Cheap Tripod?

When you use the word "reasonable" I guess you mean, your reason!

The op can steer the thread and police it if they want.

No, I just became aware that imho other opinions might not be very welcome here.
OK, maybe my experience, opinion and attitude are not good enough for this discussion/forum ...

Yes, sorry if you meant me, I was being flippant. However I do recognise Stefan's suggestion may be of interest to the OP, even if it's not for me.

People do care, but they can take the sensible stuff on board and ignore the silly stuff.

Post deleted. Please refrain from making personal comments and keep on topic.

I can't imagine any trig stations being removed, surely they would keep them for historic reasons when they are no longer used. Places like Ashurst Beacon are called after the trig station, the Romans probably lit beacons there.

This is one at Billinge Lump near Wigan, link not very high, but on the old county boundaries you could see something like 13 counties from there, which I think was the record.

It looks like it has a removable plate in the middle and they all have the 3 grooves which allow a tribrach to be easily set up on them.

The adapter is a fairly standard 5/8" to 1/4" adapter available off the shelf link Perfect for really big lenses or 5x4. Better than my old wooden Gandolfi tripod

If you ever need a 3M High tripod these are available for sale and hire link

I've got a Linhof that reaches about 2.4M. The tog I bought it off used to use it in hospitals to photograph operations

It definitely seems like a personal preference thing as people do different amount of travelling for photography and hiking etc.

I am going backpacking soon so compactness was my number 1 aim whilst trying to keep at least a fair amount of stability, this is where choosing a tripod becomes tricky. Also when i'm using it at home 90% of my photography is when i'm doing long walks so it will be strapped to my small fastpack so size and weight really are important. I thought about a beanbag etc. but i knew it wouldnt cut it for a lot of things i want to photograph when i'm travelling such as surfing.

froeschle at the bottom of page 5 had some great suggestions for standard tripods.

I have ordered one of these for its size and hopefully it will be ok in the field, i will let you know how i get on with it, it arrives today.
Velbon Ultrek UT-43D
£143 from amazon, when i started looking at tripods a month or so ago i never dreamt of spending that much but after reading reviews etc. i just thought i should bite the bullet and i really hope it will be worth it.

Cheers
Harry

My rucksack tripod started life as a single spike which I found would push into turf quite well or could be pushed into scree rubble as required. Most of the time it was used with a Minolta X300 to photograph flowers/creepy crawlies that I found or to record the fact I had got to the top of a particular hill - Not exactly high art

Bernard

If you don't mind buying used stuff you can pick up a nice old Gitzo weekender tripod in good nick for about £50 if you look around. Stable, compact and lightweight though slightly less than full height. If you like the engineering of old M lenses you will like the handling of these. Everyone seems to want carbon fibre these days so prices of aluminium pods are pretty good. For the smaller size pods the weight difference between carbon fibre and aluminium is not that great. I even picked up a Gitzo basalt tripod for £50 a few months ago that was virtually as new.

Update:
OK, I've had the £16 Hama Mini-Traveller Pro for 6 days, and spent 3 of those up in the of the 'Loch District' giving it a run

-Small - almost the exact length of my Lowepro Flipside 200, which was unplanned but more than welcomed (as I do not have a 'periscope' sticking out my head)
-Light - just 100gm heavier than my SMC A 35-105
-Ridged - Clamps undone there is a comical amount of movement, but this disappears once the clamps are on. Surprisingly there is no play in the erect structure what so ever.
- Ease of use - in a way its kind of enjoyable compared to my big Velbon, the simplistic design and fittings means your adjusting less things to get your position. All 3 leg clamps can be un-done at the same time when setting up. Ball head holds my GX10 & SMC A 35-105 at all angles with no drift
Height wise, it would be a bonus if it was taller but then it would not be a 'mini-traveller', I never felt the need more height outdoors, (not for studio work.)

So I guess pretty much what the ePHOTOzine review said....

Yes you could try your luck on Ebay, and I was, but for £16 quid, particularly from a trusted site like Amazon, I am satisfied - a basic, yet solid and functional bargain it would seem...

Glad you got your tripod, and are happy with it. It's a relief that a cheap one actually works. After all the posts I have read on this thread, I thought I would have to replace my home-made beanbag that cost me one quid with a far superior and sturdier 50 quid one....

For a cheap "bean" bag - get a linen money bag (free) from any bank then when required half fill with gravel/acorns/whatevers about. Twist the top and mount camera. Take pictures then discard the contents. Put into pocket and walk on.

Bernard

Tesco 'Value' Basmati rice is also worth a go!