Aluminium or Carbon Fiber?

[joshuatdlr]

I am in the market for a new travel tripod, I found one that I think is really good. It is compact and has a good load capacity. The problem for me is that there are two types, carbon fiber and aluminium. Naturally the aluminium is cheaper and heavier, but I am having a hard time finding a real difference between the two, other than weight. Which one is more durable? Is the Carbon fiber one lighter and more durable, or is it just lighter? Is the aluminium one more rugged? I would like to know the differences other than price and weight.

 

[Derrel]

Cheap carbon fiber has sort of a rep for breaking. Cheap aluminum has been around for decades, and is typically, I think more durable, especially on the made in China type tripods. Again, cheap AND has a good load capacity? Sounds a bit unusual. Travel? By car? Boat?


In questions like yours, specifics help. Maker/brand, model, web URL. Generic questions without specificity will gain you little in the way of definitive answers.

 

[480sparky]

When it comes to tripods, there's an age-old maxim: Quality, Light Weight, Low Cost...... Pick Two.

 

[astroNikon]

To make Carbon Fiber cheaper they simply use less layers, and may not alternate the pattern for strength. This makes it much cheaper to make, and much more prone to easy breakage.

So, it all depends upon the exact make, model, etc of tripods you are comparing.

 

[fmw]

Unless you want to spend several hundred dollars on your tripod, aluminum is the way to go.

 

[snowbear]

Unless you want to spend several hundred dollars on your tripod, aluminum is the way to go.

And buying a low quality, cheap tripod will ultimately mean buying a second tripod (not so cheap) to replace the first one when it breaks / fails / disappoints.

 

[smoke665]

And part of the decision should be how much you plan on using it. I just replaced one of my "cheap" aluminum tripods after only 20 years of occasional use!!! One of the leg clamps broke, but I liked the thing so much that a hose clamp repair and it still works for a reflector.

 

[Designer]

I would like to know the differences other than price and weight.

Aluminum will not last if you habitually set it up in salt water. Eventually aluminum will corrode under those conditions. That does not completely absolve carbon fiber from the same type of corrosion if there are any aluminum fittings on the tripod. The better makes may warrant their product for regular salt water use. Be prepared for sticker shock.

 

[Overread]

For salt water use the general advice is to get a good quality tripod that lets you dismantle it - you then take it apart and clean all the parts in fresh water (ideally distilled as that has no mineral content).

As the others have said, carbon fibre has the bonus of being noticeably lighter; but only if its a quality make will it have the durability. There are also comments on vibrations (esp with regard to AF) and I can't recall, but either of the two material types carries vibrations a little better than the other; but this is very marginal territory in terms of image quality (unless you're shooting very slow speeds and can't use the mirror-lock-up between shots).

Another aspect if what kind of gear you're going to use; some camera and lens combos are very heavy and thus demanding; whilst others are much lighter and you can get away with a cheaper tripod; sure its not as durable but it might be all you need.



However weight is the most common reason people go for carbon fibre. More expensive but when a quality item is bought it performs very well and lets you have reduced weight to carry around.

 

[unpopular]

Diamond encrusted gold!

Do not buy a new tripod. They depreciate rapidly and this is one thing you're better off buying used.

But no matter what, you ought to spend more on a tripod than you think you should. I personally use a heavy aluminum manfrotto, the weight does not bother me much, and I honestly kind of like having the bulk to help weigh things down. But I certainly can appreciate why people would prefer something lighter weight or corrosion resistance.

One thing I do regret is not having a decent head.

A good tripod should withstand being thrown off a cliff. Literally. When it's either you and your camera or your tripod, you're going to want the option of dropping your tripod first without thinking twice.

 

[astroNikon]

FYI, my tripods are SLIK tripods of which the smallers ones have their A.M.T. - Aluminum, Magnesium & Titanium alloy that is supposedly lighter and stronger than a regular aluminum tripod system. I really have no idea if it is or isn't but it holds my heavy lenses just fine (700 & 500 series legs). I also don't know of their corrosive to salt water if used near an ocean. But it's another alternative to look into if that is a requirement.

 

[Gary A.]

480Sparky and unpopular both delivered some very good advice. I have both, a very nice metal and a very nice carbon fiber, I use the carbon fiber more because of ease of transport.

 

[nerwin]

Magnesium alloy is the way to go if you want something that is tough and light. But you'll pay some decent amount of money for one of those bad boys.

Aluminum Alloy is a good way to go for your first tripod. I have the Vanguard Alta PRO 263AT which is decent enough for me and it's still not cheap, I paid $170 for mine but it is an affordable price for a good mid-range tripod.

Just stay away from those SunPak Best Buy specials.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Weight is the consideration here although on the smaller tripods the difference can be less drastic.

Functionally the differences are,

Corrosion - if you shoot on the beach a lot, exposed aluminum will corrode eventually but a fresh water rinse will generally solve that. In reality the carbon units have metal hardware that rusts/corrodes in similar environments.

Aluminum bends, carbon snaps - although camera tripods don't really see a huge force load strictly speaking carbon is generally stronger but less forgiving. While on impact or in sheer load metal will bend, carbon will have a tendency to snap under its maximum loads.

Ill agree that second hand is the way to go, there is a lot out there for cheap.

Regards
Dave

 

[Dave442]

I have a heavy aluminum and a lightweight carbon fiber. The aluminum tripod is 40 years old and works perfect, but heavy to travel with so use it stays set up in the studio. The carbon fiber I picked up seven years ago to replace a Vivitar tripod from the early '70's (traveled all over with that tripod).

I would recommend a new carbon fiber that meets your needs, as you can see it is easy to have a tripod for dozens of years. There are many aluminium tripods in the used market that are perfectly good and very cheap.

With the aluminum and big head I can lock it down and there is zero sag. My carbon fiber tends to droop very slightly as the head is lighter.

I found it harder to decide on a head to use.