New Tripod: After ten years of almost daily, rough use, my son's Vanguard Tracker broke a restraint on one of its legs. It's still usable, but one leg (the one on the left) doesn't...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

After ten years of almost daily, rough use, my son's Vanguard Tracker broke a restraint on one of its legs. It's still usable, but one leg (the one on the left) doesn't lock into position. With Christmas on the way, I ordered a Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB 100 from B&H. That tripod got good reviews, and it will be here in a couple of days. We have several other tripods, so he won't have to use the broken one. A part actually broke and fell off. I'll take a look and see if it's a part I can buy and replace.

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

The Alta Pro 263AB is the best tripod I have ever owned. Lightness is not its strong point but for versatility and ruggedness, at this price point, it is hard to beat

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

SonyA580 wrote:

The Alta Pro 263AB is the best tripod I have ever owned. Lightness is not its strong point but for versatility and ruggedness, at this price point, it is hard to beat

Glad to hear that. It's 2 lb lighter than the Tracker. : )

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

jerryc41 wrote:

Glad to hear that. It's 2 lb lighter than the Tracker. : )

That is a wonderful tripod. It was my first and it is now my wife's. I've moved up to a series'5 tripod because I have a 300-800 f5.6 Sigma. Lol. Great tripod at a great price for a simple lightweight rig!

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

Funny, I don't see any sort of a question in the original post. Nothing much in there other than a fairly ordinary observation that sometimes things break after years of hard use. Makes for sort of a mundane discussion. Does keep your number of topics created up though.

sheldon minsky Loc: iron mountain michigan

Orphoto wrote:

Funny, I don't see any sort of a question in the original post. Nothing much in there other than a fairly ordinary observation that sometimes things break after years of hard use. Makes for sort of a mundane discussion. Does keep your number of topics created up though.

Well said and about time.

Julian Loc: Sarasota, FL

Orphoto wrote:

Funny, I don't see any sort of a question in the original post. Nothing much in there other than a fairly ordinary observation that sometimes things break after years of hard use. Makes for sort of a mundane discussion. Does keep your number of topics created up though.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"Well said and about time." Totally agree with sheldon minsky...
UHH was supposed to be a photographer's site...
Albeit sadly some would rather it become a "Facebook" sharing site...

Oh well...

GeneinChi Loc: Chicago, IL

This is a helpful post. I was looking for a tripod this morning and this gave me a couple options I didn’t know about. Thank you Jerry and others who actually talked about tripods.

It also seems that some people just need to take other’s posts and make it personal. The snarkiness never ends. Pretty sad.

Tman Loc: Texas

jerryc41 wrote:

After ten years of almost daily, rough use, my son... (show quote)

Got a 3+ 263AB last Christmas; really like it. Hope you enjoy yours.

outdoorcat

GeneinChi wrote:

This is a helpful post. I was looking for a tripod this morning and this gave me a couple options I didn’t know about. Thank you Jerry and others who actually talked about tripods.

It also seems that some people just need to take other’s posts and make it personal. The snarkiness never ends. Pretty sad.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

For the naysayers above. The thing is, this UHH forum section is the “Main Photography Discussion” section - a place to discuss all things about photography. And what has been happening is a discussion of tripods, their problems, favorite tripods, etc. Tripods are a part of all things photography. If there is something being discussed that you aren’t interested in then move on to the next topic.

Stan

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

StanMac wrote:

For the naysayers above. The thing is, this UHH forum section is the “Main Photography Discussion” section - a place to discuss all things about photography. And what has been happening is a discussion of tripods, their problems, favorite tripods, etc. Tripods are a part of all things photography. If there is something being discussed that you aren’t interested in then move on to the next topic.

Stan

Totally agree. If a post doesn't interest you, move on to something else.
There is no need to to be disrespectful of others here.

Will

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

I am a big time proponent of tripod use and have been for the last 35 years. I'm always happy to share knowledge and discuss any of their finer points. Worthwhile discussions can be had as to comparing, purchasing, using, cleaning or repairing them. BH shows over 100 brands and nearly 1200 models. It is a huge field of potentially constructive and helpful discussions. And don't get me started about heads.

Members should feel empowered to post experiences or ask questions. Such discussions move the community's fund of knowledge forward, to everyone's benefit. I often advocate for the real meaning behind an OP's post rather than a twisted thread of less than helpful but well meaning responses.

A posting explaining someone's thought process in deciding WHY to buy a an Alta Pro might prove helpful to someone else in the same situation.

Long term and/or very active members of the community should be especially sensitive to such considerations.

Mustanger Loc: Grants Pass, Oregon USA

StanMac wrote:

For the naysayers above. The thing is, this UHH forum section is the “Main Photography Discussion” section - a place to discuss all things about photography. And what has been happening is a discussion of tripods, their problems, favorite tripods, etc. Tripods are a part of all things photography. If there is something being discussed that you aren’t interested in then move on to the next topic.

Stan