[Outis]

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The Sirui T-025x Travel Tripod mentioned on PF article / videos definitely catches my attention. It would likely fit in the water bottle holder on my backpack. [snip] Mind you I had reservations about the T025x because there are multiple B&H reviews indicating it isn't stable enough. Are you suggesting these comments are unfounded? I can't imagine too many setups actually exceed the weight limit. Is there a formula or something about not going above half the limit or something?

I carry my Sirui T-025x in the water bottle holder on my backpack! It fits great, and it's lighter and only a little larger than a fully loaded 1 L Nalgene bottle. I can also fit it in water bottle holders that can only carry up to .5 L bottles, though it's a bit of a tight fit. I've had no problems with the tripod being stable enough, and I've used it both for long-exposure astrophotography and macro photography with a 100mm lens at the minimum focus distance. If you're worried about vibration, the tripod comes with a clip that you can use to hang your backpack or a bag of rocks or something else heavy, for additional stability. I have a K-3, though I can't remember which lenses I've used it with or how heavy they are. I would have no reservations about using it with my extremely heavy astronomy binoculars. The only thing I can't speak to is how stable it is in high winds.

[jeverettfine]

I have two Leitz large ball heads, one I purchased 30 years ago and the other I found used at Precision Camera for only $50 with a table top tripod...what a deal.
Look on ebay and you should see a good number available. Here's a fairly late one in great condition for only $68 Leica Leitz Large Ball and Socked Tripod Head 1 4 inch Catalog 14168 Wetzlar | eBay
When you lock one of these down (just a small turn of the knob) you can't move it with a hammer.

I guess if i was in the market for a new tripod, it wouldn't be the Gitzo...there are some great ones out there now that are just as nice, a bit lighter, and fold up smaller. There are sooooo many to choose from. It kills me though when I see some salesman pushing some flimsy wobbly thing just because it is small and compact.

[cxdoo]

A week ago I got Sirui t-025X. Haven't had the chance to use it outside but from limited play in house it's a very high quality piece of equipment. Mind you, my reference point is 10 EUR tripod, so take it with a gram of salt.
I'll be traveling next week so I'll give my comments when I come back.

[bdery]

Most people worry way too much about finding the perfect "light weight" tripod. I consider "stability and light weight" an oxymoron.

The perfect light tripod is not the perfect tripod. It's not the most stable tripod. It's the most stable LIGHT tripod. And ideally, it's the smallest, llightest, best-designed tripod that also fits the other requirements.

I wouldn't see myself carrying a 5 pounds tripod on a hike. But that doesn't mean I don't want to carry a tripod.

Does tripod load ratings include the weight hung from the hook?

I'm not sure but I believe it does.

Would an alternative be to use bungee cords / rope cinched to tent pegs or something? Just a thought.

I believe that would work well. a carbon tripod in general is amazingly immune to most vibrations coming from the setup itself. But when it's light, it's more sensitive to wind, soil vibration (think someone walking on a wooden deck). In those situations adding weight helps. So anchoring the tripod to the ground would be a simple and effective way to avoid that.

By the way any idea the weight of the 60-250 and Sigma 100-300 F4? Likely not close to the weight rating, but maybe close to the halfway point?

Based on the database, the Sigma is 1440g, the Pentax 1120 g. Both will work without problems with the Sirui.

[jeverettfine]

I agree, wouldn't want to carry a 5 lb tripod on a long hike, especially when backpacking. In that circumstance, I have carried a Leitz large ball head mounted on a table top pod. Place it on a rock, hold it against a tree or your chest, etc. weighs less than a pound and is VERY stong...virtually indestructable. May not work for everyone, but it works for me. Hiking for the day?...I've taken 20 lbs or more with me, especially back in my view camera days.

[interested_observer]

Well, several things come to mind - here. I picked up a travel tripod a number of years ago, specifically to fit into my carry on. It's a Benro Travel Angle - it's good, for what it is and its size. I have used it a lot, but it has it faults - you do not want to use it in any type of wind. It's light, small, and can be a bit wobbly - but when traveling it does great, considering the alternatives.

Then, I decided to go looking on Craigslist for a heavier, used one - a "beater", to toss into the back seat of the truck. Found an old Manfrotto 3009, in good shape and the price was right, after about 3 months of looking on and off. It's large, heavy and bulky - it does the job. I was not looking for any specific brand or model, just a good substantial one with flip clips on the legs. I use this for everything other than for travel.

Each of them has a center column, but using the column - really defeats the purpose. When extended, its just an additional source of vibration. 99% of the time I do not raise the column, unless I need to shoot over something high - railing, branches, etc.

[wissink]

a "beater", to toss into the back seat of the truck.

I understand that there is no light tripod that is as stable as the less portable variety. For me it is about finding a balance so that I will actually bring it along. The one I have now generally stays at home. If I could drive, it'd be the beater in the backseat. I'm still waiting for the local government to allow the visually impaired behind the wheel!

For long exposures, I'd remove or lower the center column. I'd even consider getting larger gorillapod if I knew it'd do the job. The plus with that one is it'll grab the outside of your pack or even your head if you wanted. I'm sure it wouldn't handle the weight of a large zoom for any useful duration, but it's an option.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards the T2205x as it has a higher weight rating and is only a few inches longer when folded. I'm still on the fence between several though. It also depends on ebay auctions and funds available.

The other thing I'm weighing is head choices. The T025x comes with a head, as does the Mefoto I believe. The others don't seem to. Any head recommendations? I've seend it mentioned in many of these tripod reviews that the Arca P0, Acratech Gv2, RRS BH 55? etc. are worth looking into. I'd have to sell more stuff for them, but it could be worth it. My cheapo, free shipping from Hong Kong, ball head doesn't inspire confidence or offer fluid control. I've had my setup flop a few times.. causing my heart to flop as well.

[bdery]

The other thing I'm weighing is head choices.

The problem with compact tripods is finding a compact head to go with it. Sirui make the K10X and G10X heads with are small enough to fit on the T025X and seem very well-featured. The C10X that comes with the T025X is actually good enough but I'd buy the better ones if I didn't have it.

In the larger heads category, I really, really like Vanguard heads. Not too expensive, and very well made.

[panoguy]

Any head recommendations? I've seend it mentioned in many of these tripod reviews that the Arca P0, Acratech Gv2, RRS BH 55? etc. are worth looking into. I'd have to sell more stuff for them, but it could be worth it.

See my reviews of ball heads over here. While these are almost all way too big for the tripod and gear you have, it's still a good overview of what to expect from each manufacturer. You can see in the conclusion that for "vanilla" ball heads at a reasonable price, Sirui not only makes good tripods, but great heads as well.

While a few brands (Markins and Acratech) I didn't review in that group come highly recommended, they are in an upcoming review group (which also includes Vanguard and others). These all have smaller diameter balls, so I am comparing them to each other in a different way. Some of the highly-regarded heads out there like the RRS BH-55 or Arca Z1, are truly gigantic devices, and while they have the cachet of being "what the pros use," they aren't terribly well-suited for general-purpose photography. A bit like buying a Ferrari to get groceries...

Truly, the size of the ball determines both the weight (and sometimes price) of the head, and how capably it will hold and maneuver the weight of your gear... and I think you are looking for a 36-40mm ball diameter. That's actually the sweet spot for almost all photographers who are not using gigantic, long lenses.

If you have the cash, the Acratech GP is a great, and very versatile head. Sirui K-20x is a nice, smaller head, and so is the Vanguard BBH-200. Kind of a wide-open field of contenders there...

[cxdoo]

Having spent the last week walking around with Sirui T-025X in my backpack I can say I'm very satisfied with the performance and lightness. For comparison, last time I traveled I took Tamron 70-200 with me and my backpack felt much heavier.


The weather in Poland was very windy and rainy so I had the opportunity to use it in less than ideal circumstances.


The following two shots were taken between the gusts of strong wind. While I had a relatively short lens (Tamron 17-50) mounted, I never felt the tripod will fall over, even when it was laterally (and literally ) blown away for about half a meter. It was vibrating, though, and hanging the backpack didn't help much in dampening vibration. I'd be uncomfortable to have a larger lens mounted in such conditions, but then, I was already uncomfortable, having camera or not.








The following was taken in light rain and mild wind. Seemed to me there were no vibration issues.





Compared to junk tripod I had before, Sirui T-025x is a great step forward both in usability and portability. I have some quibbles about the feet locking mechanism and the tendency of the head assembly to unscrew from the column but it's really very minor. The precision and firmness of ballhead movement/locking is just great.

[bdery]

I have some quibbles about the feet locking mechanism

Not sure I see a problem. I love that I can unlock all knobs in one movement, and that it only takes a quarter turn to do so.

the tendency of the head assembly to unscrew from the column

Never happened here. Two hypothesis:

1-the screw joining the head and the tripod is too deeply screwed in the tripod

2-you are trying to swivel the base but didn't loosen the pan screw enough

Look into it and let us know!

[cxdoo]

Not sure I see a problem. I love that I can unlock all knobs in one movement, and that it only takes a quarter turn to do so.

I don't really see this as a problem, more of a tradeoff, but yes, it's fast to unpack and not so fast to pack back again. A non-issue really.

2-you are trying to swivel the base but didn't loosen the pan screw enough

Yep that's what happens, without the 'trying' part, i.e. it was happening accidentally as I was walking around/carrying/handling the tripod.
Again it's not a fault, just something to be aware of.

Look into it and let us know!

It's a great tripod and I'm perfectly satisfied with it. Please don't take my comments as thumbs-down; just a recount of my experiences on first trip with it.

[bdery]

It's a great tripod and I'm perfectly satisfied with it. Please don't take my comments as thumbs-down; just a recount of my experiences on first trip with it.

Don't worry about that. And I'm not "defending" the tripod, it's just that my experience didn't match what I read in your comment, and I thought maybe I cuold help.

[savoche]

One little niggle I have with the t025x is that the legs can't fold up completely if you remove the centre column (which you may want to do in strong winds).

All in all I'm very happy with it, though. Perfect for travelling and hiking - and small enough to bring along "just in case".

[wissink]

The following two shots

Nice! Thanks for sharing.

an upcoming review group

I enjoyed your reviews. I'd love to read your upcoming reviews about smaller heads.

the tendency of the head assembly to unscrew

I have this same problem on my current tripod. I think it may be user error on the ball head (or maybe the 1/4 - 3/8 bushing), but the pan/tilt head it came with did the same thing.


Such a hard thing to decide when you can't get your hands on these things.