Posted by Joe Rogers on November 18, 2009 at 6:40 PM
Ive hauled around my Manfrotto long enough and it's time for a carbon fiber tripod. Gitzo is out of my price range and the $300 Feisol CT3442 and Velbon El Carmagne 640 both have solid reviews.
Does anyone here own either, or have you got suggestions on simularly priced carbon fibers.
Joe Rogers
Posted by Randy Wilson on November 18, 2009 at 8:07 PM
I've got the EL Carmagne 630, which is the 3-section version of the 4-section 640. The only advantage of the 640 is that it telescopes down to a shorter length.
It's the only carbon fiber tripod I've owned; so I can't make comparisons with others, but I can say that I'm very happy with it, and it beats my old Bogens to perdition. It's light, tall, and steady, and the flip locks are quick and easy to use, and you don't risk losing a finger when you flip them open, which you can't say about the Bogens.
Posted by Rod Kissinger on November 18, 2009 at 10:46 PM
Note that Velbon makes two lines of carbon fiber tripods: the El Carmagne version and the Neo Carmagne line. The tripods are very similar and share many of the same components. The main difference is that the El Carmagne line uses flip locks while the Neo Carmagne uses rotating collars. The Neo Carmagne is also marketed as Sherpa Pro in some countries.
I have a Gitzo with rotating locks and after using the flip locks for years I can say I wouldn't go back to them.
Rod
Posted by John Moore on November 18, 2009 at 11:02 PM
I've also got the Velbon El Carmagne 630A, and I love it. For the last 3 and a half years, it has endured countless bushwhacks in the Ozark backcountry. I've never had a bit of trouble with it, except for one winter when I got the legs wet and then the next morning they froze in the low temperature and would not extend. Occasionally I find myself wishing it was a little taller, but the majority of the time it's fine. It's only the second tripod I've ever owned. I hated the twist locks on my previous Gitzo, which also didn't want to play well after getting wet.
Posted by Bill Dark on November 19, 2009 at 8:43 AM
Even though most nature photographers lean toward carbon fiber when it comes to tripods due to the light weight, you might also want to consider a wooden Berlebach. It's really not as heavy as it looks, and you will appreciate the dampening effect of the wood and 2-section design when shooting in moving water. One of the features I like most is the leveling ball that makes pano shots a breeze. And the price is within your budget - $239.90 at Adorama. Here's a review if you think you might be interested.
I almost forgot to mention that these tripods are built really well. Mine free-fell from the little bluff above King's River Falls last spring (without a camera attached), and I really expected to find it in several pieces when I walked down to retrieve it. Much to my surprise, there was only a scrapped placed on part of the ball where it hit.
Posted by Larry Fischer on November 19, 2009 at 12:54 PM
I have a carbon tripod.
Hakuba, made in China.
Might pick one up use don e-bay.
New about $300. I like mine. Ball head adds to the cost.
Never owned anything else, however.
Max height is not high enough for some, probably not over 6 ft.
It is light.
And I have heard good reports on the wooden tripods.
the fisch
Posted by Darren Huski on November 21, 2009 at 5:22 PM
I have the Feisol 3401 which is light, packs small, decent enough for a 70-200 lens. Only $220 or so. My travel tripod of choice, great for air travel. No it is not as solid as my $500 Gitzo 1325 but it is my DSLR tripod of choice 90% of the time. It will hold my Arca-Swiss metal monorail 4x5 so it will hold most 35mm/DSLR lenses. After 18 months it still is in tip top shape.
Discussion
6 repliesDoes anyone here own either, or have you got suggestions on simularly priced carbon fibers.
Joe Rogers
It's the only carbon fiber tripod I've owned; so I can't make comparisons with others, but I can say that I'm very happy with it, and it beats my old Bogens to perdition. It's light, tall, and steady, and the flip locks are quick and easy to use, and you don't risk losing a finger when you flip them open, which you can't say about the Bogens.
I have a Gitzo with rotating locks and after using the flip locks for years I can say I wouldn't go back to them.
Rod
I almost forgot to mention that these tripods are built really well. Mine free-fell from the little bluff above King's River Falls last spring (without a camera attached), and I really expected to find it in several pieces when I walked down to retrieve it. Much to my surprise, there was only a scrapped placed on part of the ball where it hit.
Hakuba, made in China.
Might pick one up use don e-bay.
New about $300. I like mine. Ball head adds to the cost.
Never owned anything else, however.
Max height is not high enough for some, probably not over 6 ft.
It is light.
And I have heard good reports on the wooden tripods.
the fisch