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| 02-15-2009, 08:02 AM | #16 |
| Site Supporter | Induro MC24 Monopod I was looking for a light weight and durable monopod and found this in a local store. The price tag of $124.00 USD compared to the Gitzo for around $300.00 was the reason for purchase. Of course the Gitzo build quality is much better but for a budget minded person the Induro is one to keep in mind.  specifications:
features:
price: Purcased from a local store $124.00 USD + tax Build: build seems to be very good and in use twist locks function easily. Conclusion: I think over all the Induro is a very fine monopod but there are others out there that may be a better bargain for the price I paid. I purchased it because it was in a local store and could get a real feel for it but I think I should have went for the Feisol CM 1471. The Feisol has metal seals in the twist locks and a replaceable footpad while the Induro doesn't. I think Induro is made by the same company as Benro so I almost could have copied and pasted WheresWaldos review in the Benro MC 66n6 monopod. The Induro does have set screws for tripod head and is 4 section instead of 5. Simular products:
With the Benro MC 66n6 @ $79.00 shipped and the Feisol CM 1471 $99.00 + shipping you have a couple others that compete at a lower price. You might be able to find the Induro on-line for less than what I payed though. Now I need to find a tripod and I have a very good excuse now. My cheap one broke.  Last edited by OrenMc; 03-02-2009 at 06:02 PM. |
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| 06-27-2009, 06:36 PM | #17 |
| Pentaxian | Fancier 667T Hi All, Like many, i find most of the tripods too small for my height, 185cm/6ft1in. On a recent trip to China, I found a quality camera tripod, Fancier 667T, which is a professional quality product. The Tripod is very tall (over190cm), lightweight (2.5kg) and reasonably heavy duty(32mm aluminium tube), 4 segment legs. Combined with one of their heavy-duty ball head camera mounts which has a quick release plate, I have found a great combo at a relatively cheap price. I have a 67ii and a K20D and have found it up to the job for both the medium format and digital camera. This package retails for about $150usd i guess and would be the equiv of a $200-250USD setup. If you see one they are well worth it - if you get the 667T. Beware that most of the Fancier brand (on ebay for eg) are the small cheapo's but if you see the 667T then it is worth it. Cheers Neil Comparison size against a standard tripod.   |
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| 06-30-2009, 05:11 PM | #18 |
| Pentaxian | Benro C-258n6 (C-228n6 in China) Tripod Requirements: Looking to supplement my Feisol CT-3471 with something that I could travel with and not always willing to sacrifice stability by using a monopod the search continues for a travel tripod. The Benro C-258n6 was the choice made based on several factors. The short list of desired features:
Early on it was apparent that carbon fiber was the only obvious choice as light weight was a top priority as well overall sturdiness. Compactness dictated that the tripod be 4 section. Speed of setup meant that the leg locks needed to be twist type and open or lock with a single twist in one handed operation. The choice I made based on cost was the Benro C-258n6 Selection: Benro C-258n6  Specifications:
Features:
Included accessories:
Price (June 2009, ebay): $275 USD approximate Build: As with any type of composite material you just have to take some things on faith, such as claims of strength and tubing thickness. But to look at this tripod from a distance and it is hard to distinguish from a Gitzo Mountaineer. I am not saying that the build quality is the same, but they are hard to tell apart. The legs have a smooth satin like appearance. The gunmetal finish is even and without nicks or runs. The lock mechanisms are smooth, easy to grip and adjustable by a single twist. The center column rises and falls smoothly. The wing nut style center column lock does not bind. Basically it does everything it is supposed to do with a minimum of fuss. The included bag, strap, and tool kit are attractively constructed of high quality materials. The inside of the bag is padded and includes a zipper pouch to store various small items. In Use: The legs operate smoothly with little effort required to extend, collapse, and lock. The sections do not rotate when loosened. This allows the legs to be extended easily in any order. When fully extended the Benro seems very stable and compares favorably with the Manfrotto 0055X and an old Slik U-212. At full extension, the carbon legs really make a difference as the tendency to vibrate in these smaller tripods is just not evident. The tripod body has a built-in bubble level, which appears by all indication to be accurate. The body also has a compass, why it was decided to put a compass on the body is beyond me. It is so small that it is nearly unreadable and it's not like you are must always have the proper north/south orientation in order to operate the tripod. To say the compass is of limited value is way overstating it's actual value. Since the angle of each leg is independent of each other the tripod handles uneven terrain with aplomb. The top plate is ruggedly built and large enough (6cm diameter) to support even any medium sized head. The top plate includes three set screws to secure the head to the top plate. Another minor issue is the closed cell foam used on one of the legs. The big issue is that it is only used on one of the legs and not all three. This is of course a minor issue. The bigger issue is that the metal spiked feet are separate and require that the rubber feet be unscrewed then the metal spikes screwed in before use. This makes it much more inconvenient compared to other tripods where the spike is an integral part of the rubber foot. As with the metal spikes, flipping the center column requires the unscrewing of the hook at the bottom of the center column. Although it unscrews easily it does require more time to set up. Executive Summary: Pro:
Con:
Last edited by WheresWaldo; 07-03-2009 at 01:36 AM. |
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| 07-03-2009, 01:14 AM | #19 |
| Pentaxian | Fancier FT-1503T Following on from the Tripod, Fancier also have a large monopod that is basically one leg of the 667T tripod. The monopod extends to over 180cm and has a 4 segment leg which shortens the compressed length under 60cm. It is sturdy, light and made of aluminium alloy with quick release clamps and o-rings between the legs to soften the blow when letting the legs compress by gravity. It comes with a cloth bag, foam handle and hand strap for carrying. Nothing fancy, but certainly does the job. This is something that you can use on a medium format camera like the 67ii or bigma lens or as a walking stick. Well worth the $75USD I paid. sorry about the pic   |
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| 08-01-2009, 07:05 PM | #20 |
| Junior Member | Dolica Proline AX620B100 Specification Model number: AX620B100 Maximum operating height: 62.2" Minimum operating height: 18.5 Folded height: 22.8" Net weight: 2.9 lbs Max operating load: 13.2 lbs Number of leg sections: 4 Base thread: 3/8" Quick release thread: 1/4" Panoramic angle: horizontal-360 degrees and vertical-90 degrees (BALL HEAD) Interchangeable feet: spike and non-slip rubber Material: aluminum alloy And it also comes with a shoulder strap carrying case and Allen key. Dolica Professional This is my 1.5 cents review on Dolica. While I am still a Noob at photography, I am a gadget geek so I would dare say I know good stuffs when I see it. I dont really "test" stuff, just use them and make sure it does what is says it does. So I woke up early this morning and head over to the windiest part in I know. Golden Gate Bridge. (p.s I had batt problems, will squeal more in diff thread) Winds were blowing i would say 15mph, I really dunno, I am not a walking anemometer. I just extended all the 3 sections and adjusted the center column to me desired height. It was stable until a big gust of wind came and knock it over, luckily my spider senses was tingling and I manged to catch it in time. I did not use a sack of rice to stabilize the tripod.  After that was done, I decided to go take a shot hike at Golden Gate Rec Area. I was carrying the tripod without the carrying case and it was really light and the foam grip really made it comfortable. When I was ready to deploy the tripod, it took me about 1-2 minutes because I had to wrestle with the hinges. It was really tight, maybe it was new or not properly lubricated. Rubber feet slips on wet grass, use spike tip instead. Use of feets depends highly on ground conditions. I also fully extended the column height and spread eagled the legs with full extension. I noticed that the last section of the legs sort of flexed a little. Depending on how you use it, you can achieve most heights and angles by varying the column and leg extension. I also compared it with the Sunpack (Bestbuy) and a Velbon (Frys). Both were pan heads and felt cheap to me because it had more plastic than metal. And it does not "spread eagle". How it compares to Monfrotto, Benro, and the superduper expensive ones? Ask me after I am done with the Heidi Klum winter photoshoot. That was my scientifically unrecognized methodology. Pro 1) Metal Quick release Plate 2) Metal hinges on the legs w/ locking mechanism. 3) Full Metal Ball head even the knob is made from metal. 3) Spiked tip to ward off mtn squirrel and non-slip rubber feet. 4) Foam grip is comfortable. 5) I believe the ball head is replaceable. 5) It is light Con 1) The hinges were tight. Maybe needs WD40 2) The quicklock for the leg extension were made from plastic. But bearable. 3) The last section of the feet flexed under load. 4) It was black. Some other color maybe? Like grape purple, olive green? For the price I paid for this tripod? I am glad I did not get the tripod from BB or Frys. It looks good, feels good and is stable. BEST BANG For the BUCK. If I did miss anything, Just add to the list. I am only human.  I like my tripod |
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| 08-03-2009, 04:59 PM | #21 |
| Pentaxian Location: CA Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 1,116 | Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head Here are additional photos for the Dolica Tripod. I took some photos of the tripod bag too as it looks well built. It has a zippered pocket inside the bag to stash some items useful to you. The tripod can go as low as only the height of the center column as the tripod legs can spread as wide as possible. The ballhead it came with seems quite good (AFAIC) and easily handles my K100D super and lens. Price of tripod : $45 - Best Bang for the buck tripod! |
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| 08-03-2009, 05:04 PM | #22 |
| Pentaxian Location: CA Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 1,116 | Nice review Prinze18. There are still some areas that we haven't covered but I guess this would suffice. Who could go wrong with such a very affordable ($45) and good performing tripod (with ballhead)! I'm happy too with my purchase. I might change the tripod head in the future with a grip action ballhead..but then again, that would be another review (ballhead). |
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| 08-04-2009, 11:23 AM | #24 |
| Pentaxian Location: CA Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 1,116 | Originally Posted by prinze18 Thanks..here's how the gripheads look like.
there are also pistol grip ballheads. Grip Action (Trigger Grip) Ballhead w/ Quick Release - eBay (item 170366441398 end time Aug-06-09 19:18:31 PDT) |
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| 08-11-2009, 10:05 PM | #25 |
| Senior Member | ACHHH. My manfrotto broke a leg today. a 190xpro. I used it for macro. The breakage was my fault, so I don't think the store will replace it under warranty. been looking at a Benbo or Unilock. Can't find a Unilock for sale anywhere. Anyone had any experience with the Benbo? |
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| 08-12-2009, 06:04 PM | #26 |
| Senior Member Location: CT, USA Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 223 | I have three of them... I have (from smallest to biggest) the Benbo Trekker, the Benbo No. 1, and the Benbo No. 2. The trekker I bought as a "bring two tripods so you can shoot simultaneously with two bodies" tripod, but I actually find it a bit too light for my taste for good solid support. The other two I love and wouldn't trade for any of the more "conventional" tripods. The Benbos are supremely adaptable to terrain, and set up quickly once you get used to them. The "biggest section on the bottom" legs let you put the tripod in the water/mud/dirt without getting the moving parts full of grit, which is a nice feature. Their load capacity is "unspecified," but they (aside from the featherweight Trekker) will comfortably hold any 35mm gear you can pile atop them. The No. 2 I can use standing upright without raising the center column, which adds greatly to stability (on these or any tripods). Unilock is, incidentally, a company that was formed by some of the people who originally were with Benbo, so the design is very similar. |
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| 08-15-2009, 12:06 PM | #27 |
| New Member Location: Vancouver, Canada Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 10 | Benro A-169M8 Travel Angel Requirements: Looking for a tripod that I could travel with but still sturdy enough, not over $200, and of decent quality so it lasts. After hours upon hours of research, I narrowed it down to the Benro A-169M8 Travel Angel line or the Velbon Ultra Luxi. Both appeared to be high quality and very compact. I chose the Benro simply because it came with free express (took 3-days) shipping from Hong Kong to Vancouver and I wanted to make sure I had it with me for my upcoming vacation! The short list of desired features: • Maximum height enough for 6'1” person. • A good minimum height for low level macro. • Sturdy enough. able to support at least 8 lbs of camera/lens • Lightweight • Compact. Able to fit in a carry-on sized suit case. • Adjustable-angle legs • Provision for spiked or rubber feet • Relatively inexpensive I searched and searched for a Manfrotto or Gitzo that was compact enough to fit in a ~15” carry-on sized suit case. I could not find any. I expanded my search and found the Slik Sprint Pro could work, but was not heavy duty enough. I also found Feisol, Benro, and Velbon all made travel tripods that fit my needs. I ended up choosing the Benro for it’s water/dust sealed leg joints, the extra weight capacity over the others (8.8lbs), and being equipped with a hook on the center column to hang extra weight on. Selection: Benro A-169M8 w/BH-0 ball head Youtube Video  Specifications: • Sections: 5 • Material: Aluminum alloy • Maximum height: 59.6 in (1515 mm) • Normal height: 51.3 in (1304 mm) • Minimum height: 13.9 in (353 mm) • Weight: 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) • Folded length: 14.9 in (378 mm) • Capacity: 8.8 lbs (4 kg) Features: • The tripod legs can be inverted and folded back 180° making it small enough to carry just about anywhere • Reversible center column • Center-Column Hook • Optional Stainless Steel Spike or Rubber Feet • Adjustable Leg Angle Stops • Patented Dust & Water Resistant Rubber Lock Grips • Built-in bubble level Included accessories: • BH-0 Ball head • Nice padded/zippered case with shoulder strap • Wrench Price (August 2009, ebay): $190 USD (express shipping included) Build: Build quality appears to be very good. It has a solid feel and the moisture/dust resistant joints are nicely rubberized and definitely help the tripod feel extra sturdy. The BH-0 ball head and quick plate are all metal and also feel solid. The included bag, strap, and tool kit appear to be of high quality. The entire bag is padded as well as the handle. Inside there is a zippered pocket as well. In Use: The 5 section legs appear to be very sturdy. The largest legs are 25mm in diameter and the smallest are still 13mm so they’re not as small as some of the other tripods I researched that even went under 10mms. The legs have two locked positions. Regular and then a low angle setting. Extension and retraction of the legs is quick and easy with the rubberized twist rings. The BH-0 ball head is made of all metal and has a pan swivel. It also locks and holds positions very well with my K100D Super and Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 lens. The quick release BH-0 top plate is ~2” wide and all metal. The quick release has a trigger/switch safety to ensure you can’t just bump the regular lever and release your whole camera set up. I cannot emphasize enough that the ability of this tripod, including the BH-0 ball head, into smaller than 15” is an amazing quality for anyone who needs to do air travel! It appears to be a very rare quality in most tripods on the market as I was only able to find a select few that could get under that size with the ball-head attached. Summary: Pro: • No issues with sturdiness • Good value for people on a budget but still wanting a decent tripod that should last • High quality for the price. • Extremely flexible with a reversible centre column, and 2 leg positions. • Light and compact for the level of stability provided • Extremely compact folding up with the ball head under 15” Con: • Flipping column is cumbersome (only necessary if you need to get under the min. height of 14”) • No foam/grip cushioning on any of the legs • The rubberized twisting Similar competing products: • Velbon Ultra LUXi-L Photos   Comparison between the Manfrotto 055PRO and the Benro.  Last edited by Koenig; 08-20-2009 at 01:13 PM. |
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| 09-14-2009, 02:07 PM | #28 |
| Member Location: Seattle Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 53 | + 1 on Benro Travel Angel 169-M8 although i got the slightly different B-0 ballhead (not BH-0, an easy detail to miss) for easy panning. my top requirement was a short folded length as i wanted to put this into my motorcycle luggage and the 169 w/ B-0 model was a great compromise. i also got the aluminum version because the higher cost of CF did not seem worth it since the mass is in a very compact package and that makes higher weight less noticeable. |
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| 09-15-2009, 10:55 PM | #29 |
| Pentaxian Location: Kaunas, Lithuania Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 819 | Slik Pro 813CF II tripod with SH-705E pan head Slik Pro 813CF II tripod Specifications:
Pros
Cons
Slik SH-705E 3 way pan head Specifications
Pros
Cons
Slik Pro 813CF II tripod and Slik SH-705E tripod head combination
Tripod After a couple of aluminium tripods I have decided to get a "proper" tripod — the one made from carbon fibre. I had good experience with Slik tripods, so when in one photo shop I have stumbled upon Slik 813CF II tripod for a very attractive price I just cracked and bought it. They were not selling legs only, so I got legs + head combination. Tripod itself is excellent piece of equipment for it's price. Of course, build quality is not on the level of Gitzo, but this tripod costs only a fraction what you would pay for similarly specced Gitzo Tripod is very sturdy and it seems that it could hold anything you put on it. I don't have any huge pro telephoto lenses, however I have a feeling that this tripod qould quite easy hold them. I am 173cm and fully extended with center column all the way down this tripod was holding my K20D viewfinder at my eye level. So, I was never extending center column. With center column extended 2 meter high photographer should be able to take pictures without bending it's back.  Center column is made of two parts which are screwed in into each other. When you need low operating height, you just unscrew the lower part and then tripod gets to the lowest operating height. In fact, I was using this tripod without lower center column part all the time, as I didn't need to ectend center column to get the camera to my eye level.  Tripod mount plate is of small diameter and many good ball heads' bases would protrude outside head mounting plate. Leg locks are twist lock type. In combination with rotating legs they are not the most convenient lock mechanism type. You need operate them one by one and in the beginning it took me some time to find out correct tripod unfolding and folding sequence. All three legs have foam padding on their top section. I find this feature very useful when you use tripod in cold weather. Another thing I liked, were tripod feet. They are combined rubber/spike feet, so you don't need to carry spikes in your pocket.   Unfortunately, as most of three section legs tripods are, this tripod isn't the very compact one. Folded with mounted tripod head it is almost 70cm and that stopped me of taking the tripod with me on a few occations. Also 2kg+ weight (tripod + head) doesn't make this tripod attractive to hikers. Tripod head Too bad, I can't say anything good about tripod head. I had got this head as a "kit" tripod head and it performed accordingly ― like a cheap budget head. Heavy, framing changes when you tighten handles, framing itself is difficult because there's no "sweet spot": it is either too tight to change camera position or simply all resistance is gone.  Conclusion I highly recommend Slik Pro 813CF II tripod for those who need really good stability and would want to sacrifice some compactness and lightness. Hikers should look for more compact alternatives. Slik SH-705E tripod head did not perform enough to earn my recommendations. Last edited by Edvinas; 09-16-2009 at 01:05 AM. |
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| 09-20-2009, 09:11 PM | #30 |
| Pentaxian Location: Kaunas, Lithuania Gallery Photos:
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Posts: 819 | Feisol CT-3442 tripod with Markins Q3 ball head Feisol CT-3442 tripod Specifications Leg sections: 4 Material: carbon fibre Maximum operating height: 142cm Minimum operating height: 16cm Folded length: 48cm Weight: 1.05kg Maximum load: 10kg Price paid: €215 Markins Q3 ball head Specifications Height: 9.1cm Weight: 0.385kg Maximum load: 30kg Price paid: €130 Tripod + head Weight: 1.435kg Folded length: 48cm Price paid: €345 Tripod Tripod arrived in no so good looking plain carton box. Inside it was neat tripod bag.  Of course, there was the tripod inside the bag  Tripod build quality is very good. Everything seems top notch. Top sections of all three legs have very high quality foam padding.   Centre column is optional for this tripod model and I gave opted to get tripod without it ― tripod is high enough for me to be used without centre column. I am 173cm and viewfinder of the camera is at my eye level. Higher photographers probably need to get this tripod with centre column. You can easy install centre column yourself.  Absence of the centre column enables to get really low for macro shots.  This tripod is not so sturdy as Slik Pro 813CF II tripod I have reviewed a few days ago. It is not surprising ― it is much lighter and has four leg sections. The forth lens section is the only real weakness of this tripod ― with fourth section extended in strong wind legs are vibrating visibly and you can see vibrations in viewfinder when long tele lens is being used. Not using fourth leg section brings wind vibrations to acceptable level, however then tripod height is decreased by 36cm and camera viewfinder gets to very inconvenient height. It is likely that going for three section leg variant of this tripod would help, however it definitely will compromise compactness by adding 11cm to folded length. Another possible solution would be hooking up some weight on provided weight hook.  However when I tried to hang my backpack on it, I instantly realised disadvantage of tripod without centre column — there's simply not enough room between legs to hang backpacks. I have managed to squeeze my backpack, however it was extremely tight and I doubt that I will do that again. Anyway, strong wind means that height on the hook will swing and will introduce another problems.  Other minor gripes are absence of non twisting legs and of bubble level on tripod head mounting base. I think that tripods of such price and quality and quite high price should have those two features. However the tripod has one feature that I simply love! It is back folding legs. Tripod head stays between folded legs and this helps to achieve very short folded length without taking tripod head off. Also this protects tripod head very well.  Such compactness and very light weight makes this tripod very attractive to hikers.  Ball head Ball head is very compact, light and buid quality is outstanding. You must hold this ball head to understand what I am talking about  I can praise almost every aspect of Q3 ball head: smoothness of operation, very easy discoverable sweet spot, no movement when you tighten ball head, and it seems that it can hold any weight you put on it.  However two small niggles don't allow me to call this ball head perfect. One is rotating panorama base. No matter how hard you tighten panorama locking knob, it will rotate under moderate force. Another thing is bubble level position on the clamp. Bubble level is covered by camera. Why did Markins decided to put it in such position is a mystery for me. Many people on various forums are asking one question: does Markins Q3 ball head fit between folded legs of Feisol Tournament tripods. As you have already seen in pictures, it does fit, however it is very tight fit and you need to be really careful when folding legs back, otherwise you risk to scratch leg with panorama locking knob of Q3 ball head.  Conclusion I definitely recommend both tripod and ball head, especially if you want something compact and light. This very light and compact combination manages to be sturdy enough to easy hold an equipment most of us own. Tripod legs pros
Tripod legs cons
Ball head pros
Ball head cons
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