Tripod for hiker

[Mohamed Ellozy]

From another thread:

And great waterfall photos! What tripod do you use on such a big hike, and what does it weigh? I love the concept of the Gorillapod, but in practice I rarely find a suitable attachment for it.

I used a Dolica AX620B100. It weighs 4 pounds. It's currently $39 on Amazon... comes with a ballhead and a carrying case.

http://www.amazon.com/Dolica-AX620B100-62-Inch-Proline-Tripod/dp/B001D60LG8

The price certainly seems right ... any other suggestions before I order it?

From the specs:

Tripod Height: 62" center column fully extended, 52" center column not extended

52" is pretty low, and from what I have read fully extending the center column greatly decreases stability. A taller model:

Tripod Height: 68" center column fully extended, 59" center column not extended

is obviously heavier. On the other hand, I will only be carrying it on selected hikes when I plan to photograph waterfalls.

 

[DougPaul]

Re: Dolica AX620B100

I have one but found it to be too flimsy for a (relatively light weight Digital Rebel) DSLR. It might be ok for a P&S. Some of the flex is in the head and thus it shakes even if the legs are fully collapsed.

Otherwise, it is pretty nice.

Doug

 

[nartreb]

Mine is apparently no longer sold, but I got it for under $30 IIRC. Sunpak Quantaray QSX 7001 DX. Three pounds, max height 60". The most annoying flaw is that the head tends to "bounce back" to a slightly different position than the one you think you're locking it at. Built-in levels are a great feature. Shakes a little in high wind, but you'd need a really heavy tripod to avoid that. It's rated for 4.4 pounds which is enough for my 400mm lens.

This looks like the current model: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/247940-REG/Sunpak_620_080_8001UT_Tripod.html

This is the next model up, with a pistol-grip and ball head; one pound heavier and ten dollars more:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/706855-REG/Sunpak_620_660PG_6600DX_Tripod_with_Pistol.html

 

[Remix]

I am about to buy a new tripod for an upcoming desert trip, mostly for digital video. Even though the video camera is lighter than a DSLR with lens, panning with high zoom demands absolute rigidity.
At the same time, I still need something that can fit in a suitcase or in or on a pack. Everything I have read suggests that packing your tripod separately as a checked item is not wise.

This company has two brands with a range of offerings

http://www.benro.com
http://www.mefoto.com

As an aside, my local photo shop wanted to steer me only to what they had in stock, and at price far above internet price. It wasn't even a travel tripod... I'm completing my research by looking at several videos on you tube (oliviatech has quite a few), and ordering from Amazon with a no hassle return.