Travel tripod + ballhead for a RZ67

Long story short its time for me to buy another tripod setup again. For the past two years I have gotten by with a cheap Dolcia tripod and ballhead from amazon for stills work and a nicer Cowboy studio Tripod for video work.

The dolcia worked out perfect for use with my DSLR but now that I have a 6.5lb camera it is far from sturdy even though it is rated at for 10lbs. The cowboy studio tripod works great with my RZ67 but the weight of the tripod is close to 10lbs and is not what I would consider light.

What I do like about the dolcia is the ability to strap it onto my camera bookbag and hike without even feeling it back there. 70% of my shoots are on locaiton where I usually hike to the final location and like to keep my gear as light as possible.

What I like about the Cowboy studio tripod is that is very sturdy. Easy to level bowl mount and quick to setup and take down. Also it has a 75mm bowl mount which I have adapted for using flat mount ball heads and fluid heads.

So I guess what I am looking for is a tripod and ball head combo which is around 5-6lbs and sturdy enough to hold a RZ67 and Leaf Aptus digital back.

Any suggestions? I would like to keep this purchase under $500

What I use which is probably out of your budget but I have a Gitzo 1541T and a Markins Q3t. You could look into feisol they are cheaper compared to the gitzo. Not sure about the head but I like mine and it holds it very well, without problems. Unfortunately cheap and lightweight don't mix very well...

Thank you for the insight nWmR12 but I was hoping to keep the sticks around 300-350 and the ballhead around $200. There has to be a decent set of sticks out here for that price am I wrong?

I suppose I should have read your post a bit more carefully. Anyways I see you are looking at 5-6lbs (doesn't seem super light weight compared to the dolcia) but I would look into the Manfrotto tripods, Sub 200 or 300ish range, maybe the 055CXPRO3 just under 300 from BH or something similar. That one should easily be able to hold the RZ, You also have the choice of aluminum or CF, I'd pick the CF if you want to save some weight, 3.64 v 5 lbs... Then you can pick your poison with various different type of ball head brands .My Markins Q3t can hold my RZ+lens+back and such without drooping, as a point of reference.

If you're tall look at the Feisol tripods, if you're on the smaller side Benro are good. Photo Clam make decent ballheads that don't cost a lot. I'm 5' 8" and use a Benro C2680T with a heavy Fotoman 617 panoramic and Schneider 110mm lens and it's stable with that combo.

Now the tripod only sells as a kit with the Benro B1 ballhead; the C2680TB1 - cost is around $350. You would probably want to sell the B1 head and get a Photo Clam or a used Markins head though. The tripod is great but the head is just OK.

I went with a Promaster carbon set. Prices vary by dealer, but I paid $150 for the legs.

Very light, very stable with my RZ and 110mm.

Dear sircanon,

I recently purchased a Benro A3580F tripod and a Benro B-2 ballhead, along with a Promaster gimbal mount.

Without extending the center column at all it is more than high enough for me to mount a Canon 1DMK2 or gripped 20D and I am 6' 5" tall. The legs are rated to support 33 pounds and they have no problem with my 1D body and a Sigma 150-500 lens mounted on a gimbal mount.

The tripod retails for $ 168.00 and the head retails for $ 192.00 which puts it slightly above your desired price. You could always opt for the SIRUI K40-X ballhead, it goes for about $ 145.00 which will then be back in your range. That ballhead was rated as a good budget choice for heavy gear in the review by DPreview posted elsewhere on this page.

My Benro tripod is a bit heavy, it weighs about 6 pounds +/- with the head attached but I'm a big fella and my lunch box easily weighs that much! It comes with a nice carry bag, a tool kit, and spiked feet for outdoor use. A quality bag and spiked feet, if you can even find a set, will be extra with the Manfrotto 055XPROB legs and set you back another $ 40.00 - $ 70.00.

I looked at the Manfrotto legs before I bought the Benro. They are nice legs and are tall enough for a big guy like me if the center column is extended just a smidge. If you can catch them on sale at $ 149.99 then they might be the way to go for you. If you have to pay full boat retail of $ 199.99 then buy the Benro, its a much better tripod in my opinion.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Thank you everyone for the helpful post and insight. I definitely think the Benro A3580F are the sticks I am looking for with a max height of almost 70" and a weight of only 5 lbs for $170 at B&H.

The induro bhd3 head looks good and reviews are spot on. Anyone have any first hand experience with this brand?
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …79_003_BHD3_Bal​lhead.html

Thanks again

I've used an Induro BHD-2 and own an Induro AT 213. The BHD-2 was fine, just nothing special for the price. I did not like the position of the knobs. If I had the tension knob in my left hand as I normally do (camera in right), the panning knob is underneath the lens, in a very akward position. It seems like they designed the ergonomics for someone with a left handed DSLR so the tension was controlled with the right hand. I ended up returning it and purchasing a Horusbennu LX-5 instead, which I have been 100% happy with.