[Javaslinger]

I would like to begin to take a tripod with me on my hikes and camping. It's gotta be portable, somewhat smallish, and light...

I don't want to spend much... as little as possible but still get quality.

Anything out there that would do the trick?

Thanks,

Ken

[Lowell Goudge]

not sp much related to the tripod but to the bag. Make sure your bag is set up to take the tripod on the side, not at the back. The weight of a tripod suspended 8 inches off your back makes the entire bag uncomfortable.

I have seen a few very old backpacks where the tripod went right through the middle, this is best.

[openyourap]

I would like to begin to take a tripod with me on my hikes and camping. It's gotta be portable, somewhat smallish, and light...

I don't want to spend much... as little as possible but still get quality.

Anything out there that would do the trick?

Thanks,

Ken

Hi Ken,

The Silk Sprint series might fit the bill for cheap(ish) small and decent.

Of course, if you're a birder and mount your monster lens to the 'pod, rather than the camera body, you'll need to look at something with more strength, weight and cost.

[Javaslinger]

I did in fact go with the Slik Sprint Pro II GM... Just got it in.

It certainly fit the bill on size and weight. Taking it with me tomorrow for a good long hike. I think it will do very nicely.

I don't do much in the way of birding (yet)... For now I've done well with just a K20D and a kit lens. I also have a 100-300 tamron cheap zoom. Barely use it.

I got the ball head version and saw some comments that made me fear this may have been a poor choice for an actual DSLR, but then I again I've seen plenty of people using it for that purpose... we shall see...

So far (looking at it only) I'm very happy with it...

Thanks

Ken

[glp]

Not sure if my first reply went through, so here goes again:

I am also looking for a tripod/ball head combo for hiking and macro photography. My budget is $400. I am considering the Induro CX 114 but it is limited to slightly under 10lbs. It's on sale used/new at B&H:

Used Induro | CX114 Carbonflex 8X CX-Series Tripod Legs

I have a K10D w/Tamron 90mm lens for macro, a 10-17mm Pentax Fisheye and Pentax 18-250mm telephoto. Comments anyone?

Thanks,

Geoff

[Ben_Edict]

Not sure if my first reply went through, so here goes again:

I am also looking for a tripod/ball head combo for hiking and macro photography. My budget is $400. I am considering the Induro CX 114 but it is limited to slightly under 10lbs. It's on sale used/new at B&H:

Used Induro | CX114 Carbonflex 8X CX-Series Tripod Legs

I have a K10D w/Tamron 90mm lens for macro, a 10-17mm Pentax Fisheye and Pentax 18-250mm telephoto. Comments anyone?

Geoff, I think, you won't find any other tripod in that weight class, that would support a heavier load. I myself am using the Velbon Sherpa Pro 540 CF tripod, which is a bit more lightweight and support 4kgs - but reliably so. I can use it with good results with a K20+grip+ Sigma 70-200/2.8 and 1.4x tc. Ofcourse the head is coming on top (literally) and that will give you another headache. I went for the lightest ball head with a matching load capacity and that is the Novoflex Ball 30. Very light, but very good. No pano-movement and no separate tension setting, just one knob to lock it down securely.

I think, my whole setup weighs in a bit less than the Induro legs alone. So I prefer the Velbon for walking.

Velbon | EL Carmagne 540A Tripod Legs | ELCARMA-540A | B&H Photo
and
novoflex ball 30


Ben

[glp]

Thanks Ben for your input about your set up. I will certainly consider it.

I am interested in what has been your experience using your tripod setup for Macro photography? The Induro CX114 has an adjustable horizontal column to get down low....what about the Velbon?

I appreciate the weight concern too. The K10D is 25oz and my Tamron 90mm is about 14oz and the Pentax 18-250 is about 15oz. Even with up to a 1lb ballhead, I would be at about 3.5 lbs.

Nevertheless, I don't quite understand the load capacity numbers, but the Induro capacity claims 9.9 lbs.

Regarding the ballhead, I do want panning abilities for landscape shots and I prefer a quick release option. B&H has an Induro ballhead for $149, which still keeps me slightly under my $400 budget: Induro | BHD0 Ballhead | 479-000 | B&H Photo Video

Thanks,

Geoff

[Ben_Edict]

Geoff, I rarely use the Velbon for Macro, if ever at all. My main macro tripod is a big and heavy Uniloc modell. But you can lock the Velbon's legs to a very flat position and unscrew the longer part of the center column. I just measured the lowest position at just under 15cm above ground for the head mounting flange. You could ofcourse also reverse the center column and get even lower, but I guess that's rarely needed.

Load capacities are pretty unreliable with many manufacturers. I can only talk about tripods I myself use and in my experience Gitzo and Velbon are pretty conservative and you can rely on their capacities, Manfrotto is also conservative, but they probably "assume" standard equipment (i.e. not really long lenses etc.), so I use their capacities as a real max. load, which I try to avoid. Other manufacturer's claims are simply over the edge...

When talking about load capacities one has also to be careful about torque, which becomes an important factor when using longer equipment (long fl lenses or macro shots with a bellows etc.). Though a certain setup might be within the load capacity, it may excert such a torque, that the tripod becomes unstable or starts to vibrate more. This is often forgotten or overlooked. The only manufacturer who gives numbers for the allowable torque is, to my knowledge, Cullmann - but only for their Magnesit ball heads.

Torque becomes even more important when using tripods with a moveable center column. If your equipment hangs to one side of the tripod, the whole contraption can get unstable (that's the reason my big Uniloc sports a counterweight on the center column!) and also it gets more prone to vibration. That is the reason why I prefer a centered center column on small, lightweight tripods. One can prevent such a construction from toppling over by hanging the camera bag or whatever between the tripod legs, but that won't prevent vibration.

Ben

[glp]

Ben...great input. Thanks. I think I will call the respective companies and get more information before I decide.

Geoff

[PentaxPoke]

How about this one: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/camera-studio-accessories/88778-compact-t...-2-review.html