Tripods

Hi all. just a bit of advice pls. looking to buy a new tripod soon and I've got my eye on the Velbon Sherpa 600R or 750R as they are both within my price range. Question is, has anybody got one and are they any good, or can anybody recommend a good one for about a hundred squids.

I've been to my local camera shop and to Jessops but nobody has got any in stock for me to look at, (call themselves camera shops) so looks like I'm buying on line.

Cliff.

How big is the heaviest lens you intend using on it and do you normally have a grip attached? No point buying a tripod if it can't hold your gear...

I agree with hefty. Work out the weight of your camera/grip/heaviest lens combination. Add a bit for any future lenses you may buy and use that as a guide.
A cheap tripod is not always a good buy - it is often better to save a bit longer and get a really good one from the get go. Trust me on this - it will save you money in the long run.
Both the ones you mention weigh a lot, which will discourage you from carrying them with you, and have a maximum weight they can carry of 4kg, which may seem a lot but isn't really. Of the two I would say the 600R is better - less leg sections and taller. The fewer leg sections the more stable the tripod.
I have a Velbon Sherpa ProCF630, which cost a lot but has proved to be worth every penny.
Maybe you should have a look at Benro tripods - a Chinese rip off of Gitzo and Manfrotto, but good quality apparently. I know a few people with them, including a professional wildlife photographer. PhotoPal.co.uk has them.

Thanks hefty and Gwyn. At the moment my biggest lens is the 70-300 Tamron, but hopefully in a year or so I'm hoping to purchase the Sigma 50-500 for wildlife work, so yes it would make sense to hang on a while. The problem I have is at the moment I only have one of those 25 quid jobs from Jessops which is about as smooth as an Elephants bottom to operate and is about to be recycled into an abstract art form. Anyway I will take a look at the site mentioned and you never know Santa may be reading this with a bit of luck.

Thanks again for your advice and info.

Cliff

My friend has a GX20 / grip / Bigma and uses a Manfrotto 190 series tripod which (just about) does the trick. I personally use a Manfrotto 055 series tripod but then I always preferred overkill to be on the safe side...

Cheers hefty1, makes good sense

Gwyn mentions Benro I'm sure he means Benbo which is origonally English but then bought out by I think Johnsons photopia? many years ago. The origonal makers then modified and improved the design and sell as the Uni-Loc. See advert Warehouse Express AD. in any photo. mag. these are the most extremely STRONG, ROBUST, HEAVY, WATERPROOF LEGGED, tripods you will find anywhere. As I said in another post I used mine for wedding photography with a 645 complete with AF400T hammerhead flash gun and power pack. For outdoors you can stand them in rivers or mud or even stick one or two of the legs up a wall or a tree for close ups. You can tell I'm a fan and would recomend them to anyone. CHEERS Vic.

He is a she, and she means Benro, as I said a Chinese rip off but of good quality.
Benbos nowadays are not strong enough for a Bigma.

SORRY Gwyn. And sorry again I' never heard of Benro.
CHEERS Vic.

That's OK Vic

I would be surprised if the biggest / heaviest Benbo couldn't support a Bigma, they are seriously chunky bits of kit --- I had the Unilock version until someone drove over it. The main problem is that until you are used to them, the one thing locks all system means that you have to be very careful adjusting them. Loosen the wrong thing at the wrong time and your camera traces a graceful arc towards the ground.

Cheers, Kris.

Kris, you must have had the 1700 model? The 2600 model is much bigger. The inbetween model the 1600 is much sturdier than the 1700 and it takes 10Kgs. The 2600 reaches approx 7feet in height and takes a hell of a load. granted when you first start with a Uni-Loc/Benbo they are like a demented octopus but once you get the hang of them they are THE most versatile tripod around. My K10 with 50-500 is no problem. We all have our favorites just like Brucey but I think GX10Cliff should give them all a good look and if possible try out each of them before buying. Good luck with your final choice Cliff. CHEERS Vic

Cheers for comments and recommendations folks.

Have a great Christmas.

Cliff.