[Clavius]

I'm looking for a small compact (carbon) yet full sized tripod. One that fits in my bag. I currently have a very sturdy huge tripod, which doesn't get used because I tend to not have it with me all the time.

Any recommendations? I'm on a budget though. In the sense that, my list of wanted items is very long.

A quick ebay search led me to this one:
NEW HORUSBENNU FX-7325T Carbon Fiber Camera Tripod (Ultra-compact Lightweight) | eBay
Anybody any experience with it? If it does what it promises, then it's perfect.

[Hamster]

Have you thought about a monopod?

[i83N]

JOBY GorillaPod is quiet Compact

[Sandy Hancock]

I second the suggestion of a monopod if you really want something to fit in a bag.
I also have a gorillapod (or a close relative) and it's very compact, but only really useful for quite small lenses.
As far as real tripods go, I've been happy with my Cullmann Magnesit 525C. It won't fit in a camera bag, but it is pretty light, and about as compact as a usable full-size tripod will get.

[Clavius]

Thanks for the suggestions. I forgot to mention something important though, I like doing panorama's a lot. I'm even addicted to creating the 360 degree virtual tours. So monopods and gorillapods are out.

That Cullman looks interesting though. Am I seeing that correctly, is it only 16cm when folded in? That's even smaller then the Horusbennu!
http://www.ebay.nl/itm/55255-Cullmann-Magnesit-525-C-Carbon-Stativ-Kamerasta...item5d32f0048f

EDIT:
Oh no, the 16cm is the lowest working height. The Cullman is 51cm folded in.

[interested_observer]

The HORUSBENNU looks fine. I use a standard size traveling tripod that is a bit larger, but packs well in my carry on luggage. A couple of things that you may want to consider are:

• Its total maximum load weight is 2 Kg or 4.4 lbs. With 100% safety margin that cuts the weight in half to 2.2 lbs, which is a body and a moderate lens.
• A ballhead - Unless you have a ballhead already, you will probably wind up getting one, which is going to do 2 things - increase the cost and weight, while reducing the maximum load weight. There are small very capable ballheads that weight about 1 lb (most generally weigh more). The other aspect is, since you are doing panoramas, unless you perfectly level your tripod every time, you will wind up leveling the camera via the ballhead (which is reasonable and faster). However, when you go to pan, you might not be panning level, if the rotating table is not above the ballhead. Most of the ballheads have the rotating tables built into their base, thus when you rotate, they will exaggerate the tripod not being level. With the rotating table above the ballhead, this exaggeration is eliminated. That said, these tend to be somewhat expensive. One solution is to take a panning base and mount it between the ballhead and camera body, thus turning any standard ballhead into a panning ballhead. Here is such a base:

  • FEISOL Panning Base PB-70

Here is a ballhead that is light weight as possible and is capable of panning level...

• What makes the GP Ballhead better?

Unfortunately, it will probably break your budget.... sorry....

[TOUGEFC]

This is my lightweight tripod-

SIRUI Photographic Equipment Industry(Zhongshan) CO.,Ltd

Sirui T-025 5-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod with C-10 Ball BSRT025

Its easily the lightest/most compact to height ratio,

54.6" Maximum Height
Folds Down to Just 11.8"
8x Carbon Fiber Legs
Arca-Style Quick-Release Clamp
Separate Knobs for Pan & Tilt
12.8 lb Load Capacity
Weighs Just 1.8 lb

[vkaro45]

This is the one I use:

sunpak pro 423px | B&H Photo Video

I also bought a cheap monopod at Walmart for around $20 usd and keep it in the bag too. It's not the world's most advanced tripod but it works well for what I do. The only real drawback is with my 55-300 at full extention the head will droop a bit so aim a little high. Any combination that's better balanced doesn't have this problem. My 500mm mirror doesn't do this. Overall for the price it's quite nice.

Rodger

[Clavius]

Thanks everybody for the tips. I'm going to gamble and try the Horusbennu tripod though. I can't find any other tripod that is so tiny folded up, and so tall folded out.

@Interested observer, I already got a nice ballhead that does the horizontal panning. Also from Horusbennu. It's well built and a joy to use. I use it on my giant bulky Bilora tripod now. Like I said in my first post, I just want a tripod that's small enough so I take it along with me much more often.

[TOUGEFC]

The Horusbennu isnt that tall , its only 29 inch's at full height, and fold to 9 inch's (and thats without a head)
The Sirui I mention above goes to 54 inchs and is only 11 inchs folded (with head) plus can take more weight, and weights about the same

[bkling]

Clavius

How is the horusbennu tripod? Could not get any info from online.

[bkling]

Thinking to get one similar and if anybody has got one, can share with me the experience?

[littledrawe]

Thinking to get one similar and if anybody has got one, can share with me the experience?

I got an older one of these:
Velbon Ultra LUXi-L Tripod with PHD-41Q 3-Way ULTRA LUXI L B&H

And it is surprisingly sturdy. My only gripe is that the legs aren't held in the locked out position with anything other than tension so small adjustments can be moved if you bumped it.

[bkling]

I pulled the trigger yesterday and ordered it. I couldn't find any similar form factor from any well known brands. Let's see how it goes. I will definately try it on at least 2-3kg of gears on it. Hope that it can hold well.