Which tripod?

I'm looking for a decent, no, good tripod to use with my K20D. I used to have a Velbon Maxi which held up my K100D but it's a bit lightweight for my setup to sit on.

The compromise I am trying to strike is between compactness and stability. I want something that is stable enough and can fold fairly compactly, so I am not put off bringing it along on outings. And in hopes that this tripod will outlast my K20D, I am looking to spend £100-200 on it, head and all.

Currently the heaviest combination I have is the K20D + grip + 16-45, which weighs about 1.5kg all in. Am considering adding a flash to my kit as well, which might put it into the 2kg ballpark.

The shortlist I had included the Manfrotto 190 series, Giottos MTL8246B or MTL8250, or the Velbon Sherpa Pro 545. However I have also read on this forum good comments about the Redsnapper tripods. Finally the Giottos 'Vitruvian' looks interesting, I saw it while browsing SRS.

Any thoughts or experiences from owners? Any recommendations for heads? Finally, can you mix and match tripods and heads of different makes?

Thanks!

I own the Redsnapper Tripod and the Redsnapper ball head and I can't reccomend it enough, cracking build and everything I could want in a tripod. It probably very similar to the Manfrotto 190 series.

I have noticed on Redsnapper's website they are offering the 284 tripod with a pan and tilt head for £49 (the same as the price of just the tripod). Anyone have experience with the 284 specifically? It folds up small enough to suit my needs, but does the price indicate some sacrifice of quality/stability?

i have the giottos mtl9351b tripod and mh5011 head, i find it a great tripod, and a bargain at around £111 (thats in bristol cameras)

Go to the Focus on imaging show, soon at the NEC Birmingham, not only will almost every tripod available in the UK be there to play with, but you will find show offers, which will probably mean that the saving you make on the tripod will pay for the trip.

Hi
when you look through my portfolio you will see lots of HDRs - those but also many other pictures I took with a travel tripod from Benro - I use one with a 4 section leg and a medium size ball-head (that can carry up to 8 kg). I like this tripod a lot - its quality is really good, the haptc of the aluminum is brilliant and it has all the features I need - the good thing is - it costs only about half of a comparable Mercedes from Manfrotto. As I use my equipment often during outdoor activities, I didn't want to spend too much money - actually I never regret that I bought a Benro. It looks like on the very first day - it was resting in rivers, in mud, in snow and there is no rust, no scratches on the legs, no dirt in the segments and all moveable parts work perfectly. So if you do not necessarily need a known brand, check Benro
I only know a German webpage: http://www.7dayslive.de/cgi-bin/shop/front/shop_main.cgi?func=rubrik&wkid=501046...
Oh btw - there have been detailed bad tests on Benro ball-heads - actually I think, these were old models - as I said - I used my tripod already several thousan times in tough conditions and I see no sign of damage at all.
Regards
Axel

Pulled the trigger on a Redsnapper RS-284, they were offering it with a pan and tilt head for £50, the same price as the tripod alone. Looking at the price of other brands it seemed a good deal. I bought the ballhead along with it anyway.

The tripod arrived yesterday morning and looks very solid. The carry case is nice too. Hopefully I shall get a chance to use it in the coming weekend.