Benro Tripods: HI, Anyone familiar with Benro tripods? I'm thinking about the SystemGo Plus, which has the center column that can be pulled up and rotated into any position. I have a...

Kreb's Cyclist

HI, Anyone familiar with Benro tripods? I'm thinking about the SystemGo Plus, which has the center column that can be pulled up and rotated into any position. I have a Vanguard tripod that can do that but I'd had issues with it and it has annoying quirk of not allowing the swing tension of the legs to be adjusted. I'm familiar with the Manfrotto 055 but that can only be locked into a horizontal position. Thanks for any info.

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

I own a Benro tripod they make great products mine is C/F and very sturdy.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I have 2 of them an aluminum and a carbon fiber. Both excellent very sturdy tripods

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Center columns increase instability. Preferably, get a tripod that meets your height requirements without extending the column.

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

Everyone is concerned with which brand of tripod one should purchase, and almost no one takes this into consideration.
You tripod and head/gimbal, should support the one and one half to twice the total weight of your camera and largest lens (think ahead here). Too much weight and the tripod isn't designed to support that weight and CRASH.
After the weight consideration is taken into my decision, then I look for the other factors, height, etc..

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

traveler90712 wrote:

Everyone is concerned with which brand of tripod one should purchase, and almost no one takes this into consideration.
You tripod and head/gimbal, should support the one and one half to twice the total weight of your camera and largest lens (think ahead here). Too much weight and the tripod isn't designed to support that weight and CRASH.
After the weight consideration is taken into my decision, then I look for the other factors, height, etc..

To a point, yes. The weight rating might protect your camera & lens from collapsing. However the real goal is to dampen vibration. I realize you are not saying this, but when we attach our gear to our tripods, we are not attempting to place our gear out of harm’s way; we are attempting to reduce vibration when making images with a shutter duration too long to (safely) hand hold. Weight ratings are over-rated.

Just my 2 cents, which I know most buyers will ignore. Inevitably, they be back.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

LoneRangeFinder wrote:

Center columns increase instability. Preferably, get a tripod that meets your height requirements without extending the column.

The two Benro's I own are tall enough that I never have to extend the center columns. They on with a short and a long column.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

WayneT wrote:

The two Benro's I own are tall enough that I never have to extend the center columns. They on with a short and a long column.

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

LoneRangeFinder wrote:

To a point, yes. The weight rating might protect ... (show quote)

Never disputed about vibrations in the slightest way, nor did I mention them. But if the tripod can not support the weight, why worry about vibrations? Have had that experience.

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

traveler90712 wrote:

Everyone is concerned with which brand of tripod one should purchase, and almost no one takes this into consideration.
You tripod and head/gimbal, should support the one and one half to twice the total weight of your camera and largest lens (think ahead here). Too much weight and the tripod isn't designed to support that weight and CRASH.
After the weight consideration is taken into my decision, then I look for the other factors, height, etc..

No one should follow that weight-based advice anymore. Even the most modestly priced tripod will meet your spec. But that doesn't ensure it will dampen vibrations. A Gitzo may have a load capacity of 60 lbs but it won't provide consistent results with lenses longer than 300mm or so. A Canon 5D MkIII and a 400mm F5.6 weighs under 5 lbs, but Gitzo would be "challenging" to use with this camera/lens combo due to lack of stability and inadequate vibration dampening, especially at close to it's minimum focus distance.

Load capacity tells you nothing about a tripod other than it will not fail as long as you dont exceed it's load capacity.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Gene51 wrote:

No one should follow that weight-based advice anym... (show quote)

I hope your use of Gitzo is just an example.

Miquel99 Loc: Belgium

Hi,
I am new to this forum, even if I have been following it now for a while.
I have a Benro A-650 EX with a Benro B-1 head (now for 3 years), and I'm very happy with it. I have used it to do some longg time exposures and some circumpolar with a 1DX and a 70-200 L 2.8 with no problem either in weight or vibration.
It has also a central column you can extend, but I have not used it so much in extended. but a couple of times I have extended it half with the same equipment, also with no problem.
I's (in my opinion) a good tripod.
Best regards,
Miquel

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

Kreb's Cyclist wrote:

HI, Anyone familiar with Benro tripods? I'm thinking about the SystemGo Plus, which has the center column that can be pulled up and rotated into any position. I have a Vanguard tripod that can do that but I'd had issues with it and it has annoying quirk of not allowing the swing tension of the legs to be adjusted. I'm familiar with the Manfrotto 055 but that can only be locked into a horizontal position. Thanks for any info.

I own two Benro's, one is aluminum and one is carbon fiber. They both came with a carrying case and tools. Both are manufactured to a high degree of quality. They are manufactured by a larger, famous tripod manufacture that I will let you figure out who.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Kreb's Cyclist wrote:

HI, Anyone familiar with Benro tripods? I'm thinking about the SystemGo Plus, which has the center column that can be pulled up and rotated into any position. I have a Vanguard tripod that can do that but I'd had issues with it and it has annoying quirk of not allowing the swing tension of the legs to be adjusted. I'm familiar with the Manfrotto 055 but that can only be locked into a horizontal position. Thanks for any info.

I am sure the Benro is adequate for lighter weight camera/lenses with a compromise for traveling. The BIG caution is - IF- you use the articulating centerpost, that you place/hang a counterweight on the end of the centerpost opposite the camera - preferably, the same weight as the camera/lens ! I have used excercise weights with bailing wire to accomplish this !

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

"Center columns increase instability. Preferably, get a tripod that meets your height requirements without extending the column."

Indeed extending the center column makes for an unstable tripod....assuming it is extended all the way up. Annie Leybovitz extends her tripod about 6 inches and I figure she must have her reasons. If she does it all the time I do not really know.
I have a cheap Dolica aluminum tripod (my most used tripod) that I extend to about 6 inches without ill effects. Use good tripod techniques and there will be no problem but still do not extend it all the way up.