

If money were no object, what tripod / head combo would you go with for a good travel tripod? I'm heading to Seattle in a few months and want to get a better tripod than my current Manfrotto setup.

I seem to always be on the move when I am shooting so I'm looking for something light weight and compact. However, at 6'5" I'm also looking for something tall enough to fit my height.

While I say Travel, this will become my go to tripod so I'm not afraid to invest money in the setup. Needs to be able to hold a 5DIII and 70-200L, that's the heaviest combo I've got.

TIA,
Jason

I just went through this whole thing myself. I'm a little shorter than you at 6' but I ended up sacrificing on tripod height. I wanted it to be as small as possible when folded and as light as possible for hiking but still provide good stability.

I went with a gitzo 1542t and a rrs bh30. Tripod is good height with the center column extended but pretty short without. Haven't received the rrs head yet but I love the legs so far. Build quality seems good and it seems pretty stable despite its modest weight.

Rrs makes a nice looking travel tripod but its out of my price range and I couldn't find a ton of info on it.

There's actually been a lot of threads recently on this subject. Benro and feisol seem to be popular options as well.

Yeah, I've looked at the RRS stuff, while it's beautiful I can't find much on it and can't figure out why the price is "that much" higher than everyone else. I do like their ball heads though, do you think the BH30 is a big enough, strong enough head for my body lens combo? I didn't mention before, but I'm also gripped, so there's a little more weight to the combo.

TIA,
JS

I'm 6'2" and I have the Feisol 3441s with an Acra-tech GP-s head. It's super light and folds up small for travel/hiking. With the center column up it get me to eye-level, but obviously is prone to wobble in such a situation. Being that you are etaller than I, you might check into the 3441t which is a slightly taller version on my pod.

For a travel pod, you are going to have to make the trade-off between compactness and stability when using the column. Depending on how small you need it to be, you might look at the Gitzo 2-series like the 2542 mountaineer. Pair that with a nice head, like RRS or Markins or Acra-tech and you would have a pod that would be much more stable than a travel pod, and not as large as a full sized pod like the Gitzo 3541LS, or the RRS TV34.


When I was in NYC, B&H had the new Gitzo ocean traveller pod, and it looked pretty sweet, but is should be for $1700.

jskwarek wrote in post #15564766
Yeah, I've looked at the RRS stuff, while it's beautiful I can't find much on it and can't figure out why the price is "that much" higher than everyone else.

This is the analogy I use when people ask me that:

Gitzo is known as the the industry standard of being "the best" there is by most. Great selection of products to fit a wide variety of different needs. Like Porsche, or even Ferrari.

The RRS has that extra panache of something that is a little rarer. They have a fit, finish and feel that is of ultra high quality. As soon as you see it or pick it up you know you are holding something special. Attention to detail everywhere.
And if not in the know, you may have never heard of them. Like owning a McLaren.

I'm very happy with my Feisol 3441T. Great value considering it uses machined aluminium parts vs cast parts as on most other brands (save, interestingly, for RRS which cost up to 3x the price).

jskwarek wrote in post #15564584
I seem to always be on the move when I am shooting so I'm looking for something light weight and compact. However, at 6'5" I'm also looking for something tall enough to fit my height.

There is no single option. My solution was to get several tripods.

Being 195cm (around 6'5") and with my back and knees getting stiffer each year I wanted something tall enough so I didn't have to bend over to use it and I didn't have to sacrifice stability with a wobbly centre column. That means it needed to reach a height of 160cm (62") with the column down. Anything shorter would mean bending over. I went for the Induro CT313.

The problem is that it's quite heavy (2.2kg - 5 lb without the head). It's fine for using most of the time, but a pain to carry long distances. So I've kept my Velbon Sherpa, which is lighter but smaller than the Induro, for using when I'm planning on walking a lot during the day.

But neither of these are really suitable for long-distance travel as they're both too heavy and too long for most hold-baggage bags. So I have a third tripod (a slik something) that is ultra-small and ultra-light for use when I'm going somewhere that involves plane travel.

i would suggest a 3 or 4 series gitzo with a markins q10 or q20 head.
with the q20 head it will hold any lens you throw at it

I would go for a Three Legged Thing tripod. They are made of either carbon fiber or magnesium alloy, come with a quality ballhead, extend to over 6', and fold into a nice, compact, agile form factor. Oh, and by the way, they all have a leg that can be removed to be used as a monopod. With all that being said, you can't beat that with at bat! I can't wait to get mine in the next few weeks.

JCH77Yanks wrote in post #15566997
I would go for a Three Legged Thing tripod. They are made of either carbon fiber or magnesium alloy, come with a quality ballhead, extend to over 6'

Really? I've found one that gets over 6' - but that's with the centre column extended, with the column lowered it's only 143cm (4' 8").

As above; a Gitzo 2-series like the 2542L with a max height of 69" but only folds to 24" and weighs 3.1 lbs. A Markins Q10 would be a suitable head for it. The new Feisols have milled aluminum bases and are worth looking at.

jskwarek wrote in post #15564584
If money were no object, what tripod / head combo would you go with for a good travel tripod? I'm heading to Seattle in a few months and want to get a better tripod than my current Manfrotto setup.

I seem to always be on the move when I am shooting so I'm looking for something light weight and compact. However, at 6'5" I'm also looking for something tall enough to fit my height.

While I say Travel, this will become my go to tripod so I'm not afraid to invest money in the setup. Needs to be able to hold a 5DIII and 70-200L, that's the heaviest combo I've got.

TIA,
Jason

I recommend that you consider the Feisol CT3442, with maximum height of 56 in (no center column). Details from Feisol are at the en of this email. This tripod is ideal for travel and more stable than the Feisol Traveler.


eatures of the FEISOL CT-3342 Tournament Class tripod include:

- Constructed of top quality carbon-fiber and high grade, CNC-milled 6061 T6 solid block aluminum
- FEISOL's new Rapid anti-leg-rotation technology
- Reverse-folding legs which flip up 180 degrees over the ballhead for maximum compactness
- A remarkably lightweight design, just 1.12 kg (2.47 pounds) - that is unmatched in strength and durability.
- Base diameter of 3.1 inches (80 mm)
- Superior-alloy precision engineered parts that respond to the finest adjustments.
- Preset leg angles at 25, 50, and 75 degrees
- The largest cross-section leg tube diameters possible (28 mm /1.1 inch), for an incredibly strong and secure tripod performance.
- An attractive tripod bag is included

Optional Center Column Upgrade Kit:
Our optional center column upgrade kit is of lightweight carbon-fibre construction, adding little more than one pound of additional weight.
The new attachment design is exceptionally strong, securing to the tripod body with three stainless steel screws. The center column remains completely immobile even at its maximum height, for total security and precision during operation.

The CT-3342 is the clear choice for professionals and enthusiasts alike who know that perfection in their art requires the same perfection in the equipment they use. Settle for nothing less than the high-performance standards of the CT-3342.

I'm 6"1' and have the Feisol 3441T. For the money, this is the lightest and tallest travel tripod that I know of. Gitzo makes tall tripods, but they're heavy. The Feisol has been performing very well for me for several years in all climates and conditions.

I would not get the Gitzo 1542, as it's short and raising the center column just creates an unstable high monopod, if you will.

After sleeping on it, I decided to go the Feisol 3441T, paired with a RRS BH-30 head. Thanks for all the suggestions folks.

TVPHOTOG, you're review on the 3441T was exactly what I was looking for, good on you for taking the time to share your thoughts in such a professional way.

Jason

jskwarek wrote in post #15570351
After sleeping on it, I decided to go the Feisol 3441T, paired with a RRS BH-30 head. Thanks for all the suggestions folks.

TVPHOTOG, you're review on the 3441T was exactly what I was looking for, good on you for taking the time to share your thoughts in such a professional way.

Jason

Jason,

My pleasure. You'll enjoy the 3441T, I'm sure.