Tripod upgrade?

[bobandcar]

i use a canon t3i and heaviest lense is the 70-200 f4 and 1.4 extender.

I currently use this
Quantaray QSX-9002TMBK Tri-Monopod Tripod & MonoPod (Black):Amazon:Camera & Photo

And found it to short and u stable for this setup.

Would this
Dolica 73 inch Proline Tripod and Pan Head AX730P105
Be a suitable upgrade?
Seems to be better built and more stable and taller!. I'm 6'3" and don't like bending every time.
Will be used for general nighttime stuff and around landscape.

 

[tirediron]

It would be a bit of an upgrade, but not all that much, NOT worth the money IMO. I suspect it uses a propietary, hard to find QR plate, and there's no max weight load given (rule of thumb: tripod should be rated for twice the weight of your heaviest lens/body combination). My suggestion would be to take that money and check out Craig's List - used tripods can be a fantastic bargain, and for that price, or not much, if any, more, you can probably find something like a nice set of Manfrotto 055 legs and a 029 head, a MUCH stronger and sturdier combination.

 

[Big Mike]

Firstly, are you sure you want a pan head? They are more suited to video where you want free (or at least dampened) movement side to side.
Sure, they can work just fine but I would suggest that a ball head or a 3-way head would be a better option for still photos, especially "general nighttime stuff and around landscape".

 

[lambertpix]

I've got a smaller Dolica tripod, and it's really not too bad. By way of comparison, I'm using a set of Manfrotto 190CXPro4 legs now, but I still keep the Dolica around as a backup. Here's a little more on my experience with the Dolica:

Budget tripod shootout, part 2

I found the legs themselves to be a pretty decent compromise between weight and rigidity. They don't have the stiffness of my Manfrotto legs, but they're a fraction of the cost, too. If you don't do a lot of low-level or macro work, you probably won't mind that it doesn't get super-low, but for me, that was one of the big advantages of the Manfrotto. The head on mine was definitely the weakest link. It's removable / replaceable, but at that point, you're very likely investing a substantial portion of what you'd pay for a better kit in the first place.

As far as the quick-release plate, it is proprietary, but no more so than anyone else's, and it's pretty easy to find replacements. If you're paying attention to plates at all, I'd steer you toward an Arca-compatible design. This Dolica setup has what appears to be an "Arca-inspired" plate (it's sometimes hard to tell which "Arca" stuff is really 100% compatible with other brands), and maybe more importantly, it's a ball-head design. The one in the kit you selected is a pan-tilt head, which is normally more suited to video.

I like tirediron's suggestion to look at used legs -- tripods are definitely one bit of equipment that's safe to buy used -- not too much can go wrong that you can't see right away.

 

[bobandcar]

I've kept an eye on Craigslist for about 3 weeks now and all that's coming up is $20 equivalents to what I currently have. Which I also got on Craigslist.
I'll keep watching and checking my budget every so often. I keep "me" money seperate from our funds.

 

[Designer]

I've bought two different sets from TPF members who listed on the "buy and sell" thread.

 

[lambertpix]

FWIW, the Dolica would probably be a marked improvement over what you're currently using, but it's unlikely to be a setup you'd get 10+ years out of, which is not unheard of for a good set of legs. That Quantaray looks very similar to the Velbon I upgraded from when I bought my Dolica, and I was pretty happy with the Dolica as an upgrade.

There are still features on that tripod I like quite a lot. The locking mechanism on the legs (the one that controls the angles of the legs) is really simple (and durable) and really easy to use, for instance, and I really like the retractable spikes on the feet -- it was disappointing, in fact, to see more expensive tripods w/o that feature. I think it's a pretty good value at $70, but I think you're also seeing reactions from folks who understand what sort of legs you could get for another $100 or so.

 

[bobandcar]

Mountaineer Tripod Series 2 Carbon 4 Sections Long GT2543L - Mountaineer Tripods | Gitzo
Now that I'm looking at new tripods my work is renting a new instrument and these are the legs it uses. These are basically awesome! But way out of my tripod budget

 

[bobandcar]

Any other thoughts around that $100 mark?

 

[BGeise]

Any other thoughts around that $100 mark?

Unfortunately for what you are looking to hold, I think you are going to need to go your budget some. I looked at many tripods and I was on a budget also. I soon realized what I needed was going to cost a little more. Long story short I bought an induro akb2. You probably don't need a gitzo or carbon fiber. But definitely won't be happy in that price range.

 

[lambertpix]

Dolica is about as budget-friendly as you're going to find, IMO. Vanguard & Benro are pretty good in terms of bang for the buck, too. Induro and Manfrotto are both really nice, but tend to be priced a notch higher. Gitzo and Reall Right Stuff (RSS) are premium products at a premium price. I'm sure I missed a few notable manufacturers in there, but you get the idea.

All those manufacturers make a range of tripods, however, so a high-end Vanguard could very well be better than an entry-level Induro, for instance. Therefore, I still believe you'll do yourself the maximum benefit from understanding what features you really want to find in a set of legs so that when you see a tripod, you'll know if it's a decent deal, and more importantly, whether it's a good tripod for your needs.

 

[bobandcar]

I went ahead and bought the dolica. First thought in my living room is that's its WAY sturdier than my quantaray. I'll try and put it thru some use this weekend and report back