Hiking Tripod
- This topic has 20 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated Mar 29, 2007 at 4:47 pm by
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This looks like a great option; does anyone know if it takes standard Bogen plates?
http://www.adorama.com/BG725B.html
Zach
Dang Zach,
Don’t you know that putting “photo” in front of anything adds at least $100 to the price? And you only want to spend $100!
I think, though, you probably have about the best you can get for the bucks. Gitzo and others, of course, have some really nice lightweight tripods in graphite and basalt, like the G-1298 (3+ lbs), and Really Right Stuff has that cute little BH-25 ball head (< 1/2 lb). And you'd only be out, for the pair, about $550. Oh yes, the RRS plates for your body are about $50 too, so say $600. On a more serious note, we used to take those standard 1/4″-20 bolts and attach them to all sorts of things to make camera mounts. Add a cheap, small, ball head, and you can attach a camera in all sorts of places. Braze one or two of the bolts onto a Vise-Grip and you can clamp it to about anything you can get the jaws around – – – a pipe, tree limb, chair arm/leg, etc. Attach one to a lag screw, and you can screw it into a tree. Put one on a walking staff with a sharp tip and jam it into the ground (usually you can see those slowly start to tip over and watch your camera drop to the ground). All of the above makes one appreciate the Bogen value prices even more. Buzz
Zach,
Was at the dreaded mall today, and stuck head into Wolf Camera. They had a lightweight tripod and ball head for $59.95. Might actually work for what you’re wanting.
That’s very intriguing – those are basically identical to the highest-end stuff, and we just don’t have to pay the made-in-Europe premium.
Continuing on the Benro subject:
I just bought a new Benro KS-1 ballhead and MC-66 carbon fiber monopod off ebay for under $200 shipped with a spare QR plate.
I got the monopod and head today- 3 days after placing my order; not too bad for shipping from Hongkong.
The monopod is really quite nice.
A quick update now that I’ve had the new head and monopod out in the field for a while.
The monopod is pretty great.
I was looking at those bogen/manfrotos 725B as well Zach, and after handling one they feel very nice.
Great thread and lots of good info!
I’ve converted most of my backpacking gear to lightweight stuff. I’m also looking for a lightweight tripod to take along for those “cotton candy” waterfall shots. I still can’t bring myself to carry 3 pounds of pod and ballhead. With that said….anyone have any anecdotal stories about the Gorillapod? The GP3 is said to support 6.6 lbs (head not included) and only weighs 8.5 ounces. Buzz’ vice-grip story got me to thinking……
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