Information - What tripod do you use?

[Lord Oort]

Underground I use a 7DayShop travel pro tripod, about £50-60, very light and easy to set up but a pain in the arse to have full height cos of the way the legs extend. overground I use a Manfrotto 718B (£25 second hand) as it's a bit easier to set up properly for a full height photo; it weighs a bit more than the 7day thing but is a joy to fully extend.

 

[CureForPain]

I got one of these on ebay for about £30 to replace a much more expensive Manfrotto that fell apart: http://www.wilkinson.co.uk/tripods-heads/hama/tripods/hama-tripod-traveller-compact-pro.html

Think they've been discontinued lately, but it's a bargain for what you get. Quick release is a bit unforgiving, though it's solid and has an extra safety lock.

 

[Adders]

I mainly use a Velbon Ultra Maxi M, folds down to 33cm but extends up to 138cm. I paid about £45 a couple year ago but Amazon guide price is £65.

My back up is a Manfrotto 718B, a really nice tripod but not as small as my Velbon, and no longer made.

 

[OverArch]

I managed to get hold of a 'used' manfrotto 055xprob through Wex. Turns out it was a Jessops ex-display one that they got as part of the liquidation of some of Jessops stock. The ball head I had to buy for it cost the same amount! It is super sturdy but a bit on the heavy side (~2.5kg) and quite bulky as its only a three piece rather than a four piece one. Also have a manfrotto befree which is smaller, lighter and easier to work with in tight spots, but it doesn't have a panning head. The befree replaced my Hahnel Triad 30 which, looking back, is cheap for a reason!

 

[PopPunkJamie]

I have a Hama Traveller Compact Pro, I always take it out with me but I very rarely use it because I'm lazy. Got it on offer a while ago for about £40, think it's cheaper these days

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I managed to get hold of a 'used' manfrotto 055xprob through Wex. Turns out it was a Jessops ex-display one that they got as part of the liquidation of some of Jessops stock. The ball head I had to buy for it cost the same amount! It is super sturdy but a bit on the heavy side (~2.5kg) and quite bulky as its only a three piece rather than a four piece one. Also have a manfrotto befree which is smaller, lighter and easier to work with in tight spots, but it doesn't have a panning head. The befree replaced my Hahnel Triad 30 which, looking back, is cheap for a reason!

Thing is that 055xprob is way to bulky to be lugging it over fences and through tight gaps etc. Surely it's a bit of a burden? How do you rate the befree? Can you put different heads on it? I'd like to have the same ball head as the one on my clamp, saves changing over the plates that way.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

718B on eBay at the moment. I see a lot of people have used these before.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MANFROTTO...011?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43d7d592c3

 

[OverArch]

Thing is that 055xprob is way to bulky to be lugging it over fences and through tight gaps etc. Surely it's a bit of a burden? How do you rate the befree? Can you put different heads on it? I'd like to have the same ball head as the one on my clamp, saves changing over the plates that way.

I tend to use the befree for UE stuff and the 055 for landscapes. I haven't yet been on a UE trip thinking that i should have bought the 055 instead. The befree is sturdy enough and small enough for UE, and it comes with its own carry case. The head on it is interchangable too so i could put my 498 ball head on it if i wanted but it wouldn't fit in the carry case!

As a general point I'd stay away from 3-way heads. Ball heads are much more useful and less things to go wrong with them.

 

[tumbles]

Ok while I'm happy with my Manfrotto 190.. Underground it's a nightmare on the back of my lowpro.. So looking for a lightweight more compact option to take my 5D and 17-40 combo. Would a 718 take that sort of weight?

 

[Oxygen Thief]

Ok while I'm happy with my Manfrotto 190.. Underground it's a nightmare on the back of my lowpro.. So looking for a lightweight more compact option to take my 5D and 17-40 combo. Would a 718 take that sort of weight?

You can try out my 718SHB sometime.

 

[tumbles]

You can try out my 718SHB sometime.

Took a plunge and snagged the one on eBay for 46 quid. I'm thinking of downsizing the SLR anyway!

 

[Oxygen Thief]

Oops, sorry, I bumped that up a few quid in the last few seconds.

 

[tumbles]

Oops, sorry, I bumped that up a few quid in the last few seconds.

Haha no worries I think it's not a bad price for almost as new kit!

 

[Oxygen Thief]

The price was bang on actually, most of them go for that soft of price.

 

[tumbles]

The price was bang on actually, most of them go for that soft of price.

Was a good one to win. It's absolute mint, as new. A very happy tumbles