MeFoto A2350 Globetrotter tri-pod ??

I want to upgrade my cheap Dolica set up and looking at buying this MeFoto..any one have/had it ??how did you like it,,i would use it hikeing,backpacking,,t​raveling,and general use...with a 7D and 100-400 IS Canon..
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Ron

I have the aluminum Globetrotter and love it thus far. I also upgraded from a Sunpak 423PK. Something to keep in mind that the globetrotter will not fit in the bag unless you reverse the legs which is kind of a bummer but this was nothing new to me as I played around with it in the store. I also picked up a short column as I never extend the center columns and this allows me to get even close to the ground.

I like mine as well although after a year I'm thinking about upgrading the ball head. It sags a little after tightening with the 55-250.

You need to hang a camera bag or something from the center column and use a cable release to get rock solid images.

TerryMiller wrote in post #17406308
You need to hang a camera bag or something from the center column and use a cable release to get rock solid images.

This tells you (the OP) something about the tripod, and you have a 400mm lens...

Why buy support that's marginal (at best) for your camera rig? Forgo a couple of lunches and get something that's stable.

TerryMiller wrote in post #17406308
I like mine as well although after a year I'm thinking about upgrading the ball head. It sags a little after tightening with the 55-250.

You need to hang a camera bag or something from the center column and use a cable release to get rock solid images.

I have not experienced the need to hang a bag, I was able to get sunrise images with mine with new added weight hanging and using the 10 second timer built into the camera (I had ran out of the house withut my cable release). Then again I dont shoot very often with more then 2 sections extended, I like to shoot low to the ground.

I am headed out this evening to play around with it a bit more for sunset on the beach and will extend it higher and see how it does. I also am not hanging 400mm off of it.

It could just be my technique that makes causes movement. I shoot with the legs fully extended and the center column partially extended to get the viewfinder at eye level.

That might be part of it. I switched my center column to a short version which does not extend at all. While shooting yesterday I never extended more then two sections of legs.

Ronnie H wrote in post #17405785
I want to upgrade my cheap Dolica set up and looking at buying this MeFoto..any one have/had it ??how did you like it,,i would use it hikeing,backpacking,,t​raveling,and general use...with a 7D and 100-400 IS Canon..
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Ron

Ronnie.
I have been using the MeFoto Globetrotter Carbon Fibre when traveling by air. Small in length, easy to throw over the shoulder in the included bag and able to support my gear listed below. Very stable as designed.
While I do have more robust tripods, I highly recommend. One of the best purchases I made as I now have no excuse for traveling without a tripod.

I have the aluminum version and love it. Small and light, decent ball head. If I need extra stability I don't extend the last leg parts, they are pretty thin, but that's the same with any compact/travel tripod. I mostly shoot handheld, so getting some $1000 carbon fiber extravaganza was out, I have an xprob 190 too, but that got too heavy and big for my taste when hiking. I've not had to hang anything from the center for stability, but I plan to trow a bungie cord into my bag for that purpose. My full bag would be too heavy, but I think if I place the bag on the ground underneath and use a short bungie on the tripod to tighten down to the bag I'll get all the extra stability I'll need.

Comes with a nice bag, spikes, tool (just an allen wrench, nice that's its a generic one, not some special screws) and can be turned into a monopod very quickly, smart idea.

I've even had my 5D3 with the Tamzooka on it without issues unless fully zoomed, but at 600mm a butterfly fluttering by seems to cause shake, LOL. But with cable release or self time I found it to work just fine. Buy it where you can return it w/o trouble if you don't like it.

I'm happy to have found this thread and read your guys' positive reviews!

I just went into a local shop expecting to pick up a Manfrotto BeFree carbon fiber but when I got there and had a chance to mess with it, as well as a MeFoto 2350 Carbon Fiber, my mind was changed. The MeFoto seemed to be much more sturdy (rated 26lbs vs 8.8lbs), but not all that much heavier holding each in my hands. Plus the MeFoto came with the spikes, weight hook and converts to a monopod, and seemed quite a bit taller (not a big deal to me, but still a plus).

I knew I wanted CF because I would use mine for hiking/backpacking as well as plane/car travel (so weight was a factor) but there was no way I was going to be able to spend 500+ on JUST legs, which is why I was looking at options like BeFree and 2350... I'm not a pro and all my landscape up to this point has been hand held!

Anyways, I'm excited to try it out. I'm thinking that if it proves to be sturdy enough I could sell my Manfrotto 055xProB with ball head and my monopod to recoup some cost or put that money into a different head.

I'm still not sure about the head/plate that comes with the MeFoto. I'd be curious to know what do you guys think about it?

freestylee30 wrote in post #17424050
I'm still not sure about the head/plate that comes with the MeFoto. I'd be curious to know what do you guys think about it?

MeFotos are OEM'd by Benro with a few corners cut off the standard Benro fare. Benro make good tripods but their ballheads are mostly not that great. I'd sell the ballhead while it's new and buy a small Sirui head like the K-20X.

After 2 full days of use in Sedona I have zero complaints about the globetrotter or the included head.

Glad to hear that it's working properly on receipt. There's a fair amount of product variation so you're going to have to wait a while to assess its durability.

That's kinda like everything. Only time will tell. I have high hopes and from what I can see this tripod will hold up to them. The thing is you can't expect it to perform like a $1000 set up. You have to have realistic expectations.

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #17425225
That's kinda like everything. Only time will tell. I have high hopes and from what I can see this tripod will hold up to them. The thing is you can't expect it to perform like a $1000 set up. You have to have realistic expectations.

Yep, I agree. Like I said above, up until now, I haven't hiked/backpacked with a tripod because what I had was too heavy and cumbersome. This ~$400 setup will allow me to at least bring something along now. Can't wait to try it out.