[Papa_Joe]

The 488RC0 Midi Ball Head with RC0 RC SYST is heavy gear designed for medium format cameras.
You propably won't get a more stable one but it is out of production. The plates are still sold seperately but are quite expensive new and I guess quite big as well.

If you want stable gear (which a tripod should be) you are probably better of with a Manfrotto, but I am not sure if the ball head is not to oversized, so I would try to have a look at it in real live. The price is very good, the more if it is in mint condition.

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Last edited by Papa_Joe; 02-02-2023 at 09:42 AM.

[Ski Jumper]

The 488RC0 Midi Ball Head with RC0 RC SYST is very heavy gear designed for medium format cameras.
You propably won't get a more stable one but it is out of production. The plates are still sold seperately but are quite expensive new and I guess quite big as well.

If you want stable gear (which a tripod should be) you are probably better of with a Manfrotto, but I am not sure if the ball head is not to oversized, so I would try to have a look at it in real live. The price is very good, the more if it is in mint condition.

Yes 3021b pro and 488 head still have tags and original box. I don't mind a heavier tripod, I'm usually set up with a remote for smaller birds or night shots from my deck. If I'm shooting some landscape, I'm usually not trekking too far from my vehicle, at this point anyway. So for the price, I could afford a 2nd, smaller tripod to toss in my truck when needed. (My thinking anyway). Thanks.

[luftfluss]

I'm not much of a tripod user, but it seems to me a consideration is what genre(s) of photography the tripod is for.

Most of my tripod use has been for wildlife, and in those situations I'm not going for long exposures, so any decent tripod is going to provide ample stability. I have an Oben carbon fiber tripod w/ball head that was something like $170 new-open box.

I also use a Joby Gorillapod.

[Ski Jumper]

I'm not much of a tripod user, but it seems to me a consideration is what genre(s) of photography the tripod is for.

Most of my tripod use has been for wildlife, and in those situations I'm not going for long exposures, so any decent tripod is going to provide ample stability. I have an Oben carbon fiber tripod w/ball head that was something like $170 new-open box.


I also use a Joby Gorillapod.

Thanks. Sensible advice. My eyes are always bigger than my common sense when buying something new. I've been using it lately, mostly with a remote, for feeder birds and night shots of the lake i live at.

[marcusBMG]

I've now watched that youtube video on the Kingjoy A86 tripod. The comparision pics with a Feisal tripod were interesting. I would have liked some insight on why the one tripod produced sharper pics than the other. This is the sort of thing you have to think about and figure out if you are serious eg pro landscape photographer. My own thought: the A86 had better ground connection/spikes!
My own experience with wind is that it only too easily vibrates bigger lenses, regardless of tripod.

[btnapa]

I need a decent tripod for my k1 with da300 and A400.

I have a heavy duty (6.5 lbs.) CF tripod from Vanguard which is good for indoor applications. I wanted something light so I got a MeFoto on sale and like it a lot. However, the MeFoto is not giving me the confidence to put anything heavy on it. So my search for a light but sturdy tripod brought me to the Sirui AM-284 with the extension column. I already had a Acratech ballhead so I did not need one. The tripod is very light and very sturdy. The ballhead and tripod combo weighs about 3.7 lbs. The load rating is 33lbs. I have put a camera and lens combo of 7 lbs. on it with no hesitation. It is perhaps the best tripod I have ever used. I also have a Giotto and had a Tiltall that I sold. The AM-284 is very similar to the Geehope L330C+QP-44 you posted. I bought the AM-284 on sale for $165 directly from their site with free shipping and no tax. They also have a nice ballhead that they pair with their tripods for a discounted price. If interested, look for a sale on their site. BTW, they have a 6-year warranty on their tripods which is longer than some famous and much more expensive brands. Good luck with whatever you end up getting.

[Ski Jumper]

I have a heavy duty (6.5 lbs.) CF tripod from Vanguard which is good for indoor applications. I wanted something light so I got a MeFoto on sale and like it a lot. However, the MeFoto is not giving me the confidence to put anything heavy on it. So my search for a light but sturdy tripod brought me to the Sirui AM-284 with the extension column. I already had a Acratech ballhead so I did not need one. The tripod is very light and very sturdy. The ballhead and tripod combo weighs about 3.7 lbs. The load rating is 33lbs. I have put a camera and lens combo of 7 lbs. on it with no hesitation. It is perhaps the best tripod I have ever used. I also have a Giotto and had a Tiltall that I sold. The AM-284 is very similar to the Geehope L330C+QP-44 you posted. I bought the AM-284 on sale for $165 directly from their site with free shipping and no tax. They also have a nice ballhead that they pair with their tripods for a discounted price. If interested, look for a sale on their site. BTW, they have a 6-year warranty on their tripods which is longer than some famous and much more expensive brands. Good luck with whatever you end up getting.

Thanks I actually had the 284 saved. It's easy to get caught up in the load capacities, tube and ball sizes. Not sure if bigger always translates to better or more stabile vs quality.

[gatorguy]

Thanks I actually had the 284 saved. It's easy to get caught up in the load capacities, tube and ball sizes. Not sure if bigger always translates to better or more stabile vs quality.

You kinda sound like me. I tend to over-think, over-research, and then over-spend when I think I have a need for some photography tool. Worse than that I too often find I don't actually need the tool very often once I purchase it, or that for the limited use-case I could have done OK with what I already had.

[Ray Cox]

Thanks I actually had the 284 saved. It's easy to get caught up in the load capacities, tube and ball sizes. Not sure if bigger always translates to better or more stabile vs quality.

Yes, I too seem to easily fall into that trap! Finding the right tripod for your type of use can be daunting on the web without being able to do an up and personal inspection.The Sirui tripod that I had was quite stable if not extended too high. The main issue that was an annoyance were the holes in the bottom of the lower legs. Those holes let in water/mud each time that I used it in wet or muddy conditions. Not something that I gave any consideration to when I purchased it, just an FYI . I ultimately applied electrical tape over the holes to prevent having to take it apart and clean it out to prevent the legs from binding.

[btnapa]

It's easy to get caught up in the load capacities, tube and ball sizes.

You are absolutely correct. I go by how sturdy the tripod feels once you put some heavy load on it. My Vanguard feels very sturdy. It should, it is more of a studio tripod. The MeFoto compact does not feel sturdy enough. However, the AM-284 feels as sturdy as my Vanguard but it weighs a lot less and it is much more compact for outdoor use. On the MeFoto the last section closest to the ground flexes quite a bit. On the AM-284 there no such thing. The last section is as study as the top section. I even hang my camera bag from the hook at the bottom of the center to weigh it down even more. Now we are in the 12-14lbs. range and still sturdy as a rock. At this point we are close to 40% of max load.

[Ski Jumper]

Ordered the geehope 40mm leg with bowl adapter. Fyi same company as innorel. If you inquire with them about accessories they give you innorel item numbers.Hopefully it's not too big. Still unsure which head but probably a pan/tilt for smaller set ups and an affordable, decent gimbal for larger birds etc. Still searching. Maybe I can find a used higher quality gimbal. I'll update when the tripod arrives.

[hjoseph7]

I need a decent tripod for my k1 with da300 and A400. Anyone have any experience with Geehope on Amazon? Nice for $200. There's also a larger tube, no center column, without head for $214.
My other option is to save half the amount and get a perfect used manfrotto 3021b pro I found. For some reason, shared link only takes you to Amazon.

Geehope L330C+QP-44 Carbon Fiber Tripod $199
GEEHOPE B560C $214 / no head
-or-
Manfrotto 3021b pro with 488RC0 Midi Ball Head with RC0 RC SYST
$125 Mint condition

It depends on how are you going to use this tripod. If you are going to use it every day, or for any type of professional work, then I would go with the time-tested brands. A lot of these cheaper brand tripods come with excellent specs and good engineering, but if the material used in the manufacture is not up to par, then you might run into problems in the future. I'm not saying that all no-name brand tripods use cheap materials, but usually they had to cut corners somewhere to offer you these great prices.

Like I said this might not matter much if you are only going to use it occasionally, but for any heavy-duty use I would be wary. I'm not just saying that to dim your hopes, I went through a few cheaper brand tripods that were just not ready for prime time. For example I once had this tripod where one of the little plastic clips that keeps a tripod leg from being pulled out all the way broke after only 2 years of very light use. When I called the manufacturer for a replacement, they told me that Model was Discontinued and they no longer carried the part. That tripod was then rendered useless since one of the legs kept falling off. Another relatively cheap "Carbon Fibre" tripod I purchased($179), fared a little better, than the last one in that it lasted 3 years, but I did start to notice that the center column started to tilt like the leaning tower of Pisa ... Regardless, I kept using it, until one day I accidentally dropped it on some mud, yes mud and the part that holds all three legs broke in half ! Maybe there was a big hard rock under all that mud that I was unaware of ?

Another one of these cheapo tripods I purchased which I still have by the way, looked like a dream come true.i was "Beautiful", with sparkling paint and gold trim, it also came with a bag and spiked feet all for under $100. Supposedly it could hold 33 pounds, but when I took it out in the field, the legs would wobble like Jello under the slightest pressure(like pressing the shutter button).

Maybe you can find a camera store around your neighborhood where you can try the tripod out before buying. That would be your safest bet. Otherwise, read as many reviews as possible especially the negative ones. if it doesn't work out, you can always send it back

[Ski Jumper]

It depends on how are you going to use this tripod. If you are going to use it every day, or for any type of professional work, then I would go with the time-tested brands. A lot of these cheaper brand tripods come with excellent specs and good engineering, but if the material used in the manufacture is not up to par, then you might run into problems in the future. I'm not saying that all no-name brand tripods use cheap materials, but usually they had to cut corners somewhere to offer you these great prices.

Like I said this might not matter much if you are only going to use it occasionally, but for any heavy-duty use I would be wary. I'm not just saying that to dim your hopes, I went through a few cheaper brand tripods that were just not ready for prime time. For example I once had this tripod where one of the little plastic clips that keeps a tripod leg from being pulled out all the way broke after only 2 years of very light use. When I called the manufacturer for a replacement, they told me that Model was Discontinued and they no longer carried the part. That tripod was then rendered useless since one of the legs kept falling off. Another relatively cheap "Carbon Fibre" tripod I purchased($179), fared a little better, than the last one in that it lasted 3 years, but I did start to notice that the center column started to tilt like the leaning tower of Pisa ... Regardless, I kept using it, until one day I accidentally dropped it on some mud, yes mud and the part that holds all three legs broke in half ! Maybe there was a big hard rock under all that mud that I was unaware of ?

Another one of these cheapo tripods I purchased which I still have by the way, looked like a dream come true.i was "Beautiful", with sparkling paint and gold trim, it also came with a bag and spiked feet all for under $100. Supposedly it could hold 33 pounds, but when I took it out in the field, the legs would wobble like Jello under the slightest pressure(like pressing the shutter button).

Maybe you can find a camera store around your neighborhood where you can try the tripod out before buying. That would be your safest bet. Otherwise, read as many reviews as possible especially the negative ones. if it doesn't work out, you can always send it back

There were a lot of excellent video reviews and their customer service answered all my questions immediately. (And I had several). That's a big plus in today's market, especially with off-brands.
So I ordered their 40mm legs and a fluid pan/tilt. For the money, it's a big step up from what I have now. If it doesn't hold up or I have issues, I'll let forum readers know immediately.

[hjoseph7]

Same thing also available on AlieExpress.
I'd suggest also check out ZOMEi. I have one of theirs and I'm very happy with it.

The Zomei is the exact clone of the 'Small Rig' tripod which I purchased for about $60 on ebay.This is after my infamous Fiber Optic Benro tripod broke in half when it fell on some Mud. Actually the Zomei/Small Rig is not that bad if you are going to use it for travel, or light-duty work. It is certainly well engineered. I had touble with the screws needing tightening more often than I would like. Also I am very careful with the leg clips since I read more than a few reviews where they snapped off( with no replacements). I unscrewed the unwildley plastic head with strap, which was causing all kinds of stability issues and just screwed my ballhead on the center column screw. Now the only time the tripod is shaky, is when I pull out the bottom legs that are way too thin and destabilize the entire tripod when using heavy equipment. I'll use it for now, until my replacement comes in, but as a travel tripod it is not that bad.

[bdery]

Actually the Zomei/Small Rig is not that bad

Respectfully, with all the problems and limitations you describe this does not strike me as a good purchase. I stick by my opinion stated above: cheaping out on a tripod means spending more on the long run.