UKH

Looking for advice on which tripod to buy.

Budget of around £200-250.

Weight not too much of an issue but must be very sturdy. Preferably smallish enough to Put in a suit case.

For 5d cannon with 70-200mm is lens.

Ball head seems to be the best but may not fit in to budget so can go without.

Does such a thing exist or am I asking too much. I've searched forum and google but need pointing in the right direction.

Mainly used for mountain photography and night time stuff.

Thanks.

In reply to myth:

I can't comment on any other tripods apart from my own Manfrotto. Its perfect for my casual needs and rock solid with my Nikon camera to remove camera shake.

I started off with a Jessops cheap and cheerful product but soon realised that you do get what you pay for and suffered with camera shake while out and about in light breezes.

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/Accessories/Tripods%20and%20...

In reply to myth: I'd be interested in this advice too, though would prefer a light weight one if poss.

In reply to stroppygob:
My recommendations (to be taken with a pinch of salt as I'm a well known cheapskate).

I use a Giottos mtl9351b with a Manfrotto 484rc2 ball head. £120 for both a few years ago.

I'd get a bigger ball head if I got it again, it works, but just doesn't feel perfect.
Ball heads are a must, it is so much less time and hassle to adjust - whatever you get, get a ballhead!

The tripod itself is ok. It locks and is solid. It is a bit overly heavy and complex perhaps, as the centre column can be reversed or put at an angle. I've only used these features a few times, so for most uses, thats been unneccessary.

I also use the £10 tripod I got from tesco (hama star 61?) as it is very light, compact and 'expendable'. Good enough for HDR, not good enough for night shots.

cheers,
Dan

Finally, here is some expert advice, it is good to know everyone on the internet agrees!
Thom Hogan says you've got to spend the dosh http://www.bythom.com/support.htm
Ken Rockwell says they are obselete http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/digital-killed-my-tripod.htm

In reply to myth:

I couldn't go past the Gitzo Mountaineer. Just called out to me.

In reply to myth: I use a one of the Gitzo Basalt range, which are really sturdy top notch lightweight tripods.

Normally they'd have been outside your price range, but Ffordes have what looks like a good one for £150 - may be a bit small, but have a look http://www.ffordes.com/product/12050209513761

Ffordes are very good for 2nd hand tripods, they have a good range and are very reliable dealers.

In reply to Dan Arkle:
..

Ken Rockwell is famous for spewing bullshit to get clicks on his website. Maybe he never does panos, long exposures et al.

In reply to myth: Cheers for advice. I'm looking into those.

Ken does say some crap from time to time but he is a good first port of call for camera advice.

He did put a disclaimer about night shots and long exposures for tripods.

In reply to myth:
..

.
Ah well, fair enough. I was going on Dan's quote. I gave up reading any of his stuff because it felt like reading the Daily Mail. Way too biased/opinionated for my taste. I don't believe he's a good port of call at all.

In reply to myth:

I'd second Dan Arkle's comment about the Giottos MTL9351B tripod. It's rock solid.

In fact, I'm selling mine (I'm going to upgrade to something a little lighter) - feel free t make me an offer/drop me an email for more info.

Hope that helps
Dan

In reply to Dan Lane: I've got the same, and it's sturdy as hell for its price - very pleased with it as an investment. I'm not a huge tripod user generally, but to give an example I was using it a couple of weeks back for 4-5 minute exposures using an Infra-red filter, and not really detecting any wobble in those over that length of time.

In reply to Dan Lane: Thanks for the offer Dan but I'll probably buy new.

In reply to myth:
If you are intending to humph it up mountains, and on long walks, go for carbon fibre/basalt I picked up used, mint Gitzo legs for sub £200 from Ffordes . Something like an aluminium Manfrotto 55 is too heavy IMHO ( I had one). Even medium weight carbon will happily take much bigger set ups than a canon with zoom, as they are incredibly stiff and stable for their weight.
There was a similar tripod to my setup for sale as a premier post a couple of weeks ago on here, at roughly your budget.
You could also look at the for sale section of www.prodig.org sometimes bargains appear on there ?

In reply to myth: Thanks for all the sound advice guys..

In reply to myth: go into Jessops with your camera and buy a tripod.

In reply to Andy S:

go into Jessops with your camera and buy a tripod.

Word of warning about that. Jessops quite often have "On-Line Only" deals i.e. certain products are cheaper to buy via the Internet or using Buy and Collect.
However, if you know a particular item is under such an offer, tell the shop staff and they'll sell it to you at the discounted price.

In reply to myth:

Some good stuff on Ebay at much better prices if you buy from HK or China. I'm thinking of getting a Benro/Mefoto tripod which you can find on ebay. For £212/£232 I think you'll get much more tripod for your money (includes head).

These have more CF layers than any other tripod making them really strong and stiff.

Also saw a review of a Chinese CF Beike? tripods which are about half the price and still meant to be pretty good quality.

In reply to myth:

Load of tripods here:

http://www.shoptripods.com

In reply to The Lemming:

I have that manfrotto 55 tripod - it is good and sturdy, but really quite heavy and it doesn't pack down that small. I dread to think about lugging up a hill, it's not really suitable for that...
If you're regularly carrying the tripod, or want to take it on holiday, I'd invest in a carbon one...

In reply to myth: I use a manfrotto 190Xprob with a 496Rc2 ball head . Its , solid and in your price range . I bought the aluminium version rather than the CF version as i often do long exposures close to the sea and get salt water on the legs regulartly . i was told that sea water and CF are not a good combination. but saying that i would buy the CF version as well for non sea water days if your budget allows .