Favorite Travel Tripod?

[M.Chapman]

20 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Not really. 

 

wim

Yes hanging a weight from the centre column has little effect on Torsional (camera yaw) rigidity/inertia. But it does prevent very light-weight tripods from blowing over...

When I chose the my Rollei (see post above) I did a simple torsional rigidity test as I walked round the Photo show and was surprised how rubbish some of the compact carbon fibre travel tripods were. In many cases it was the numerous "sloppy"  leg locks that wrecked performance.  What lets my Rollei down a bit is the ball and socket head which has a plastic housing, but the legs are great! I wouldn't use it with a long telephoto DSLR lens though.

 

Mark

Edited January 21 by M.Chapman

[IKuzmin]

11 hours ago, wiskerke said:

So you stand between the camera and where the wind comes from.

Ahh.. I do not stand. Particularly when have several tripods around, with flashes and camera. Even when it is not a photo-trap but manual photography, all the stuff is set around for hours. 

What you described works in my daily life when I protect gas burner in my kitchen from the AC blow, without umbrella but by my body... And I see how low the efficiency is 😁

Edited January 21 by IKuzmin

[IKuzmin]

2 hours ago, M.Chapman said:

compact carbon fibre travel tripods were

Probably, that's the answer? It still has to have some it's own weight to be stable. More important if it is tall, your one is only 1.27 m.

Edited January 21 by IKuzmin

[sb photos]

36 minutes ago, IKuzmin said:

Probably, that's the answer? It still has to have some it's own weight to be stable. More important if it is tall, your one is only 1.27 m.

 

I used to use an early aluminium Manfroto 190 as a travel tripod, packed diagonally with its ball head off in my checked luggage case. It would travel with me on European city breaks of 3 - 5 days, and only used for dusk and night photography. I later invested in a Benro aluminium tripod that is very compact in its shoulder bag. The Manfrotto 190 was passed on to my sisters other half. My wife thinks I have too many tripods, and based upon what I mostly shoot now, and she is likely right. I am now down to just 4, all aluminium, no carbon fibre. I believe affordable carbon fibre tripods are less stable than aluminium.

[Rebecca Ore]

2 hours ago, sb photos said:

I believe affordable carbon fibre tripods are less stable than aluminium.

 

I've had big wooden (Birlebach or something like that), basic aluminum Manfroto, and two different carbon fiber (once a Gitzo, currently an Induro) tripods.   Carbon fiber also shows up in bike frames and it is very light but it has catastrophic failures, no bending first.  I hiked with the Manfrotto strapped on the side of a camping backpack.  Works, isn't as light as carbon fiber.   Aluminum is a good compromise if you're not willing to pay for higher dollar carbon fiber.   There seems to be a magnesium leg set from 3 Legged Thing -- don't know how much of an improvement that would be over carbon fiber for resistance to blows and bumps.  https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1762633-REG/3_legged_thing_charlesdark2_charles_2_0_magnesium_alloy.html/overview   No reviews yet, though.

 

 

 

 

[Phil]

On 20/01/2024 at 12:09, NYCat said:

It seems to me I had to put my tripod in my checked bag because it looked too much like a weapon to pass security for carry-on. I was always traveling internationally so maybe ran in to more problems. The return always involved extra security if you were flying to the USA.

 

Some years ago we had a lightweight carbon fiber tripod packed in a checked bag for our return flight to Texas from Vancouver, BC airport. 

 

During our passport/ticket check by Customs we were told to go into a nearby separate room and wait to be called.  When called to the counter where a Customs agent had one of our checked bags up on the counter the agent told me "nice tripod" and then sent us on our way to our gate.  I assume our bag was kicked out during checked bag screening/X-ray for a human agent checkout due to the tripod.

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by Phil

[wilkopix]

Cheap Zomei .. stick it in suitcase for trips .. cameras in carry on backpack. Having had much more expensive models broken, stolen, covered in salt water .. this current one still looks immaculate and is sturdy enough for most of my work while travelling .. famous last words!

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

On 20/01/2024 at 18:03, wiskerke said:

Not really.

Extending the center column to the ground helps.

Started reading this & thought

"that's odd 'cause it worked for me."

I could see difference in telephotos "without hanging bag" shake vs "with hanging bag" sharp,

hanging my camera bag from center post hook, that is...

Kept reading & that explained it: my camera bag strap is long

enough for bag to brush or hang taunt from ground...

if there was wind, bag touching ground prevented bag from swinging...

[wiskerke]

27 minutes ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

Started reading this & thought

"that's odd 'cause it worked for me."

I could see difference in telephotos "without hanging bag" shake vs "with hanging bag" sharp,

hanging my camera bag from center post hook, that is...

Kept reading & that explained it: my camera bag strap is long

enough for bag to brush or hang taunt from ground...

if there was wind, bag touching ground prevented bag from swinging...

Extra weight is always good, but the connection must be stiff, not with a joint or a hinge, like a hook. Friction also works, because it dampens vibration. That's where my shoulder bag tricks come in.

Having a center post that touches the ground is better than a string pulled taut to the ground, which had been my initial idea.

Most modern posts have a screw at both ends. The top one holds the head and the bottom one that hook. But you can just screw in another pole or post. We went with some high end carbon Gitzo stuff because I had that lying around. I've tried it with a dirt cheap carbon monopod as well. The stiffer the better, which of course was the Gitzo.

What also helps is connecting the center post to the legs somewhere in the middle. Older, bigger tripods tended to have that. Again think Eiffel Tower: the more triangles the better and more points connected to the ground is best. See video tripods with their spreaders and double legs in a V. We ended up connecting the legs to each other with simple carbon rods and gaffer tape, forming more triangles.

This was an extreme case of needing lots of stiffness in a very small and lightweight package. I think I've described the whole case here before. Not all of it was legal.

The problem solving was fun and very satisfying.

I love it when a plan comes together.

 

wim

[Marianne]

I've had the Manfrotto 190MF4 190 Magfiber Carbon Fiber 4-section tripod legs for nearly 20 years now - it's been replaced by a newer model but despite using them in salt water (I rinse them afterwards) and in mud, etc. they look like new, so I can attest to the sturdiness of Manfrotto. In my home or garden I now use it with the Sunwayfoto geared head which I got last year at Adorama and love it for macro and studio type shots, but it weighs more than I'd like for days of travel. For travel I use a lighter Manfrotto ball head on the tripod legs.

 

You should know that Manfrotto heads have a proprietary attachment that is different than the Arca Swiss attachments that most tripod manufacturers use. When I got the geared head I also bought a kit on Amazon that let me change out the attachment on the top of the ballhead to an Arca-Swiss-type attachment so it would take an L-Bracket. I've taken the tripod legs and ball head to various places and all over the world and it's a nice setup but not the lightest option. But you can buy different heads and legs - the legs from the Manfrotto screw onto various other brands of heads (you just need to check the thread size to be sure).

 

I also have a smaller lighter tripod, an inexpensive 3-leg-section Promaster tripod that I picked up at a camera store in the midwest when my photo plans changed & I suddenly needed a tripod. I really like it for travel. It is sturdy, very light (<2 lbs including the ball head), takes an Arca-Swiss mount and folds down small, and has levels. It's not as sturdy on a windy day, but the legs screw off so you can make it into a monopod, though honestly I'm not a huge fan of monopods, since if I'm walking around these days I usually shoot handheld since I can bump up my ISO and my camera has good image stabilization.

 

If I want to shoot panoramic images using a nodal rail, then I'm going to use the sturdier Manfrotto with the geared head (which is surprisingly lightweight) and for macro I love the geared head too (though a ball head is okay but not as good). If I travel by car I take the Manfrotto and one or both heads along, and might even take both tripods so I have options. Hiking I only take a tripod if I'm planning to shoot panoramic images or macro, otherwise I just hand hold, so that's generally the larger Manfrotto setup. I have straps on the back of my backpack that holds a tripod well so the weight is evenly distributed .

 

I learned the hard way that it's essential to be sure your tripod setup can hold your equipment when I was on one of my first photo assignments in 2006 and the head (with camera attached fortunately) of the Slik tripod I got as a college graduation gift back in 1980 broke off in my hand. I had a Nikon D70 on it with the kit lens. Having just gotten back into photography at the time, I didn't realize I needed a sturdier tripod, but a few weeks later I bought the Manfrotto and never regretted spending what was a lot back in 2006 for the better setup. However, I'm also quite happy with the little Promaster ("Promaster" is a store brand that is sold through smaller local camera shops around the US - their website says they are also available in Canada, Costa Rica & Australia). I got that tripod 10 years ago and it's held up well. All my equipment is mirrorless now so even my heaviest lens (only a 24-105mm Sony G Master) and A7riv camera together weigh less that the 11 lbs limit it holds. 

 

You should think about what equipment you'll use it with, how heavy your heaviest gear will be (will you be using it with large heavy lenses now or in the future?)  Do you want something that's sturdy for both travel and studio work? When I got my D700 and a heavy sigma 50-500mm lens a few years after buying the Manfrotto, I was glad that it could carry the weight. You also want to be sure you're happy with the height of the tripod. Carbon fiber is ideal because it's strong for its weight and holds up better than aluminum. It also costs a lot more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

this is similar surprise as discovering

all objects in vacuum fall at same rate;

one would think, say, 1000lb weight

dangling from center post

MUST AFFECT YAW...!!

(assume super strong lightweight tripod)

[wiskerke]

3 hours ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

this is similar surprise as discovering

all objects in vacuum fall at same rate;

one would think, say, 1000lb weight

dangling from center post

MUST AFFECT YAW...!!

(assume super strong lightweight tripod)

Yep two more surprises:

After the string and tent peg idea, which sort of worked, I taped a weight to the post. And that worked better than the same weight on the hook. Then I made the post longer and that worked even better. After which I made the post even longer making sure it did not touch the ground. Which made it better still. So I was quite satisfied. Until I came back in my workshop, looked at the post and the tape and the weight and the proverbial light bulb went off: (1st surprise:) isn't the earth a bit heavier than my 2, 3 or 5lb weight? In the end I only left out the tape, and did not make the post touch the ground, because (2nd surprise:) having a four legged tripod is inconvenient. 😂

And the dumbbells became a plastic shopping bag (filled with with sand or whatever on the spot) and a rubber band.

 

wim

 

edit: if weight is no problem, on a set I like to have my heaviest sandbags on all 3 legs of my tripod. If there are more people that somehow think they are allowed near my camera I may double those. But then my tripod may well be the one that's 9500g plus it's 1932g ball head. Or the 3 way head which is only 1469g. Total around 25lbs in Colonial Imperial Units. The sandbags are around 20lbs each.

Edited January 22 by wiskerke

[kimba]

On 20/01/2024 at 04:09, NYCat said:

Am I somehow traveling back in time when we were more frightened of terrorism? It seems to me I had to put my tripod in my checked bag because it looked too much like a weapon to pass security for carry-on. 

Paulette

Well, that’s not why I would put it in checked luggage. The fewer external things to think about when traveling the easier it is for me to remember everything and not have so much fumbling. A tripod wouldn’t fit in my daypack, but would fit in my suitcase. 

[kimba]

On 19/01/2024 at 17:58, IKuzmin said:

I did not say you do, did I?

Perhaps my suggestions were not helpful, I think the first one was the main: there are many little travel tripods around, and based on my experience they all are good enough for several months to a couple of years.

Righto … I think I originally misread your comment. Sorry. 

[kimba]

Thanks for taking the time to write that , Marianne! Good rec.