[muscle750]

I got a manfrotto tripod which is somewhat heavy when luggin it a long way thinking about maybe selling it and getting a carbon fibre one any recommendations will have a D300 and grip attached.

[simpbow]

Haven't got it yet, but have the same problem me-self -the D300, am going for the Velbon sherpa 535 recommended by Dave & also in the equipment review section, cheapest place is Bristol Cameras.

[VinnyP]

Any idea how much you want to spend I'd push the boat out if at all possible? Do you intend to keep your Manfrotto head or will you need to budget one of those? It might be worth looking in the reviews section.

[Dabhand16]

For value for money the Velbon Sherpa Pro from Bristol Cameras will take some beating, as recommended by Dave. Cost is £115 + £10 P&P.

They supply it with a free pan/tilt head that they sell on their site for £30. This tripod can have either twist-lock or clip leg locks, and there are some other models in the range that are bigger and smaller than this one. Depending on how tall you are the 535 might be a shade low without fully extending the centre column.

I've seen this tripod on Amazon and Warehouse Express for around £160/£170 and don't know if it comes with a head.

As I said, for VFM I don't think you can beat this.

[Whipspeed]

I've got the Velbon Sherpa Pro & it's fine with a fair bit of weight on it. Heaviest 40D + 100-400. I don't like the head supplied though, I've got a manfrotto 322 on mine and I find it much easier to level and move to different angles.

[muscle750]

Yes i thought the head looked like a pile of junk as well gonna get me one ordered and gonna either use me old head or invest in a newie

[Dabhand16]

I was going to ask if I could have another head and pay the difference, but the head they supply, in spite of being on their site for £30, is 'free' with the tripod - so no allowance against a different head.

On the strength of that I accepted it and changed to a Manfrotto 486RC2 ball head.

I'll either sell the original one or hang onto it in case I need a spare for any reason.

If you swap the head and need to convert to a 1/4" thread there is an adaptor in the threaded socket in the original head.

[Rob Barron]

I entirely agree with others about the Sherpa Pro. I have the 641 and have reviewed it in the Equipment Review section. It is very strong but also light and easy to carry. The middle number in the 3 digit Velbon system shows something important: how many leg sections it has. So a 631 has a leg in 3 sections whereas a 641 has legs with 4 sections, meaning two things: it will fold down a little shorter and the legs are a bit stronger.

With a splittable column and independent legs that can be angled to anything down to flat, you can use the Sherpa Pro for extreme low-level work. Mine can gete the head down to 10cms from the ground. You can also reverse the column to invert the camera and get right down to the ground if you insist!

I have also got the Grip ballhead of Manfrotto and I recommend it highly as you can quickly change the camera to any angle and lock it in place in one simple trigger movement. Again I have reviewed this if you want to read more.

Cheers,
Rob

Pixalo Photographic Equipment Reviews - Sherpa Pro CF-641EL -

Pixalo Photographic Equipment Reviews - 322RC2 Heavy Duty Grip Ballhead -

[Dabhand16]

Another thing is if the model number ends in a 0 - it has twist leg locks and the 5's have clip leg locks.

Hell we are well anoraks aren't we

Don't know what Rob's '1' means tho Maybe the have changed the designations.

[orangepeel]

Originally Posted by Rob Barron

With a splittable column and independent legs that can be angled to anything down to flat, you can use the Sherpa Pro for extreme low-level work. Mine can gete the head down to 10cms from the ground. You can also reverse the column to invert the camera and get right down to the ground if you insist!

Can you mount the center column horizontally? I love that feature of my ProB but it's soooooo heavy

[Dabhand16]

Originally Posted by orangepeel

Can you mount the center column horizontally? I love that feature of my ProB but it's soooooo heavy

Not on my 535. I don't think I've seen this feature on the Velbon tripods, but at the price, for me, still good VFM.

[Rob Barron]

No, fraid not OP, at least not my one but whether the later models have this feature or not I can't say. Interesting that you find it a useful feature, what sort of scenarios do you use it for?

Cheers,
Rob

[orangepeel]

getting the camera into really awkward places - I've had the camera outside a window using the horizontal mounting system.
getting the camera low - much lower than you can by just splitting the center column,
getting the camera into a comfortable position when I'm sitting waiting on things to "happen"
and finally, vertical panoramas.

As I've got a ball head it's really awkward to do a vertical panorama just using the ball to make sure you only change a single axis. By it's nature it wants to change all 3 axes at once.
My 488RC4 has a panorama axis which is horizontal when vertically mounted then vertical when horizontally mounted. Therby simplifying the problem hugely.

I guess I could ditch the head but I do like a ball head. It's so much quicker and easier to compose with.