Originally posted by noelpolar 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.