Any good upgrade options?

I've currently got:
- Manfrotto 190CXPro4 carbon fiber tripod
- Manfrotto 498RC2 ballhead

I use the tripod for travel and a lost entirely for landscape photos.

I also do use it in my home for "creative" setups when I'm trying out random things and need a steady/remote-positioned camera

I am wondering though, is there a better tripod/ballhead combination that:
- Is just as much if not more sturdy
- Lighter
- Around just as tall/taller

Is there a better tripod head option/different style that would be better suited to me?

Also with my ballhead I'm on the RC2 plate - it seems a lot of my photo friends are on the arca-swiss which DOES seem better from my limited experience of both...

I upgraded my tripod and head last year moving from Manfrotto Carbon MT190CXPRO3, I had the same ballhead as you.

After attending the "Focus On Imaging" show at the NEC in Birmingham UK I was able to look at and try all the different brands. I decided on the Gitzo GT3542XLS Tripod with a Manfrotto Geared 410 head. I also at the same time upgraded my monopod to Gitzo.

Gitzo products are light and very sturdy, the GT3542XLS Tripod suits my height as I am 6'4". I am so pleased with this set-up and it's worth considering something that will suit you from the Gitzo range.

What is your total budget and what do you foresee as the heaviest gear this new rig will support?

peter_n wrote in post #17402384
What is your total budget and what do you foresee as the heaviest gear this new rig will support?

On the subject of tripods I can vouch that Peter knows his stuff. I took advice from him for my last purchase and I couldn't be happier.

peter_n wrote in post #17402384
What is your total budget and what do you foresee as the heaviest gear this new rig will support?

Probably ROUGHLY what I paid for the current kit?

I'd like to keep the tripod max $500 head max $200, but I am flexible if there is a benefit. In the example of the Gitzo above, $1000 is definitely too high plus it's a pound heavier. It may be wonderful but it's just outside my budget/needs I think...

Since I switched to full frame I actually got rid of my telephotos but from a weight perspective, it's possible I'd have something like a 5D3 + 70-200 2.8 II. Probably nothing more substantial than that and more often than not would be a 5D3 w/ a prime or a 5D3 with wide zoom

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #17401802
I've currently got:
- Manfrotto 190CXPro4 carbon fiber tripod
- Manfrotto 498RC2 ballhead

I use the tripod for travel and a lost entirely for landscape photos.

I also do use it in my home for "creative" setups when I'm trying out random things and need a steady/remote-positioned camera

I am wondering though, is there a better tripod/ballhead combination that:
- Is just as much if not more sturdy
- Lighter
- Around just as tall/taller

Is there a better tripod head option/different style that would be better suited to me?

Also with my ballhead I'm on the RC2 plate - it seems a lot of my photo friends are on the arca-swiss which DOES seem better from my limited experience of both...

With regards to the 498RC2 ballhead you can TRANSITION to arca swiss by replacing the clamp using this kit:
http://www.amazon.com …fRID=1J16NCTX7C​JC9T0JZSTP

OR the individual pieces (which is what I used since the kit above wasn't in stock at the time):

Boss adapter:
http://www.amazon.com …fRID=0XS6GVA5Q7​B244TEZH7Q
DBA-02 clamp (which can fit both RC2 and A/S plates):
http://www.amazon.com …CYWY6/ref=pd_bx​gy_p_img_y

and some Loctite Blue (temporary).

Take a look at the Feisol 3441T or 3442. Same legs, different spider (the metal part the legs attach to). Within your budget, at ~$400, compared to your current tripod the Feisols are: taller with or without centre column, lighter, have a higher load rating, and fold smaller. Feisol customer service is also rather good.

I have taken mine all over the world from Iceland to Cambodia, and put it through some of the worst abuse a tripod will ever go through in normal use; sand, snow, mud, salt water, fresh water, ice, you name it, it's been there. It's fallen into rivers, been bashed against rocks, dragged against granite, submerged in salt water and sand, and it has even taken a shower with me in hot water to clean it off afterwards (something which in retrospect I don't recommend as the hot water may have a negative effect on the adhesive or lubricant though it doesn't seem to have done for mine). I use it to support my 5DIII, my heaviest lens is only a 70-200 f4 IS, but it could support more, easily.

This would leave you with $100 extra to put into the tripod head which matters just as much as, if not more than the legs IMO.

I wasn't familiar with the Manfrotto 190CXPro4 tripod so I had to look up its specs, and I see that its center column can be used horizontally. Do you want this or a similar feature (like fully articulating) in your new tripod? If so that limits your choices. If not, you have a dizzying array of choices with your budget. Two well-liked brands on this forum are Feisol and Induro, both offer tripods that are excellent value for money at prices that are within your budget and are around 85% of the quality of say a Gitzo tripod at about half the price.

The Induro offerings have a marginal advantage in weight and aren't so great in the height department over your Manfrotto, the Induro CT214 model is an example that's close in concept but doesn't have the specs.

I agree with Tom above, the Feisol CT-3441T and the Feisol CT-3442 are very suitable, they are lighter, taller and more sturdy than your 190CXPro4.

The 3442 is a tripod that has no center column, and its systematic design makes it very stable. It's base has an 80mm diameter and it's not exactly a travel tripod but because it's so light many use for travel, as the legs fold back over the ballhead to give it a shorter packing profile. If you need a center column Feisol sells both long and short columns, as well as a range of horizontal adapters that would give you the Manfrotto feature.

The 3441T comes with a center column but also presumably uses their horizontal adapter. Both tripods have twist leg locks that are generally preferred over flip locks in the higher-end tripods.

You should get a ballhead that has an Arca-Swiss type of locking mechanism, while the A-S dovetail system isn't a strict dimensional standard there are many manufacturers with good product and price competition. Most SE Asian manufacturers have copied the original Arca-Swiss B1/Z1 heads with varying degrees of success, and Markins, Photo Clam and Sirui are popular choices. You should take a look at the Sirui K-30X.

That's for starters, it would be good if you could get get to a camera store and try out what they have, this can end up being a personal choice about the way something works.

I yield to Peter in his knowledge of this field, but if I were you, and I didn't want to break the bank, I would first concentrate on a good quality ballhead with the Arca Swiss quick release. I had a 498RC2 for years, and didn't realize what a difference it made to switch to a quality head. I now have two Acratech GP heads, and the fine control you have is so much better than I could get with the 498RC2. I can adjust the tension so that I can make slight adjustments to the camera angle, and I don't get any drifting. So much easier to use. I even used it on my old Bogen 3221 legs, and it made a vast improvement on that. I know there are other really good heads out there, and I think any upgrade on the head alone will be a good investment that you can carry over to a new set of legs at a later time.

Yno wrote in post #17405504
I yield to Peter in his knowledge of this field, but if I were you, and I didn't want to break the bank, I would first concentrate on a good quality ballhead with the Arca Swiss quick release. I had a 498RC2 for years, and didn't realize what a difference it made to switch to a quality head. I now have two Acratech GP heads, and the fine control you have is so much better than I could get with the 498RC2. I can adjust the tension so that I can make slight adjustments to the camera angle, and I don't get any drifting. So much easier to use. I even used it on my old Bogen 3221 legs, and it made a vast improvement on that. I know there are other really good heads out there, and I think any upgrade on the head alone will be a good investment that you can carry over to a new set of legs at a later time.

Hmm - the 498RC2 does have a tension control though?

I have a knob for panning, a knob for moving the actual ball head and a knob for the tension of the ball head movement? I don't have a ton of experience with other heads so I don't quite know what I'm "missing out" on...

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #17405632
Hmm - the 498RC2 does have a tension control though?

I have a knob for panning, a knob for moving the actual ball head and a knob for the tension of the ball head movement? I don't have a ton of experience with other heads so I don't quite know what I'm "missing out" on...

I think the 498rc2 is fine for most general photography use. It's when you need fine adjustments that it's lacking. And it does creep. Also, the clamp does not always lock all the way all the time. That's why I switched out my clamp - it appeared lock but just didn't set/click all the way.

When you can't set the camera/lens to where you neeed fine movements or need to lock in place without creep (macro or astro for instance), then start looking at better ballheads. Otherwise enjoy and use it.

To me, the difference is like using a cheap glass measuring cup vs. using a laboratory grade graduated cylinder. Or a plastic ruler vs. a set of calipers. The 498RC2 just does not have the fine control of the better ballheads out there.

Some ballheads don't work well with specific tripods. Just about any head will work with a systematic type of tripod, but anything that folds back like a travel tripod or the Feisol CT-3442, you need to make sure that the tripod legs don't foul on the knobs or clamp of the ballhead.

I don't use Feisol tripods myself, but I did alter the configuration of my travel tripod to accommodate a new ballhead. I know some ballheads don't work on the Feisol CT-3442 so the OP would need to do some research on that. I'd also recommend the Tripod FAQ to the OP, section 7 has some tripod and ballhead reviews.