tripod for canon 500mm

Hi all,

I have never had a tripod before. Could you reccommend a the cheapest tripod which can support the canon 500mm f4l IS USM for me.

Thank you.

Wow are you really thinking about getting a 500 that crazy

For 500mm I'ld get at least a Gitzo '3' series... Not exactely cheap.

I think that to support a £4,400 lens, you need to consider which is the "best" tripod, not which is the "cheapest".

If the lens fell off the tripod, and I were your insurer, I would be taking a very close interest in what tripod you had, because if you support it on some £50 'pod, I might be looking for a denial of compensation on grounds of negligence on your part.

Seriously, think this through on a whole-system level.

seanm wrote in post #2072057
Hi all,

I have never had a tripod before. Could you reccommend a the cheapest tripod which can support the canon 500mm f4l IS USM for me.

Merely "supporting" the lens can be done by a lot of cheap tripods. Now, though, you need to consider two things:

Will the tripod will keep the whole rig (tripod with camera/lens mounted) from falling over? This is a really critical factor which depends on the tripod's weight and how far apart the legs can go while still being sturdy.

Will the tripod will hold the camera/lens steady (say, in a breeze)? This is, of course, the primary reason for using a tripod.

You should be looking at something like the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPro and a decent head as an absolute minimum.

Cod not agree more with Giles ..... you need a STRONG tripod for that lens!

For the 500mm, I would recommend you get a tripod and head that will hold a minimum of 16 pounds. You don't want to go smaller then that.

You don't need a $500 tripod to work this lens (it's 8.5lbs, not 20lbs)... so get something that holds about 16+ lbs. Check out my review on the Benro products in this forum - very solid. I've also owned a Velbon Carmagne (now sherpa pro I think) and it could hold around 25lbs. as well for about $240 USD.

I wouldn't go "Cheap" and I wouldn't recommend "Light". That's a heavy and expensive lens that I wouldn't trust to any light tripod. My Bogen 3221W is fairly heavy and is up to the task, but I'd probably use a Wembley gimbal type head if I had that lens. That's not cheap either.

I've got the 500 and am using a Gitzo 1325 with a RRS BH-55 ball head. And I use a SideKick too. Works great, but not cheap.

I have to agree with the others that the last thing you want is a "cheap" tripod as they will give you nothing but frustration and/or broken gear. But that said you don't need to spend a billion dollars either. If you want something good but that doesn't break the bank have a look at the Amvona AT CF94 carbon fibre legs as they will handle upto almost 18lbs and then look at something like the Manfrotto 393 (Bogen 3421) gimbal type head.

I have both of these myself and someone I know loves this set-up now for his EF500 f4. He did use to have a Gitzo carbon fibre and a Wimberly but found he prefered my set-up to his and so got his own. The Amvona AT CF94 Dynatran carbon fibre tripod can be had for a good price Via Amvona's eBay outlet and the Manfrotto gimbal head from any good photography store and is a bargin at it's normal price IMO. Worth having a think about and a look at.

Thanks all.

Look at the Dynatran CF-94. (Amvona.com) Almost exactly the same specs as a Gitzo 1325. I have one coming soon and paid less than $100US on e-bay auction. I think you will be surprised (and impressed) with the quality.

One of the best "bargains" for handling a lens like this is the
Bogen/Manfrotto 3021Pro line of legs (approx $150.00)
with a Bogen 3421 head. (approx $160.00)

I use the 3021 Pro, and have a RRS BH-40 head with a sidekick, and it works great. The sidekick or the Bogen 3421 are essential for this lens if you want to take action shots.