[aritra]

Not comparable in my view.....the vangard is 3kg! (T-025x is 1kg).... need to decide your priorities...... heavier weight, significantly larger size packed down and maybe sturdyness over portability with near best sturdiness for 1kg weight/small form factor.....the vanguard is more like a Sirui 2204

With tripods, I believe you can not have it all. I chose a T-025x initially for light weight travel and hiking....... then latter added a larger tripod for when portability is a lesser concern, but stability for long exposures was a primary consideration given varying conditions (wind, longer lenses, pixel shift etc)

3kg I can carry, but stability for long exposure is my concern, also the time to set up is important as well. Though my k5iis is pretty light, and so are pentax wide angles. but for a 3-4 minute exposure, i want a crisp shot. Also I want to give light painting a try. Initially, I was thinking of that 363ct and a gh-100 pistol grip, but the downside is the center column is not MAAC supported, since the ballhead has only 8 degree upward movement, can't use it for astro. I am also considering alta pro 263AGH with gh-100 since abeo pro with gh-300 is way out of my budget.

The problem is, if I'm buying one tripod, I may not be able to buy another one at least for couple of years. So, trying to cover almost all the grounds.
Here in India, except manfrotto almost all the camera gears are costly. the 263agh is available for $250 in BH but here it's costing around $500. My colleague is coming back on 14th July, which one I buy has to reach her by then.

[noelpolar]

3kg I can carry, but stability for long exposure is my concern, also the time to set up is important as well. Though my k5iis is pretty light, and so are pentax wide angles. but for a 3-4 minute exposure, i want a crisp shot. Also I want to give light painting a try. Initially, I was thinking of that 363ct and a gh-100 pistol grip, but the downside is the center column is not MAAC supported, since the ballhead has only 8 degree upward movement, can't use it for astro. I am also considering alta pro 263AGH with gh-100 since abeo pro with gh-300 is way out of my budget.

The problem is, if I'm buying one tripod, I may not be able to buy another one at least for couple of years. So, trying to cover almost all the grounds.
Here in India, except manfrotto almost all the camera gears are costly. the 263agh is available for $250 in BH but here it's costing around $500. My colleague is coming back on 14th July, which one I buy has to reach her by then.

The Sirui t-025 is a tripod optimised for lightness and easy packing...... carbon fibre and reasonable quality means it is reasonably good for a small, light etc tripod...... so probally isn't what you are looking for.

[aritra]

I found Vanguard alta pro 284 CB (tripod and SBH-100 ballhead) for $299 at amazon($100 off). Good buy?

[aritra]

I went ahead, and bought the alta pro 284cb with sbh-100 ballhead for $299, bit overbudget, but I got pretty good reviews. I went ahead and had a look in a rental shop. I think it will serve my purpose and then some. Thank you for educating me.

[aritra]

I need another help. The QR plate of the ballhead needs to be tighten by a coin/allen key. And the plate is not Arca swiss compatible. Now my question is, can I just replace the screw? or Do I need to change the whole QR plate and clamp to get a D-ring screw? Sorry, if it's obvious, but I have very limited knowledge when comes to tripod
The Head is Vanguard SBH-100

[bdery]

quick question. T-025x or Vanguard abeo plus 363ct?

Extremely different products. One is compact and lightweight, the other large and heavy. Both are excellent but they really do not compare. Let the intended uses drive you.