Camera Suggest a decent tripod for nature photography

ayanavish

ayanavish

- binned -
Skilled
Hi, I would like few first-hand suggestions for a decent tripod. I should be able to put this inside a bag and lift it around.

Requirement:

Camera: Canon 550D

Lens: Current lens, the default kit, but should handle lens upgrades

Handling weight: Not sure, ~5 KG

Budget: 3-5K

Portability: Yes

Use: Mainly for nature photography

Shop: Any good place in Bangalore, apart from Fotocircle? How are SmartShoppers: Online Shopping India | Cameras, Digital Camera, SLR Camera, Camera Lenses, Mobiles, Laptops & Accessories for online purchase?

How is this one from Benro, seems the cheapest one on display: Benro A-250EX+BH-0 Tripod with ball head & case 3 Years Manufacturer Warranty

Vanguard: Vanguard

Manfrotto: Manfrotto
 
Which lenses do you have right now... and which lenses you will be getting/upgrading to in recent future..??

the above question is one of the decisive factor while buying tripod..

This will also help in analyzing whether you should extend your budget our something in 5k will be enough
 
ashvarybabul said:
Which lenses do you have right now... and which lenses you will be getting/upgrading to in recent future..??

the above question is one of the decisive factor while buying tripod..

This will also help in analyzing whether you should extend your budget our something in 5k will be enough
Click to expand...

I have the kit lens at present, will soon go for the prime-- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 (2 KG) and later to Tamron AF 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 (2 KG)
 
ashvarybabul said:
Is there a room of stretch in your budget..??

I spoke to Sameer, owner of gaffarbhai for ur query...

he advice for A500FBH1 tripod.. cost around Rs 6850

Gaffarbhai and Sons » A500FBH1

I personally belief blindly on his suggestions..
Click to expand...

Thanks AB :) that model is out of my current budget (need to postpone the purchase otherwise)...any other alternatives? Also, how do you get the service for Benro if anything goes wrong? Does it need to be sent to the dealer?

Smartshoppers.in has the same price for it. How reliable are they?
 
Well, I dont exactly know how to get it serviced if something go wrong..

However, if something go wrong in my benro tripod, I would be sending it to Gaffarbhai, from whom I had purchased.. Also, Gaffar Bhai & Sons is Sole Authorized Distributors for Benro Products in India

About Smartshoppers, I dont have any personal experience, but few of my fellow photographers in other forum had quite a bad experience with them.. wrong item, gray item for price of billed, taking money and then saying it out of stock and similar issues are reported by them... so you should recheck before buying from them.. specially when you getting your stuff shipped
 
Spend more and get a better tripod later on. Tripods last a lifetime. Don't skimp and get a cheap one now. Save up and get a really nice one once and for all.

A really well made one like a Gitzo can be used by your grand kids.
 
Smartshoppers.in has the same price for it. How reliable are they?
Click to expand...

I would second 'ashvarybabul' regarding purchase from Smartshoppers.in.

I currently have Nikon BR-2A macro adapter ring pending to be supplied from them. Its been almost a month after i made the payment. First they dint update the status of the purchase properly in the website (showing 'Authorized')and they dint inform me regarding the delay...Then when i called them after 3-4 days and asked about the delay, they called back after some time and told me the item is not in stock and they have to ship it in from 'Japan'...I payed in advance and now they are coming back at me with excuses and I did raise my voice out of disappointment and asked why the he** was it listed and payment accepted if it wasnt in stock, but they had no better excuses and they apologised and informed they will ship after 10 days. Then they called me after the said period and told me that they would only receive the item by June 28th and will be shipping it by 28th itself... Now i am w8ing for it and i am almost sure i am not going to receive it by 30th. I will call them and ask for refund on 1st of July, not sure how this will turn out but sure dealing with them has already proven a pain...

I am only feeling a bit relaxed because it was very difficult to find BR-2A macro adapter locally and it only cost me abt Rs900.. nyways this was my experience and i dont recommend them..
 
MrCool said:
I would second 'ashvarybabul' regarding purchase from Smartshoppers.in.

I currently have Nikon BR-2A macro adapter ring pending to be supplied from them. Its been almost a month after i made the payment. First they dint update the status of the purchase properly in the website (showing 'Authorized')and they dint inform me regarding the delay...Then when i called them after 3-4 days and asked about the delay, they called back after some time and told me the item is not in stock and they have to ship it in from 'Japan'...I payed in advance and now they are coming back at me with excuses and I did raise my voice out of disappointment and asked why the he** was it listed and payment accepted if it wasnt in stock, but they had no better excuses and they apologised and informed they will ship after 10 days. Then they called me after the said period and told me that they would only receive the item by June 28th and will be shipping it by 28th itself... Now i am w8ing for it and i am almost sure i am not going to receive it by 30th. I will call them and ask for refund on 1st of July, not sure how this will turn out but sure dealing with them has already proven a pain...

I am only feeling a bit relaxed because it was very difficult to find BR-2A macro adapter locally and it only cost me abt Rs900.. nyways this was my experience and i dont recommend them..
Click to expand...

That's sick! They have some good items on display, most probably, they randomly put whatever they feel like without checking their inventory!
linuxtechie said:
Get a manfrotto, else don't just get it. Seriously don't waste your money.

+LT
Click to expand...

Any recommendation for a Manfrotto / Gitzo model based on my requirement?
 
^^ You can get these tripod legs - National Geographic NGET2 Expedition Carbon Tripod

And couple it with a good tripod head - National Geographic NGEH2 Expedition Hydrostatic Head RC5

I generally find hydrostatic heads perform pretty well. :)

If you want to skimp and get something really cheap but decently well made get a Manfrotto CF tripod - MANFROTTO 190CXPRO3 190 CF TRIPOD-Q90-3 SECTION + WARR | eBay

Or Vanguard CF (heard good things about them) -http://smartshoppers.in/product/vanguard-alta-pro-253ct-carbon-fiber-tripod/

And a cheap Manfrotto head - MANFROTTO 488RC0 MIDI BALL HEAD W/RC0 + WARRANTY | eBay
 
Brendon, though I totally agree with you that sturdy tripods are for lifetime and its is better to wait and get a decent one...

but even if the OP (or anyone like me) waits for a year or two, I still doubt if he can succeed in buying a tripod legged - 30k and headed 20k..

50k tripod is something very big to get, specially if one is not curved to his genre to fullest.

getting a 10k or around tripod and exploiting it for 3-4 yrs atleast looks a another good option to me..

BTW, I am using Benro A2970T with BH-02 head..

This could even make the vision clear on which type of legs and heads(imp thing) we need for our work..

@ OP - Benro holds 3 yr warranty (as reported by sameer-gaffarbhai)
 
ashvarybabul said:
Brendon, though I totally agree with you that sturdy tripods are for lifetime and its is better to wait and get a decent one...

but even if the OP (or anyone like me) waits for a year or two, I still doubt if he can succeed in buying a tripod legged - 30k and headed 20k..

50k tripod is something very big to get, specially if one is not curved to his genre to fullest.

getting a 10k or around tripod and exploiting it for 3-4 yrs atleast looks a another good option to me..

BTW, I am using Benro A2970T with BH-02 head..

This could even make the vision clear on which type of legs and heads(imp thing) we need for our work..

@ OP - Benro holds 3 yr warranty (as reported by sameer-gaffarbhai)
Click to expand...
Ha ha, yeah thats a rather big figure ain't it ! :p

Thats useful for those who really need to use tripods often like for macro and for birding. Definitely not for casual use.

Thats why I suggested Manfrotto carbon fibre tripod as the second option.

I too have a Benro tripod (same as yours btw) but its a bit too heavy. I wish I had spent more and gone for a CF model but ill have to spend a lot now in trying to take a loss on the tripod and buying another CF tripod.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---
mgdelhi said:
How is Vanguard Alta+ 233AP Tripod for 5999?

Vanguard Alta+ 233AP Tripod: Vanguard Tripod: Price India: Flipkart Tripods
Click to expand...
Its well made but its more for compact and bridge cameras. The tripod is very light and its aluminum which can get affected by vibrations.

If buying aluminium get something heavy. If you go for Carbon Fiber then its ok to get a lighter tripod as CF tripods are more resistant to vibrations.
 
Re: The Photography Thread !

iGo said:
@Fah33m: Good snaps... Now stop blowing money on other things and invest in a decent tripod. You'll get more out of your sigma with tripod than IS/OS/VR (and all other freakin acronyms).
Click to expand...
Most decent tripods are 17-20k+ :(.
 
Re: The Photography Thread !

^ Ahem... When I said decent, I didn't mean the word "Decent" from SunnyBoi's dictionary. :p

A good entry level manfrotto tripod with should not cost you more than 10-11k. Heck, forget manfrotto... you can get a good not-so-known brand tripod under 10k if you check it out at fort. For that lens, you don't need a tripod over 10k. So dial back the definition of decent to general English dictionary.
 
Re: The Photography Thread !

iGo said:
^ Ahem... When I said decent, I didn't mean the word "Decent" from SunnyBoi's dictionary. :p

A good entry level manfrotto tripod with should not cost you more than 10-11k. Heck, forget manfrotto... you can get a good not-so-known brand tripod under 10k if you check it out at fort. For that lens, you don't need a tripod over 10k. So dial back the definition of decent to general English dictionary.
Click to expand...
Damn ! 10k I can spend on a tripod maybe ..nothing more but the manfrotto legs will cost 10k and another 5-6k for the head :O . Incase you know of anything decent under 10k which can take this lens easily , please suggest in this thread. Brendon has been suggesting alll Sunnyboi standard decent tripods :mad:.

http://www.techenclave.com/camera-gear/suggest-a-decent-tripod-nature-photography-193832.html
 
Re: The Photography Thread !

FaH33m said:
Damn ! 10k I can spend on a tripod maybe ..nothing more but the manfrotto legs will cost 10k and another 5-6k for the head :O . Incase you know of anything decent under 10k which can take this lens easily , please suggest in this thread. Brendon has been suggesting alll Sunnyboi standard decent tripods :mad:.

http://www.techenclave.com/camera-gear/suggest-a-decent-tripod-nature-photography-193832.html
Click to expand...

From that same thread, this looks like a good tripod : Gaffarbhai and Sons » A500FBH1

I've seen couple of Benro tripod in fort, and their build quality seems to quite good for the prices. Plus this model in the link has weight capacity upto 6kg, which IMO should be more than enough for you. Unless you go and by 500 and 400 primes in future with the lens itself weighing around 10kg. :p
 
Back
Top