Photojournal

Thank you so much! 😊

Photojournal

Has anyone else had problems with clamps breaking ?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

So in effect you are trying to keep a 900mm lens calm enough to minimize blur. Lightweight, sturdy and budget friendly are very contradictory terms - and very subjective. Perhaps you can provide some more guidance, as well as how you intend to use it - to shoot what kinds of subjects. Forget about your last sentence - the tripod that you need for a stable platform for your camera and lens will most definitely NOT fit in a backpack - but again, a backpack can range from something that holds lunch, a snack, a water bottle and maybe a rain parka. Or it could be more involved - with an internal frame and suspension, good enough for an overnight or lots of camera gear.

It is impossible to answer your question with any reasonable answer with the information you've provided.

But you may want to start reading here:

https://thecentercolumn.com/tripod-reviews/

Stability (torsional rigidity) - you can't have too much of that. I suggest you look at the stiffest and then the next 10 in line behind it - and pick one of them. Gimbal and ball head will work - don't waste $$ on a cheap ball head, you'll only end up replacing it with something better after you start using it and learn about it's weaknesses. The same goes for gimbals and tripods.

and watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8HVPrPzpR4

If you are comfortable with the hands-on technique - you'll find you can go with something that is a little less heavy.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

When carrying a tripod to the location I prefer the lightest possible, such as a carbon fiber. When using it I prefer as heavy as possible, like the Bogen monster I had in film days. Good luck to you.

Photojournal

Thank you so much for this. I found a used Manfrotto carbon 190 pro which I’ll most likely purchase. Just need to research/find the ball head. ( Already have a gimbal)

uhaas2009

The Manfrotto 190 pro with a old foba head is heavy and feels bulky but it holds my 810 with 200-500 mm with out problems. The foba head I fund used for$70, I was desperate and didn’t had enough $$$. Later I added a pike design tripod what is easy to transport and it holds my 810 with 200-500. Both aren’t the perfect but somehow I deal with it.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Benro or Induro make good tripods for the price.
Manfrotto makes a good inexpensive gimbal. it is a double post affair

pete menter Loc: London, England

As the goal is to eliminate camera shake, my solution is to increase the shutter speed, if it's birds you are after at least 1/2500th second. I use a tripod for still life, HDR photography and multi-image macro shots. I believe hacking around with a tripod soon becomes a wearisome task, however light it is. I use a Manfrotto 055 with a locking head with spirit levels, but my it is tres heavy. The only time I've used it in the field was to support an astronomy telescope, and that was a very heavy lump of glass. Ball head great in theory but they need to be well tightened up.

Jerry Green Loc: Huntsville, AL

Slik 700DX Pro Tripod Legs $200 and a Jobu Design BWG-J3K Jobu Jr.3 Gimbal Kit with Swing-Arm HM-J2 $338 from B&H. Very steady and I use it with a D6 and a Sigma 150-600mm Sport lens.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

My experience with my Bogen 3051+3047 - 3-Way pan/tilt head (all aluminum, two leg sections, collapsed to 37.25" without the head, weighed 12.65 lbs for the legs, and 3 lbs for the head), was that it was not nearly as stable as my 4.1lb Feisol CT3472, which collapses to 20.5" and with an Arca Swiss ball head which weighs 1.4 lbs.

Let's put it in real terms - It was a challenge to use the Bogen with anything longer than 200mm, which one would expect for a tripod that was not built for fieldwork. It belonged in the studio, preferably on a set of casters. In contrast, I've used the Feisol, with a 600mm lens + a 1.4TC, on a D300 - a combined effective focal length of 1260mm when crop factor is considered, and not had an issue, even at 1/10 sec.

The take aways here are that weight ≠ stability, aluminum ≠stability, 2 leg sections ≠ stability, and load capacity has absolutely nothing to do with stability. On the other side of the coin - carbon fiber = stability, thick legs = stability, large apex = stability, and 4 leg sections with twist locks are as stable as 3 leg sections, and will allow a small folded length, that can fit in a backpack, if the backpack can accommodate something 20.5" long.

FWIW, the load capacity of the Bogen legs was 26 lbs, the head was 16 lbs. By comparison, the much lighter Feisol legs has a load capacity of 66 lbs, and the Arca-Swiss Z1 ball head has a load capacity of 130 lbs. The 5.5 lb carbon (with ball head) has 6x the stability of the 15.65 lb Bogen with pan/tilt head.

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ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

Sturdy. Cheap. Lightweight. Pick any two.

GLSmith Loc: Tampa, Fl

First, do not let $$ be your guide. Take the weight of the lens & add the weight of the camera body. Your tripod has to be able to support more than that weight. Environment is another concern, will you be placing tripod in/around water, will rubber foot pads be sufficient, or do you need spikes? After starting to filter out tripods, review the ones that fit your needs here.."https://thecentercolumn.com/" minus quotes.

stevetassi

Your requirements are fictional. Lightweight is not going to be sturdy period. What does budget friendly mean? With your setup you’re going to need carbon fiber legs and heavy duty (weight) in order for it to be stable. Unless you buy used, plan on spending $1,000+ for a solid leg/ ball head setup.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I'd agree but I've never seen a cheap sturdy tripod. I'd buy it in a heartbeat if such a thing was available, even if it was on the heavy side. Though the Leofoto LM-404CL is very stiff (stable) and weighs about 6 lbs, a tiny bit lighter than the Gitzo GT5533S, which it compares to. The Gitzo sells for $1133, and the Leofoto is $739 - not exactly cheap but certainly less than the Gitzo.

wmurnahan Loc: Bloomington IN

Get a good tripod, no Chinese, and a gimbal head. I spent the money in 1976 and bought a Gitzo, still using it and loving it in 2022, matter of fact it is the one set up with a gimbal that I use my 200-600 Sony on and I had the Tamron 150-600 before that.