What's the best/ stable, compact travel tripod? and filter help please

[yepp]

Hey, just need some help on some tripod choosing, i've done a lot of searching and it seems alot of really decent ones are around $200 and I'm not really ready to spend that much on a tripod alone yet. most of the ones i'm looking at are $80, was looking for something less than $50 originally but with some research I'm not going to get what I'm looking for, for that cheap. I would like to keep $80 my limit but definitely not more than $100. Two that i've looked at so far are MK393S-H Bogen 393 Short Aluminum Tripod with Photo/Video Head, Quick Release, Max Height 47", Supports 5 lbs., Gray (<-just looked at this and seems to be a bit to big) and 611806 Slik Sprint Mini II Tripod with Ball Head, Gun Metal Finish

I need something compact (15in or less folded)(something that will fit in a backpack or strapped under it without any "overhang") and stable...I'm currently in the desert and need something that will handle the equip in my sig in sand (d90 and 55-200mm is the heaviest setup) with a little bit of wind, if it's too windy i just won't use a tripod. Tripod weight isn't that much of an issue. The Slik Mini II looks like it will suit my needs just fine but really wanted to get some more experienced opinion on it, maybe there's something better for my needs out there and i just haven't seen it.

As for filters, I'm looking at these two B + W 52mm Circular Polarizer Multi Coated Glass Filter & B + W 52mm Digital Pro UV (Ultra Violet) Haze Glass Filter #010

I'll use the UV primarily for protection from Sand and dust on the lens. Don't need anything crazy expensive for that, just wanted something decent as I don't have any really expensive lenses, but for me they are expensive enough to not want to replace from sand scratches and all. As for the CPF I want a good quality one but am not really sure if I need to spend $80 on one or if I really need multi vs single coat. Don't really know anything about filters and what the quality brands are, just know CPF's are good for outdoor shots, which is what i primarily take.

Eventually my primary outdoor lens will be the Tokina 11-16, but just waiting for it to go back down in price (to just under $600). Question there is should I get an inexpensive CPF for my cheaper lenses and just wait to buy a better more expensive one for that lens?

I know I wrote a lot but I would really appreciate the help

Thanks,
Justin

 

[KmH]

For a tripod you can get only 2 of the 3 choices:

• Cheap
• Light
• Stable

You cannot get all three in a single tripod. You are wanting Cheap, and Light so forget about Stable.

UV filters used for protection often cause more problems than they solve. Problems like increased lens flare, lower image contrast, etc. I don't recommend using a UV filte for 'protection'.

Heaven forbid you should drop the camera and/or lens while a UV filter is on it, becuase if damaged the thin glass the UV filter is made of can easily shatter and scratch/gouge the glass it was intended to 'protect', and/or the UV filters body can be deformed in a way that makes it very difficult to remove from the lens without causing even more damage to the lens front glass and/or body.

The B+W CPL filter is a good idea. I would recommend getting a CPL that will fit the largest lens you antisipate getting, and using the big CPL with step-up rings for smaller lens filter sizes you have. Multi-coating on a CPL is desireable.

 

[yepp]

thanks for the input. I really don't plan on using the uv filter for impact protection, just from the sand and dust that is always blowing around here. Would really like to limit how much I clean lenses here. I also never said "cheap" for a tripod. Looking around I found out that wasn't an option for what I wanted. i consider 80-100 relatively inexpensive though compared to what's out there. As for weight, I don't really care, foldable size is more important as is overall quality...don't really want it to be cheap and flimsy like a few products I was looking at. Main reason I shy'd away from the cheaper options. Poor reviews on cheap products.