best light weight tripod around 100-130 bucks.

[JacaRanda]

Going to be trade-offs no matter what you decide on.

 

[jsecordphoto]

You can get a light weight carbon fiber tripod that will support a lot of weight, but not for $130

 

[dannylightning]

What I have not is a trikon light-10, I see they are about 8-10 bucks on ebay. I can tilt the camera up and down and pan it left and right and that's it. this thing has worked great for the last several years, I think i found it in my parents basement,

Anything is going to be a huge upgrade from what i have now. As long as its light weight, can support the weight of the camera and will allow me to move the camera around to different angles i think i will be happy.

None of the once I have checked out so far had a round head, I can see how that could be a possible problem.

 

[astroNikon]

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.


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I used to do that too with my longer lenses with lens mounts. Even my lighter lenses with lens mounts. It's just kinda designed that after some wear the round thing is gonna rotate unless front to rear the camera/lens is perfectly balanced dependent upon the angle.

It's just not an issue with square or rectangular plates

 

[theHomelessJedi]

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

I agree completely! I spent around $180 for my Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod three years ago and is still holding up. I've had a number of ballheads and finally spent around $150 on one of Manfrotto's newer Magnesium alloy ballheads. This setup, while initially costing me over $300, will last for a long time. Plus Manfrotto has a 10 year warranty!
That said if OP is going to be using a larger lens like that a good gimbal head would serve him better than a ballhead.
Happy Shooting

 

[dannylightning]

I got a nice set of carbon tripod legs, I need a ball head, the legs have a 1/4th male screw. Most ball heads seem to have a 3/8th female hole.

It said there was a 3/8th adapter with it but its only a found metal plate with a female 3/8th hole so you can't screw a head onto that.

What I need is a adapter, a good quality one that won't snap off or something lousy like that. It needs to be 1/4th felame to 3/8th male. I see lots of these but u want to make sure it will be good quality. Any recommendations for a good one.

 

[fotomonkey]

Which legs did you get?

I have Giottos 9160 legs but they come in at 7# with my Kirk ballhead. I need to find something as stable but much lighter.

 

[dannylightning]

I got that sunpak ultra pro 423, I had a bunch of points racked up at a store and saw they sold that tripod there, that I saw that if I used my points it would only cost me 40 bucks, I read lots of review for this model at a bunch of different places and it seemed like most people were quite happy with the legs but a good deal of people with heavier equipment replaced the head with something better

it came with a head but its only rated to hold like 3.75 lbs but the legs are rated to hold 16 or 17 lbs and they seem sturdy enough to me. my friends wife has been using one of these tripods for a while and she really likes it.

I took the head off of the legs and screwed my 150-500mm lens right onto the legs to see how sturdy it was with a little weight on it, seems fine to me but than again i do not have any experience with a really high end tripod so I cant really compare how it is to something like that. But I think its gonna work out well for my needs once I get a descent head on it.

I am not sure how often Ill put my big lens on it since I mainly use that for shooting birds and I often need to move the lens all over the place to get the shot. but I do want to get a head that will support that lens because I am sure ill probably want to have it on a tripod occasionally.

I will say this, the carbon legs on mine are able to flex a little, I have seen some aluminum legs and those probably flexed at least twice as much as these carbon legs do if not more. I am not sure if those were high end or low end aluminum tripods though...

 

[dxqcanada]

I use an old Manfrotto 190 legs paired with a cheapo ball head ... have no problems with it as I don't tighten the head, just use it as free wheeling base to stabilize while I swing about the scene. Both are not rated to hold the weight of my camera with the 70-400mm but it does the job. The only time I lock it down is when shooting landscape, and my wide angle does not weigh that much.

 

[dannylightning]

The head mine came with, I did put my big lens on it and and it held fine over time I hear those can loosen up and loose some holding power, but like you most of the time I will probably not want it locked down, how ever the plastic part on top of the head that holds the quick release plate is just plastic and I kind of doubt its high quality plastic, that part flexes a bit with a little weight on it, I have seem cheap plastic snap very easily so i don't really trust it.

Plus head it came with is a pistol grip which I am not sure that I like. it dose not give you much room or your fingers, try to tilt the camera back just a little and your fingers are being pinched between the pistol grip and the head. Ill just get a descent ball head for it some time before spring time.

 

[CameraClicker]

I have a Slik tripod, but I use a Manfrotto head with it.

 

[dannylightning]

i was kind of looking at a Sirui head or a Giottos

I see allot of them have Arca-swiss quick release plates. it almost sounds like any arca-swiss plate will fit on any head that also has uses arca-swiss plate. is that correct.

I am not 100% sure what head I am going to get yet but if that is the case I guess I want to get a head that has a Arca-Swiss plate.

 

[fotomonkey]

Thanks Danny.
You're correct about the Arca. It's a standard so they all work together.

I really do like the Arca more than the other QR systems. And I love my Kirk ballhead.