I need aTripod, and ball head.

I am fairly new to wildlife photography.
I have always owned a tripod, but it is very light duty.
The new tripod has to hold my DSLR with a 500mm lens.
I would like something 16" and under when collapsed.
My budget is $400.00 for tripod and ball mount.
I am 5' 10" tall if that makes a difference.

Would appreciate some help.

Thankyou,

Mike

I hate to dampen your spirits, but I think we would all like to have that set-up! Any one of those specs are easy to meet, but when combined they become considerably more difficult, if not impossible.

For the money you want to spend, I would suggest looking seriously into Manfrotto (Bogen) tripods. They will give you really good bang for the buck. The most difficult spec you have there may be the 16" collapsed length. I have my concerns that anything you buy in that price range might not be stable enough for the 500 long lens, at least with legs fully extended.

As a dedicated "used" gear shopper, I really doubt you're going to find a tripod/head for $400 that will do all that. The closest you will come is a Bogen 3021 tripod and maybe a 3047 head from eBay. It will have a center column. If you need to lower it, bring a Makita drill with a 1 inch wood bore bit and drill a hole in the ground for it to go in. I assume by "500mm lens" you are talking about a 500mm f4? If you spent that much on a lens, how come you are going so cheap on a tripod that will likely compromise the quality of images you get from it? My criteria was very similar and I had spent nearly $900 after carefully shopping. (Gitzo 1325 & AcraTech head.) It will do what you want though.


Kent in SD

I thought I could get a packable tripod that could hold a 500mm but, I would rather have the sturdy well built tripod instead.
I looked on the Manfroto website and its not really clear what tripod would work best with my outfit. Is a balljoint the way to go?
I will need a full outfit . Quik release, ball joint and Tripod.
What is the minimum I need to spend and what model should I get?
Manfroto is pretty easy to get up here, everything else is tough.
Sharp photos are more important.

Please help.

Mike

If you opt for it, the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021/3221 will probably give you enough support for a 500 f/4. Where you'll need to spend the money, then, is in a decent ball head. I wouldn't want to go cheap here as that 500 is expensive and you don't want your tripod head failing with all the weight (and $$) sitting up there. The Kirk BH-1 would do the job at $355. The Really Right stuff BH-55 is bomb proof. The Acratech mentioned above might also do the job. No matter what though, you're looking at spending more than the $400 you've budgeted.

I use the Bogen/Manfrotto 3221 with an Arca-Swiss Z1 single pan ball head and Wimberly P-40 Quick Release Lens Plate for my 500 f4 and 1DMKII. The set up has plenty of support and goes for about $575 from B&H. A little more than you wanted to spend and only folds down to a littte over 25 inches, but this was the most economical support I could find for my setup.

Rolan

You're going to find out the same thing the rest of us did. First, you try to go cheap and spend $400 on a tripod & head. After about a year of frustration using something that really can't do the job, you then break down and buy the Gitzo 1325 and a decent ballhead (AcraTech, RRS, Wimberly etc.) and take a bath when you go to resell the $400 stuff. Again, not sure why you would spend the $$ on a 500mm lens and not buy a first class tripod'/head at the same time. The lens isn't very useful without it. If you have to go cheap, go cheap on the camera. It makes the smallest amount of difference. I'd rather have a 500mm/first class tripod/Nikon D40x than a 500mm/cheap tripod/Nikon D300. It's that critical.


Kent in SD

Guys,
Thanks for the tips, I went with a Manfrotto 055XPROB good for 15lbs.
Its real beefy and bulky, but I know it won't be the reason my photos suck.
Went with the best Manfroto BH & QR I could get. spent $600.00 on complete outfit.

Thanks again,

Mike

I guess I got to the conversation late, but as another option there are some Velbon El Carmagne CF models that would fit most of your needs, but would still have busted your original $400 budget when you add a head. I don't know of any tripods that would carry a 500mm and fold to 16". The 730/740 is probably fine for the load you want to apply, but the 830/840 would also be good for extra capacity. Some of the larger Giottos and maybe Slik models would fit the bill as well. After these, you'd be looking to Gitzo and they charge a hefty premium.

With the Velbons, I think they all have a split center column. On mine, the upper column is short and the lower column can unscrew from the upper column. This is both for slight weight reduction and to offer very low to ground tripod positions.

I've owned a 3021 (AKA the 055) for several years and recently upgraded to a Velbon 630. My reason for getting the Velbon was that I needed to shed some weight from my pack. The 630 is rated the same load capacity as the 3021, but my experience is that it is much stiffer in both the spider and legs which will offer better telephoto performance. This was a pleasant surprise.

My 630 and Acratech Ultimate totaled roughly $600. The 7X0 and 8X0 models were about $100 more expensive and the Manfrotto ballheads about $100 less than the Acratech so you could still get into one of these Velbons for about the same as you've spent.

While I like the Manfrotto 055, I think you would be served better with that 500mm by a better tripod. I occasionally had trouble with my Manfrotto in windy conditions with only a 70-300 IS mounted (IS off) and this lens is tiny compared to a 500 f4.

Although I don't shoot with a super tele, like Kent I believe that with a 500mm lens the support is just as important as the lens in the photo quality. I don't believe that Gitzo is the only route to a quality Carbon tripod, but they are an industry leader. You can get a high quality alternative for much less, but you may be giving up the availability of repair parts (which are available in the US for Gitzo and Manfrotto).

Mike, I use the 055CL Manfrotto too. For my needs it's really heavy - before I bought it several millenia ago, it was the best option, but I wasn't aware that it was more ideal for MF cameras. It's bomb-proof, probably a nuclear one at that. However if you are going on hikes longer than a few hours without a car or a mule, you might wanna consider something else.

You are wanting to use a $400 tripod and ball head with over $8,000 worth of gear. WRONG! At the minimum, this set up requires something equivalent to the Gitzo 1325 with either a full Wimberley head or a Wimberley Side-Kick on an Arca-Swiss or equivalent ball head.

Besides a Gitzo 1548 with the full Wimberley, we also have a Manfrotto 440 with an Arca-Swiss ball head. Don't cheap off on what may be the second most important piece of photographic gear you will buy. Unless you find a bargain in the used market, you should budget about $1,000 for the tripod and head. Compared to the cost of the lens and camera body, it is the best investment you can make.