bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

It says there are about 600 choices. Here is where it goes on my computer:

(Download)

juanbalv Loc: Los Angeles / Hawthorne

I also use Benro tripods. Their top tripods, for the money, although a bit heavier, are the equals of Really Right Stuff and Gitzos, and did I mention the price?
Tripod heads, I use a Really Right Stuff. No argument.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

Induro makes very good tripods are reasonable prices. As good as Gitzo in my opinon but less expensive.

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

RRS BH-55 or BH-40 ball heads and Gitzo CF tripod. Expensive yes but you won't need more and resale is easier.

tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

I am using a Ravelli tripod with a center hook so that I can hang my camera bag to stabilize it.
It weighs 2.8lbs and inexpensive.
My question is: will the stabilization be equivalent to using a more sturdy and heavier ones.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ravelli-APLT6-72-Inch-Aluminum-Tripod-with-Carry-Bag-Includes-Universal-Mount/232671725314?hash=item362c50c702:g:h3wAAOSwH~1ai5OH

KenwardV

I have a Feisol CT-3342 with a Kirk BH-3 ball head. Haven't used them a whole lot yet (Christmas presents, and I haven't retired yet...) but like how they work.

Tripod is quite stiff and comes with a nice bag, etc. No complaints.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

Which is not to an interactive selector, it is the normal B&H marketing page. Gitzo and Manfrotto have what looks to be the selector, but a) you are limited to one brand, b) one didn't work when I tried, and c) the other was difficult to use because it was very slow and non-intuitive.

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

No.

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

Yes, you are correct. mirrorless cameras with electronic shutters are not a source of vibration. But wind can be. A lighter camera, lower in mass, is more likely to move as well.

https://diglloyd.com/prem/s/ALLVIEW/SonyFullFrame/A7-shutterVibration-280mm.html?dglyPT=true

https://diglloyd.com/blog/2013/20131211_2-SonyA7R-shutter-vibration-280mm.html

Adding mass to a light camera that has shutter vibration issues, rather than getting an even lighter camera, is one solution:

https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/the-shutter-vibration-issue-explained-by-joseph-holmes/

The stability of a tripod is directly related to image magnification - if you don't use it for macro or with a long lens at close distances, then your vibration is greatly diminished and you can use a "lighter duty" tripod. The stability of a tripod will need to be there, regardless of whether the camera and lens weighs 5 lbs or 20 lbs - if you are using it for high magnification applications.

jtwind

I have the same camera and lens and also use sony's 70-200 f4 lens on my set up and it's worked perfectly. Quite light for how sturdy it is. I'd recommend it. Gitzo GT 1532 Mountaineer Ser.1 3S and a Really Right Stuff BH-30.

Nikon1201

I have a MeFoto around $180 . Holds my D7100 with a Sigma 50-500 with no droop. I love it

SteveLew Loc: Sugar Land, TX

There are so many very good tripod companies that will serve you well. Some are very expensive like RRS and others like Indigo or Benro that will serve you just as well for less. For my money I think that money is better spent on procuring a very good ball head.

tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

If like you said, the weight of my lens+bag hanging onto the center bottom hook of the tripod will not stabilize the camera, then with or without the weight means the same to the camera's stabilization.
It would be hard for me to imagine the truefulness your comment; it definitely stabilizes my camera against the wind when taking selfies.
Perhaps the more expensive ones do not need weights to hold it down for stabilization. People are probably pleased by your comment so as to justify the money well spent on their expensive tripods
By the simple law of physics, the added weight lowers the center of gravity and increases the mass of the whole set up which will hold more firmly to the ground.
I would challenge my setup against any expensive tripods, to see which camera will get blown off first.

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

So let's look at what you have - an aluminum tripod that costs $36 new, and has a load capacity of 10 lbs. If you put a DSLR and lens that weighs, say 5 lbs, and you put a camera bag on the hook, and that bag and contents weigh more than 5 lbs, you have just exceeded the tripod's load capacity - not a good thing. There is also a loss of stability when the bag swings in the wind. The center of gravity may be lower, but it is a pendulum. And the added swinging weight does not address the inherent lack of stability in it's design.

Stability in a tripod. When a tripod is stable, it will adequately dampen vibrations - from wind, shutter vibration, mirror vibration, etc. The higher the magnification the more stability you need. My opinion, arrived at over 51 yrs of camera use in studio and the out in the field, suggests that the Ravelli is anything but stable with anything more than a wide angle lens and a VERY light camera. The construction of the tripod where the legs attach to the top is cheaply designed and of poor quality - which is where you will see the most instability. If you compare it to a real tripod you'd immediately see the difference, and why better tripods are in fact, better.

A camera blowing over is not the reason you spend more for a stable tripod - you also want it not to vibrate, spoiling image sharpness. Any tripod is susceptible to blow-over - even the $1200 ones - and blow over is not an indication of instability, it's more an indication of someone taking unnecessary risks with their gear.

Your Ravelli will do what you want - let you take great selfies on windy days as long as you don't exceed the total load capacity and the wind isn't too strong. But it is no match for a real tripod.

This is just an educated opinion - it is not intended to mislead or be untruthful. And I suspect your's is as well.

But don't embarrass yourself by suggesting that there is no reason to spend the correct amount of money to get the support needed. In my opinion, $36 buys a toy that will fail when a critical plastic part breaks, weakened by UV exposure or over-stressing. It could be a leg lock, the hinge at the top of the leg, or the head itself, particularly the hinge which rotates the camera from landscape to portrait, which is made mostly of plastic. I wouldn't put anything valuable on it if I were you.

You shouldn't take my word for it, however:

https://www.amazon.com/Ravelli-APLT2-Weight-Aluminum-Tripod/product-reviews/B004ZGN6MY/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar

https://www.amazon.com/Ravelli-APLT2-Weight-Aluminum-Tripod/product-reviews/B004ZGN6MY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_hist_2?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=two_star&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar

https://www.amazon.com/Ravelli-APLT2-Weight-Aluminum-Tripod/product-reviews/B004ZGN6MY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_hist_3?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=three_star&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar

gardog541

So there are tripods available such as zomei that r all metal with ball heads, that can take the weight of a big lens! I use a zomei z668 ( about 100 dollars) and it holds the weight of my canon 7dmarkII, with battery grip along with my sigma 150-600mm lens. That is a little bit of weight. I like this tripod It did not break the bank and it does what it says. I live in southern oregon and take pics of elk, and other wildlife.