[Dave]

After a tripod that is extremely light & compact enough to carry easily. Will be used for landscape work. Would ideally not want to spend more than £50 for tripod with head.

I know that if the tripod is too much hassle to carry about....I won't

[water]

Originally Posted by Dave

After a tripod that is extremely light & compact enough to carry easily. Will be used for landscape work. Would ideally not want to spend more than £50 for tripod with head.

I know that if the tripod is too much hassle to carry about....I won't

Dave,have a look at the Velbon Max I series.I have the 343E model.No way will it support a Nikon D2 and 300 2.8 lens.However,it will be of use with more modest equipment as I can testify.It comes with a decent ball and socket head.Folds to about 42cm and is lightweight.The leg sections have a proprietary design allowing them to almost totally slip inside each other.It extends to enable me,at 5'8",to use without bending but at this full extention it is a wee bit 'dodgy'.Find a dealer and try if you can.I have 3 tripods and this is the one I have no qualms about carrying on landscape outings

[Dave]

Thanks Water....I'll have a look next time I'm in town

[sejanus]

Another vote for Velbon kit but I think that £50 is a bit of a low target, unless you buy secondhand, in which case the floor's the limit.

I have an old set of Gitzo legs that I bought for £5 from a dealer who'd had them in stock for years and was just glad to see the back of them! They're great for video use with a remote control head on top. You can go lower still: I once bought a 'nameless' tripod, with a nice pan and tilt head, for 20p at a jumble sale. I gave that to a friend's kid, who was just starting out in photography, and he used it for years.

Jumble sales are great for both bargains and pictures!

[JMitchell]

I have a Velbon CX-440. Nothing special at all, but it does the job; and there is a trick to make it pan up and down if you need that as well , is a little lightweight, but is it turn therefore very easy to transport.

[Dabhand16]

In this month's DP, they tested 4 budget tripods.

Velbon Sherpa 750n £90 - 3 stars. Good features and build, but heaviest in test, and slow to operate.

National Geographic Tundra NGTT2 £50 - 4 stars. Similar to the Mobo. Handy tripod if you are travelling light, but lacks the stability to hold a heavy dSLR.

Manfrotto 785B Modo Maxi £50 - 4 stars. Joystick head, lightweight, compact solution for travel. Best not to extend too high if you have a heavy dSLR (Presume same comment could have been made on the National geographic), great accessory for the money.

Manfrotto 190D/056 head £90 - 5 stars. Not lightweight(!) Rock steady, would be better with 486RC2 head £25 extra.

Looks like both of the £50 ones are worth looking at.

[Rob Barron]

People seem to talk Velbons down but they make some excellent tripods. Yes they make cheaper ones too but that doesn't mean all their tripods are cheap and cheerful.

I have a Velbon Sherpa Pro CF641 EL. I am not suggesting this for Dave, it is way above the limit he has set but it is a cracking tripod.... well, not literally cracking LOL. It is carbon fibre so is very light but stronger than steel. The legs are 4-section so it collapses a bit smaller than normal but each leg is individually adjustable right up to 90 degrees so you can go for a very wide and stable platform in strong winds, weighing it down with the stone bag that hooks onto the centre column. The column is splittable allowing you to get right down low and also reversible so you can hang the camera upside down right down to ground level.

I originally had a Gitzo 3-way head but now I have replaced it with a Pistol grip ballhead which is FANTASTIC. I can't imagine ever using a 3-levered head ever again now I have this, it is truly the one bit of kit I would recommend to anyone.

I also have a Velbon mini which is excellent for its purpose. It can come up to over three feet and is very practical. I mostly use it for indoor macro work but it has come with me out into the countryside on occasions as I can usually find a rock or raised area to put the camera on if I need it. Weights very little so worthwhile having with me when I can't be bothered to carry my Sherpa Pro.

Let's be under no illusion though, a solid tripod with an accurate head is definitely worth investing in as they are often the difference between a soft image and a pin sharp one.

Cheers,
Rob

[Dave]

Thanks for all info guys. I'm a lzy git & realise I would rarely take a tripod out with me...especially if too heavy....thus I don't want to spend too much, as I may never use it Good selection above for me to have a look at

[P-E]

Be interested to see which tripod you purchase (if you do) within your £50 budget .........remember you will have some expensive equipment sitting on it

[Markulous]

Originally Posted by Dave

Thanks for all info guys. I'm a lazy git & realise I would rarely take a tripod out with me...especially if too heavy....thus I don't want to spend too much, as I may never use it Good selection above for me to have a look at

There are 2 uses for a tripod of which only one of them is to steady a camera! Carry mine on a shoulder strap and tend to grip it rather securely when I'm walking through the local park!

[abirkill]

I've got the Velbon Luxi F - maximum height of 160cm but folds down to 39cm, weighs 1.3kg, and quite happily supported my 350D with 70-200mm F2.8L IS lens.

Available for 62 quid from Jessops, of all places - at the time I bought it that was the best price, although that was a year ago so that's probably changed.

There are some good reviews for it online too, although it's obviously worth remembering that's it's designed specifically to be compact and light, so it's not going to match up to some big behemoth.