Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Hi TPMGers, I'm heading off to a 3wk tour of China in early October and looking for an inexpensive yet sturdy/lightweight yest compact tripod with a standard 1/4" thread to take with me. Yeah, all those features in a tripod does not equal cheap. lol

I have a Manfrotto 190 and a 055CXPRO3 but I think that they're a bit on the heavy side still.

Anyone have any experience with Benro? Trying to keep the weight under 3lbs and sub $120. Guess I'll have to make a trip down to Vistek/Henrys.

Thanks!

you'll probably have more luck finding used with those requirements... or consider renting or borrowing...

Yeah, I was dreading to do that. Worst case I'll take my 190 with me.

I have a Benro travel angel tripod. I really like it and its light weight too. Are you going to stop over in HK, that's where I got mine from the Benro store there. Or else, you can try to get it in China (ie. Shanghai/Beijing) too (if you have time to shop), I heard Benro is a very common brand among Photographers in China. (Benro is made from China to begin with). Enjoy your trip!

Thanks Sue. First time for me in China and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm flying into Beijing and then early the next morning I head out with a private tour company so I won't have time to shop until the very end when I spend 4-5 days in HK visiting relatives I've never met in my life.

Yeah, it was the Benro Travel Angel series I was looking at but originally did not want to spend that much. I was sort of looking for something I could ditch if need be since I'll probably be living out of a backpack in the boonies.

For a sturdier solution I'd go with the Benro Travel series but for inexpensive/best bang for your buck I'd recommend the Slik Sprint Pro II GM

I have the older version and it's served me well over the years. I bought mine 50% off at Blacks years ago so I'm sure if you shop around you may be able to get a deal.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... II_GM.html

Ask Sabesh about his ultra-portable

I have the Benro A269 m8 tripod.. nice and light. I picked this up shortly after I sold off my Manfrotto 055ProB setup and never turned back. I decided not to get the carbon fiber version as the cost was quite a bit more at the time - that's less than 2 box packages of Kraft dinners

Folds up very nicely - also have the carbon fibre monopod - it's quite nice

Carlton, did you find your travel tripod yet? Which one?

Looks like I may have to shop for one too.. I just did some test fittings, and my 190 doesn't fit in my check-in luggage without removing the head. I'm considering the monopod route too, since not all places will let you use a tripod.

Gonna look at some suggestions mentioned in this thread.

Hey Spencer, I might swing into Vistek and look at the Benro TRAB069 Aluminum Travel Angel. I believe the mini-ball head that comes with it is Arca Swiss compatible which works for me. If I can get one without a ballhead for cheaper, bonus. It's 13.1" folded and weights 2.5lbs. but not sure if that includes the weight of the head.

If it is for a single trip I can loan you my Tripod. It is very light and small. It is a SLIK model similar to the one posted above. Definitly not the sturdiest tripod out there but it works well and the head is great.

Spoke to a friend of mine that now lives in Hong Kong and he recommended Benro's CF tripods for the lightweight and durability. I'd think it's not cheap even if you purchase it in Asia but it's an idea

Yeah, after some research, it seems the Benro Travel Angel series is the most popular choice. Compact and sturdy. As mentioned, it's quite expensive. If I didn't already have a tripod, I'd consider it.

I'm gonna go with either a Benro or Induro monopod. They're under $100. Also, since I'm on a vacation tour, I really won't have time to set up and compose my shots with a tripod.. it'll be run and gun

Thanks for the offer but was doing some thinking and realized that I'm also going island hopping around Hawaii in June 2011 so will most likely need a travel sized tripod there as well. I think I'll just bite the bullet and pick up something decent, most likely the Benro TRAB069 Travel Angel.

I too considered taking my monopod but since I'm going to do a mini trip video, I'm going to need some stability. Now I don't know if I should just carry a video head. ACK! Too many decisions! You are welcome to borrow my monopod if you like.

After some more thought, it looks like the Benro Travel Angel will be my choice too.

Ahhhh.. ya just can't win!

Monopod
- small-ish, around 20" folded + 3-4" head
- not a great platform for tilt-shift lenses, but better than nothing
- portable, may be used where tripods aren't allowed
- cheap (<$100)

Benro Travel Angel
- very small, around 14" folded including head!
- best stability for tilt-shift lenses
- relatively portable, requires set-up, may not be allowed at all sites
- moderately priced (~$170)

Which would you get: TRA068 (4 section) or TRA069 (5 section)? Same price..

I'd go with the 5-section.

We should have a Tripod shootout event. Everyone would bring their tripod(s), set them up and we could all compare them to each other.

The 5 section is more compact but only an inch. Wouldn't the 4 section be more stable than 5? I guess this is when going into the store and testing it out would help make the decision easier.

I'm aiming for the TRAB169 which is $250. a load capacity of up to 13lbs vs 4.4lbs on the TRA068. I'm packing my 70-200mm f2.8 etc and I think my 5D with grip, dual batteries and the 70-200mm f2.8 attached is over or close to 4lbs? I should weigh it to see.

I think I'm going to hit Vistek on my lunch break tomorrow and check them out. Worse case I just man up and take the old Manfrotto 190 with me like the good old days.

You know what I just realized?

I think the only difference between the various Travel Angel models is the head. The weight capacity is determined by the head, not the legs. When you mentioned that the TRA068 can only handle 4.4lbs and the TRAB169 can handle 13lbs, this made me wonder what the difference was.

Having said that, you could theoretically buy the cheapest TRA068/069 model and throw on a ball head you already have.. voila, you just saved almost $100. These tripods use the standard 3/8" thread, so I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Bring a tripod head with you to Vistek, to make sure it folds up nicely as intended.

And yeah, with all the gear you mentioned, you'll need at least 6.5lbs (3kg) capacity.

The TRAB169 folds to 13.1" and they all fold up above the head unlike conventional tripods so I think they're all slightly different.