best light weight tripod around 100-130 bucks.

[dannylightning]

well i dont use a tripod that often, but i want to upgrade from this 20 dollar tripod i have which seems to work fine but i guess i should get a nice one.

i plan to get a 150-500 or 150-600 mm lens that will be in the 4-7 lb range. i imagine i will use that lens on the tripod some times and i want to make sure the tripod will be ok with that type of lens on it.

i would really like to stay with a tripod around 3 - 3.5 lbs or so and do not need anything super fancy, just something that will be nice and do the job with a quick release plate on it. something in the 100-130 dollar price range would be good. like i said i probably wont use it that much, i like to shoot hand held most of the time. the big lens i plan to get well the one i am mainly looking at people seem to say its very manageable for hand held shooting and weights right abotut 4lbs. the new sigma 150-600 is not out yet and i am not sure i want something that big and heavy nor do i know what the price will be, so ill probably end up with the 4lb zoom lens.



i am looking for something along the lines of one of these but i am not 100% sure if any of these would be a good choice.

Amazon.com : Dolica ZX600B103 Professional 60-Inch ZX Series Carbon Fiber Tripod with Ball Head and Carry Bag (Black) : Camera & Photo

Amazon.com : Oben AC-1341 3-Section Aluminum Tripod with BA-111 Ball Head : Camera & Photo

Amazon.com : Sunpak UltraPRO 423 Tripod with Compact Pistol Grip, Carbon Fiber : Camera & Photo

 

[astroNikon]

I don't know how high quality those tripods are

but I use Slik which makes some nice stuff - at least for me.
Their 500 line of tripod legs is nice and sturdy.
They sell a set with a head for $150 --> Slik Pro 500-HD w/Pro 500-DX Tripod Legs and SH736 Head 615-501

The head and legs is 5.1 lbs though.
but it supports 11lbs load
just make sure you don't get a head with a circular plate as those can rotate when under load or the head at an angle.

 

[dannylightning]

that looks like a nice one

circular plate ?? you mean where the head screws on and off like this

http://www.amazon.com/Slik-700DX-Su...F8&qid=1411414709&sr=1-6&keywords=slik+tripod

or a circular plate that the camera mounts onto

 

[lambertpix]

I've had good luck with a Dolica in the past, but I like the Manfrotto I use now a little better.

I couldn't help noticing you've picked tripods with both flip & twist locks, and both ball and pistol heads. IMO, the ergonomics of a tripod are an important part of whether you'll like it or not. If you have a chance to play with a couple different styles of tripod somewhere, it might be time well spent.

 

[dannylightning]

see i really don't know what type of tripod to get. i picked a few that looked nice in the price range i was wanting to spend and did not weight allot.

my friends wife has that sunpak tripod with the pistol grip that i linked, i have not used it but it almost looked like a pain to get everything all leveled out when she was using it. she seems to like it.

 

[jsecordphoto]

Tripods are one of the things worth spending a little extra on. Its not as exciting as a new lens, but you won't regret spending a little more. And don't buy one that claims it'll support exactly how much your gear actually weighs, get one that claims it'll support at least double however much your set up weighs

 

[dannylightning]

here is one i really like the looks of. in the description it says 3.6 lbs and can support up to 17 lbs. but a little pricy, seems to have good reviews

Amazon.com : MeFoto Aluminum A1350Q1RWB Roadtrip Travel Tripod Kit EXCLUSIVE COLOR (Red White Blue) : Camera & Photo

if i knew i was going to use it all the time i would mind spending a bit more but i am not sure how often i will really use it.

 

[PropilotBW]

here is one i really like the looks of. in the description it says 3.6 lbs and can support up to 17 lbs. but a little pricy, seems to have good reviews

Amazon.com : MeFoto Aluminum A1350Q1RWB Roadtrip Travel Tripod Kit EXCLUSIVE COLOR (Red White Blue) : Camera & Photo

if i knew i was going to use it all the time i would mind spending a bit more but i am not sure how often i will really use it.

I have this tripod. I would recommend it.

 

[dannylightning]

It seems like a nice one, I think i would like it and its somewhat light weight. It is a bit expensive but that one looks like it would be wroth the money.

 

[JacaRanda]

I don't know how high quality those tripods are

but I use Slik which makes some nice stuff - at least for me.
Their 500 line of tripod legs is nice and sturdy.
They sell a set with a head for $150 --> Slik Pro 500-HD w/Pro 500-DX Tripod Legs and SH736 Head 615-501

The head and legs is 5.1 lbs though.
but it supports 11lbs load
just make sure you don't get a head with a circular plate as those can rotate when under load or the head at an angle.

I can also vouch for Slik. I have two of them and used both with the Tamron 150-600 mounted with no issues at all.

 

[jsecordphoto]

My buddy has that mefoto, it's definitely awesome for hiking and stuff as it folds up really small, but it's not that stable. I guess it depends on what you'll be using it for too. I am always shooting landscapes with my camera on a tripod 99% of the time, and in some less than optimum conditions (really windy, in a river, etc) so you may need less from a tripod than I do.

 

[hamlet]

My first tripod where i compromised on the quality, almost dropped my 2 grand lens to the ground when it finally gave. Spend a little more for the peace of mind that your gear will be a lot more secure.

 

[astroNikon]

the little plate piece that you screw on to the bottom of your camera.
On some heads it's round - I've had a couple sliks like that and truthfully those one totally stink.
They can easily rotate a bit with weight. So make sure you get a head (3 way, ball or grip) with a square plate on it.

I have a Slik 500 AMT legs with a Slik SBH-320DQ ball head
Slik 700 AMT with a Slik SH-908 3 way heavy duty head
and a Slik Professional with a Slik SH-909 3 way heavy duty head.
they're all great and sturdy.

and I have a slik carbon fiber monopod.

These round plates heads are the ones to avoid .. an example --> Amazon.com: slik ball head 800: Electronics <-- to be avoided

 

[JacaRanda]

I would suggest screwing the round plate firmly into the tripod mount around your lens as opposed to the bottom of your camera if you are using a long and heavy lens. I check often that they are secure and yet to have an issue.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[dannylightning]

I guess I will look around at some more of the Slik models and see what i find, so far most of them look like they are on the heavy side.

The main reason I am worried about weight is I screwed up a disk in my back several years ago, I recently started lifting weights and hanging on one of those inversion tables recently and its slowly getting better but lugging around allot of weight can really put a strain on it.

Keeping the load as light is probably a good idea. For the most part as long as i am not bending and lifting at the same time I am ok but I am quite careful about what i do, the few times my back locked up on me it was not good at all. Something in the 2-4 lb range is where i would like to be. i just want to make sure what ever i get is not going to be good quality and nice and sturdy.

As far as the type of places i might use the tripod, it's really hard to say where i may end up with it.

Thanks for all the responses as of so far.