Photolady2014 wrote:
Would like a travel tripod. What do you have that you like? Don’t really want to break the bank, but do want to be able to support a Canon 5D MIV and Tamron 150-600. Would also like to be able to get low.
Second, looking for a ball head for my Manfrotto tripod legs. Looked at Really Right Stuff, $$ any other suggestions? Again, want to support fairly large glass. Manfrotto legs are nice, but longer than I want for travel. Folded with ball head well over 24”...
Thanks!
Your'e asking about a tripod for a 600mm lens - and thinking you can do this with a "travel" tripod.
I have two tripods, a 2.3 lb light duty tripod, Feisol CT3442, that folds to 18.9 inches and if you use their ball head, you can reverse-fold the legs. It has a load capacity of 55 lbs, but I would never use it with a 600mm lens (a 150-600 these days). For that, I use a Feisol CT-3472, which weighs 3.9 lbs, and folds to 20.5 inches. It is more than adequate for long lens use. I've used it with care, to shoot with a crop camera and a 600mm F4 with a 1.4 TC, for a combined effective focal length of 1260mm, and gotten decent results with shutter speed as long as 1/10 sec.
The CT 3472 hardly qualifies as a travel tripod, but it is small, light and torsionally rigid enough to calm down a long lens. The practical focal length limit on the CT-3442 is probably around 300mm. Any longer and shake becomes an issue.
The prices are $420 and $600, respectively - without a head. Load capacities, not that it matters - are 55lbs and 66lbs. Both tripods can fit in an bag small enough for an overhead compartment on an airplane.
Selecting a tripod by how much it can hold without failure is the easiest way to select the wrong tripod. Even a $50 Walmart special will support a 10 lb load.
Travel tripods are meant for vacation and travel photography, usually with shorter lenses which does not require extraordinary stability. Shooting with a 600mm (or effective 600mm on a crop camera or smaller) does require stability, which you are not going to find in a travel tripod. Kinda like you wouldn't buy a Prius if you intended to haul an RV camper. The Prius is a fine car(I've owned 4), but just for its intended purpose. It is not an F250.
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