Dynatran tripods

tell me what you think.
my el-cheapo tripod broke on me so I'm looking for a nicer replacement.
and im a broke student so all those nice name brands are out of the question.
also open to any other suggestions.

thanks in advance!

I have the 858 tripod. I hated the pistol grip head so i bought a gitzo ripoff from amvona. Its ok, but im looking for another head. Probably on the lines of a decent ball head. If not, i'll just sell this and get the carbon fiber one and a nice ball head combo. The dynatran/amvona's are heavy.

I love mine. I wanted a nice, heavy tripod for weddings and was pleased with the quality of the Dynatran.

love mine. got annoyed with the pistol grip. just won another amvona ballhead for 11 bucks.

I have the 994 kit: CF legs and the magnesium ballhead. No problem. Does the job at a good price.

I LOVE my pod... I was in the local camera supply store the other day and saw a tripod leg set with 3-way pan/tilt head from Bogen/Manfrotto and it was exactly the same tripod I have with a different name etched in the leg. NOTHING was different but the price tag. Even the decals with tick marks for angles on the head. Dynatran - $86.00(with shipping) Bogen/Manfrotto - $325.00.

I've had my tripod for months now and I would buy it again and again. This is one of those cases where you get way more than what you pay for. The only minor nit I have is that when I get anything from Amvona, the turmoline oil used to prevent rust in storage is pretty strong and I can smell it as well as feel it. I give it a quick wipe down with a shop rag and it's right as rain.

2005GLI wrote in post #2418939
I have the 858 tripod. I hated the pistol grip head so i bought a gitzo ripoff from amvona. Its ok, but im looking for another head. Probably on the lines of a decent ball head. If not, i'll just sell this and get the carbon fiber one and a nice ball head combo. The dynatran/amvona's are heavy.

They are really no heavier than any other tripod in it's class. I also wasn't crazy about the grip head for certain applications. Outside for quick and dirty framing it's good, but precise framing required something with easier control... so I got a Dynatran 3-way pan/tilt head. incidentally... the Bogen grip head is no better than the Dynatran... it's actually exactly the same with a different name. I wouldn't be shocked at all if they are all manufactured in the same factory.

I have used several Dynatrans, started with AT-663S and now the carbon fiber AT-CF994. I'm a happy customer. For the price, i can't complain.

I clicked they are great. With this caveat: I paid less that $100dollars. For that price they are great, they are NOT a Gitzo product. They are not as sturdy and their tolerances are less precise. But for the money, they would be hard to beat. I have also heard that Benro makes a good CF tripod, perhaps a little better, but somewhat more money. I have three ball heads for my 3 dynatrans, they are nothing to write home about, but (again), for $11 to $35 (US) they are certainly adequate and better than no tripod. I use my Kirk BH-3 and Giottos 1002 ball heads as they are much better quality.

MarkoPolo wrote in post #2421249
I clicked they are great. With this caveat: I paid less that $100dollars. For that price they are great, they are NOT a Gitzo product

This is pretty much what I had in mind when I clicked they're great. I paid something like $55 for my AT-858 or whatever it is (not a carbon fiber). While it's a great tripod, I wouldn't have paid more than $100 for it, because at that point you can start looking at other options from bigger names.

Ideally this poll would have 3 options in the middle as well as the extremes of "crap <-> awesome"