Tripods?

I think that there was some discussion about tripods on this forum about a month ago. Several people recommended an affordable cf tripod that I hadn't heard of before. I have tried to find the thread but without any success. Can anyone point me back to that thread, tell me which tripod they may have been recommending or simply tell me that I dreamt it.

Thanks!

Hi Eric,

I'm not sure about the message thread but the tripod in question may be the Velbon El Carmagne 540. It usually sells for about $250 or so. It's very light weight yet still quite sturdy.

Cheers,

For the amount of hiking you do, you should probably have a couple of Gitzo's in your quiver. They will last for life. The 1228 is a great in-between size that is stable and not too heavy. Slap a Kirk head on there and you're set!

I'll qualify my recommendation by saying that I'm up to 4 CF Gitzo's now - any more and I'll need a 12 step program.

Erik, it was my thread that you are referring to. I bought the Feisol CT-3301 and it has been great. It was about $175 and it is lighter, stronger, and has better twist clamps than my piece of crap Giottos CF tripod that cost 300 and broke after 2 trips. It has everything that you need and nothing that you don't. I highly recommend buying the extension arm as it does not come with one. They are made in Taiwan. However, there is an american retailer that sells them for the same price on Ebay. I coupled this tripod with a Kirk BH-3 and I'm very happy with it.

I've been very happy with my Feisol. I picked up a CT-3401 about a year ago and have been beating it up non-stop since then.

We need to get Jim E. to carry Fesiol in the NPN store, maybe with a nice little discount for NPN members.

Thanks guys! I was starting to think I had made it up in my head. The Feisol looks interesting. (Especially from the NPN store. ) Has anyone had any bad experience with them?

Hakuba has also been thrown around here by some happy owners ... a Velbon product. Very similar to the Velbon CF models but less expensive. The Feisol looks great. Just remember with a Feisol, factory service is in Taiwan. I guess I'm more sensitive to that issue, as my Gitzo is waiting for service (stupid plastic leg locks).

Carbon fiber?

I've got a nice aluminum Manfrotto that I will let go for a song! (Some assembly required. I'll even throw in a roll of duct tape ).

Phil, If i need a good marshmellow roasting stick I'll give you a call. Right now I am looking at the Feisol CT-3471. It looks like it has both the height and ability to kiss the ground that I need. Its about 5lb but that's less than my present tripod weighs. Any experience with this model? Jesse, your point about service is a good one which I need to weigh in there with purchase price.

I just picked up the Velbon EL Carmagne 630A with flip locks (which I prefer). They also have a twist lock version if you like that better. It cost $224 from Vendio here:
http://shop.vendio.com/hkd/item/893490710/index.html

It took about a week to receive it.

I did a similar investigation on these forums on tripods recently. Go to "All Topics" and do a search on tripod (or Velbon) to get previous discussions. I was trying to choose between Gitzo CF and Bogen aluminum (talk about 2 ends of the spectrum!) when Guy mentioned the Velbon Carmagne (a relatively inexpensive CF), and I ended up purchasing the 630 version. I am VERY happy with it (thank you Guy!). Smooth and easy to set up, very stable, and can go "flat" (if you unscrew and remove the lower portion of the center column). I topped mine off with a Kirk BH-3, also very nice.

Erik, if weight is an issue, you may want to investigate Gitzo's new Carbon Fiber line. I think they're called 6F or something. They're about 1/2 lb lighter than normal CF. I saw them at the NANPA convention in February. Very nice. Although priced at the Lexus end of the line. My Hakuba is solid for the price.

I have a Velbon El carmagne with flip locks and I love it, I've seen Gitzo owners with blisters from twist locks.

Bill Meikle