Non Gitzo tripods for a 500 or 600F4...GO

I dont want to spend $500 plus for a tripod

whos using something cheaper that will support a super tele

No other contraints?

I'm using a set of Bogen 3221 legs that I bought in '94. Back then, I probably paid a couple hundred dollars. Now, they're all cheaper and on the used market. I've gone through a few heads in that time with a Wimberly at the moment. Heavy? You bet. Pain to use? Probably for some folks. I'm used to it and it works for me. I just recently picked up a 600/4 and started to use these legs again.

What other constraints do you have/want?

A friend uses this and is as good as my Gitzo https://www.benroeu.co​m/products/benro-c3780tn.aspx It is about £350 here in the UK
He uses it with a Canon 1Dx2 and 500 f4 plus converters with zero issues

$500.00 sadly is "bargain basement" for the type of tripod you want under a 500/600mm

The Gitzo equivalent would be near $1K


Induro, Leofoto, Benro, Robus etc.

Of course Induro aren't normally "cheap", I got all mine when they were clearance because of a newer model and made out like I was stealing!

The trick is to get the Latest entry into the "competing with Gitzo" corner from Asia, before they become well respected and popular, at which point they are almost as costly as Gitzo.

The Order in which they hit the market, first to most recent pretty much equals the price ladder, most expensive to lowest priced,

Induro ( Now around $700.00 for a 3 series. )
Feisol
Sirui
Leofoto
Robus...

ie: this Robus is likely the best bang for your buck;
https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …c_5558_c_5558_t​ripod.html

... whoops, the price just went up since the last time I looked!
that makes the older LeoFoto a better price now;
https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …es_systematic_t​ripod.html

too bad you missed it when they were about $100.00 less too..

3 series "systematic" or equivelent. Systematic is a Gitzo term that they themselves seem to have nearly abandoned, it refers to the removable top plate that can be swapped for a gear column, rapid column, or most important to birding with a 500mm, a leveling base.

You only want to buy a "systematic" compatible set of legs. 3 Series tends to b the sweet spot, go 4 or 5 series for even heavier duty applications. Many birders use 4 or 5 preferring the extra stability to the portability>stability compromise of the 3 series.

Robus Series 5 is the steal right now, only $600.00;
https://smile.amazon.c​om …vTm90TG9nQ2xpY2​s9dHJ1ZQ==


And leofoto Series 4 is on Sale for Prime members right now!
that's what I would grab if I didn't already have a Series 4 Induro;
https://smile.amazon.c​om …JFFJ&psc=1&qid=​1583445507


P.S.
I have been kicking around selling one of may 3 series sets of legs for some time, if you would consider a used Gitzo let me know.

OK, one more post on this.

I was going to say, in refernce to my earlier post about catching the latest Chinese knock off before they get popular at the intro price.

Sometimes searching for older ones like "SunwayFoto" "Desmond" or "LeoFoto" on Amazon will reveal the latest name NO ONE has ever heard of as a suggestin..

Well, the latest just revealed itself to me.

INNOREL

Of course, I have no idea of overall quality,. so buyer beware but right now Innorell is the latest "best bang for your buck"

this looks like a very decent Series 3 for almost half what even a Leofoto coasts;
https://smile.amazon.c​om …07H8V8WWM?ref_=​ast_bbp_dp

AND it comes with a leveling head, saving another 80-120 or so.

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I totally get not wanting to spend $900 to $1200 on a tripod.

But I will note something I have observed over time:

Everyone I know personally who uses truly big lenses (in the 500mm f4 / 600mm f4 / 800mm f5.6 class) that has started out with a "bargain" tripod ........ has eventually ditched the $500 tripod and replaced it with an $800-$1200 Gitzo or RRS. . I mean, every single one of them, to a man.

If you just get out for wildlife with the big lens a few times each year, then a $500 tripod may work just fine for you and you could be satisfied with it for years and years. . But the guys who are out using it on a daily or almost-daily basis always end up forking out the cash for a truly great tripod, as well as a high-end full gimbal head.


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Tom is correct. the Induro seems to be a rare exception, but I can count the Induro shooters on one hand (I am one of them)

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Even my $900 Gitzo has fallen apart so many times .....

I am tired of it breaking on me and tired of repairing it and tired of paying out the arse for replacement parts and tired of trying to use a busted tripod while I wait for parts to come in.

So if even the top-of-the-line tripod falls apart on a regular basis, one can only imagine how the much less expensive models would hold up under the same use.

But again, if one is not going to use it all that much, and is not going to use it in harsh conditions, then a $500 tripod may be just perfect for you and live a good long life!

.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19021644
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Even my $900 Gitzo has fallen apart so many times .....

I am tired of it breaking on me and tired of repairing it and tired of paying out the arse for replacement parts and tired of trying to use a busted tripod while I wait for parts to come in.

So if even the top-of-the-line tripod falls apart on a regular basis, one can only imagine how the much less expensive models would hold up under the same use.

But again, if one is not going to use it all that much, and is not going to use it in harsh conditions, then a $500 tripod may be just perfect for you and live a good long life!

.

My Gitzo hasn't broken a single thing ever. I've had it for at least 8 years so far.

AS_Photo wrote in post #19021648
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My Gitzo hasn't broken a single thing ever. I've had it for at least 8 years so far.
.

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I use mine pretty hard in many different conditions.

Had it in salt water for 26 days last year. . It often has to be completely submerged in the salt water, so that I can get the camera just a couple inches above the water's surface for a dramatic low-angle perspective. . Of course I thoroughly disassembled it and cleaned it at the end of each day, but even so, if it spends 8-10 hours submerged in the Ocean or the Gulf, then 3 hours on the drive home, that's a lot of hours of salt water exposure before getting cleaned off. . It's a huge pain in the butt because taking all 9 of the leg joints apart and cleaning each one takes for freaking ever.

Every spring I use it for 20-25 days in the marsh near my place. . The bottom of the marsh is about 18" of thick mud and the tripod (as well as myself) slowly sinks into the bottom muck and stays there for hours on end.

I use it quite frequently on mountain rockslides consisting of coarse talus. . Steep slopes consisting of big boulders ranging from 55 gallon drum size to VW Beetle size. . The legs are at crazy angles to each other and the middle of the carbon fiber leg sections will invariable rest on the edge of a rock, as there is no way to set it on its feet in such places. . So there is a ton of lateral abrasion on the carbon fiber segments.

I very often use it in the very lowest leg position, so that the legs are almost perfectly horizontal and my camera and lens are only a couple inches above the ground. . When you do this a lot, with lenses as heavy as mine (300-800mm Sigma and 400mm f2.8 v1), the tops of the carbon fiber legs get "crushed" where they are inserted into the aluminum piece at the top, at the contact point between the carbon fiber and the aluminum. . The Gitzo repair & parts guy told me that this is designed to be the weak point. . So I took the legs out of the aluminum and beefed the weak point up by inserting reinforcement inside the top of the carbon fiber. . So what happens? . Well now that changes the weak point, so now the weak point is the aluminum part itself. . And the aluminum part simply breaks apart when it is under lateral load when the tripod legs are extended out sideways and supporting a 16 pound camera/lens combo. . Each time one breaks, it's $170 for the replacement part.

Also, the feet continually wear down to nubbins, kind of like the tread on car tires eventually just wearing down until the tires are bald and the steel belts are exposed. . Then once the feet wear away the bottom of the carbon fiber legs themselves are exposed, and wear when they are used heavily on rough rocky surfaces for extended periods of time. . The real problem is that the female threads that are at the bottom of each leg - the threads that the feet screw into - get all messed up from wear and tear, so that they get all loose and sloppy and nothing will stay in them. . So I use LocTite, but then that changes the weak point, and the terminal leg insert just comes out of the leg altogether. . Then Gitzo won't sell you just a new insert, but forces you to buy the entire lower carbon fiber leg section with the insert pressed into it from the factory. . More money down the drain.

I also sometimes climb trees with my Gitzo to photograph bird's nests from a height, and then once I find a good spot up in the tree canopy I bungee cord my Gitzo to the tree limbs very tightly, to prevent camera shake as much as possible. . This provides pretty good camera support and steadiness, but exposes the carbon fiber legs to a lot of lateral stress, especially when the wind kicks up and the branches that the tripod is so tightly tied to start to sway this way and that ...... it almost seems as if the limbs are going to tear my tripod apart!

Anyway, those are some of the troubles I've had with my Gitzo not standing up to the use that I give it. . After 11 years of use, it is finally on its last legs, and as soon as I have an extra $1500 I need to buy a replacement. . Hopefully I can find something that holds up better to the rigors of wildlife and bird photography.


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I would suggest Benro https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …ach3_9x_carbon_​fiber.html

You could save a little and go with the aluminum version...

thinking about this one. B&H guys says its a good one and he has compared it to others. Plus its on sale and discontinued. Review and videos look pretty good


https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …_carbon_fiber_t​ripod.html

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #19021615
$500.00 sadly is "bargain basement" for the type of tripod you want under a 500/600mm

The Gitzo equivalent would be near $1K


Induro, Leofoto, Benro, Robus etc.

Of course Induro aren't normally "cheap", I got all mine when they were clearance because of a newer model and made out like I was stealing!

The trick is to get the Latest entry into the "competing with Gitzo" corner from Asia, before they become well respected and popular, at which point they are almost as costly as Gitzo.

The Order in which they hit the market, first to most recent pretty much equals the price ladder, most expensive to lowest priced,

Induro ( Now around $700.00 for a 3 series. )
Feisol
Sirui
Leofoto
Robus...

ie: this Robus is likely the best bang for your buck;
https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …c_5558_c_5558_t​ripod.html

... whoops, the price just went up since the last time I looked!
that makes the older LeoFoto a better price now;
https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …es_systematic_t​ripod.html

too bad you missed it when they were about $100.00 less too..

This has a 55 lb load capacity

a 500 F/4 is like 11 lbs and with a 1Dx were under 20 Lbs.....I was looking at tripods for 30-35 lbs....am i looking at this wrong ??

umphotography wrote in post #19021690
thinking about this one. B&H guys says its a good one and he has compared it to others. Plus its on sale and discontinued. Review and videos look pretty good


https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …_carbon_fiber_t​ripod.html

Not even close to 500mm worthy I'm afraid.

Don't look at any tripod with a center column.
Don';t look at anything smaller than Series 3.
"Travel" does not enter into this.

If you want to buy a tripod for traveling, go right ahead, but if you want a tripod for a 1DXII and 500mm lens,. either get the correct one, or get a good series 4 or 5 monopod with a Wimberly monopod gimbal.

Look, a lot of us have been through this,. I did the same thing back in '04, and ended up with a Gitzo CF systematic two years and three tripods later,. and I still have it! The others were of no use.