Benro, reliable?

[Wzierbovsky]

Height, maximum load, weight, adjustable centre column, type of legs etc.

if i am not wrong, its all about the height? i myself own a 55xprob. ownz everything i throw at it, just on the heavy side

 

[egnaro]

What is the magic figure we're looking at for this Gitzo explorer?:sweat:

depend... alu(2.3kg) version is abt 400-500 after discount CF(1.8kg) version is 1k before less.

this is the last price i know from CP

 

[Lost Dog]

I'm poor and on a budget. i don't need the horizontal column. i don't carry tripods on long hikes sa weight is not an issue. That's why i got the Benro.. it's stable enough and easy to use for me.

Just buy what you need. that's my suggestion.

 

[alternatve]

I'm poor and on a budget. i don't need the horizontal column. i don't carry tripods on long hikes sa weight is not an issue. That's why i got the Benro.. it's stable enough and easy to use for me.

Just buy what you need. that's my suggestion.

Very true. I believe in buying the best.... for my needs. If I have a PnS, I get a silk Pro of a medium sized Benro/Frotto or even the big G. Definately not a super sized model made for larger cameras.

Samuel

 

[eoscanon40d]

OK decided to just go for the normal 190XproB with 468MG as saw on another thread that the ballhead must be able to take the weight too. Check and 460 only good for 3kg so better to change to something which can take heavier load rather than regret later.

What do you guys think is it overkill to go for 468MG? Alternatively would be 488RC2 just that 468MG looks simpler and cooler.

 

[Wzierbovsky]

Could be overkill, unless you see it in your long term plan to upgrade the tripod legs at some point. At the moment, your 468MG ballhead is rated at 16kg load, but your legs less than one third that.

 

[eoscanon40d]

Could be overkill, unless you see it in your long term plan to upgrade the tripod legs at some point. At the moment, your 468MG ballhead is rated at 16kg load, but your legs less than one third that.

Hmm seems that 488RC2 would be the next choice. Ok then, final match up would be 190XproB with 488RC2.

I am not sure if I will upgrade the tripod as I'm slowly starting out and going into macro 1st. I might get a telephoto lens like 70-200mm in the near future but not too sure yet. Would my current setup be able to serve the telephoto lens by then?

 

[Wzierbovsky]

Well, the rated load for 488RC2 is 8 kg which is still more than the 190XPROB of 5 kg.

So, your 40D + balhead + say a flash unit works out to 2.2 kg or so? That leaves you with tolerance for up to ~ 3 kg of lens + filters + lens accessories. Moreover, manufacturer specifications for weight loads are always conservative though whether the legs are optimally bearing the load is a different story.

In any case, seems OK to me.

 

[Wzierbovsky]

Forgot to add; either way, do try the 190XPROB and also the matching carbon fiber one 190CXPRO3 or 190CX3. There's a noticeable weight difference. But if you can't justify the additional outlay, then go for the 190XPROB then.

 

[dominator]

I have silk, benro and gitzo all for different shooting usage.
I find them all the same for reliability.

Technically for myself, a ballhead is most important to be able to lock on and hold your gear precisely 1st.

 

[eoscanon40d]

I was leaning towards the cf legs but after much confusion and consideration, decided to just stick with alu legs so save some money for macro lens later.

 

[eoscanon40d]

I have silk, benro and gitzo all for different shooting usage.
I find them all the same for reliability.

Technically for myself, a ballhead is most important to be able to lock on and hold your gear precisely 1st.

I agree and that's why I am looking for a new tripod as my current one Slik couldn't hold on my camera and start sliding:sweat: The worse part was when I was trying to turn the lever to raise the center column, it broke off:sweatsm:

Manfrotto is new to me with all these ballhead stuff.

 

[Boo...]

Mee too... that was why bought this brand.
Drop just once than pain was peeling off :embrass:

I'm poor and on a budget. i don't need the horizontal column. i don't carry tripods on long hikes sa weight is not an issue. That's why i got the Benro.. it's stable enough and easy to use for me.

Just buy what you need. that's my suggestion.

 

[windforce]

seriously, u get wad u pay. i've been using my benro A-157 with bh-00 for around 1 year. its still working n good. onli 1 leg the connection is not mint. the rest is realli as good as new in terms of function.

if u got money n u foresee using tripod a lot. get manfrotto or better ones. otherwise save ur money for some lenses

 

[Martin Ywain]

Wah, thanks for the super lot of response
Seems like benro works fine for you guys, I'll do abit more research before deciding which model or maybe a 2nd hand manfrotto or a velbon bah.
Many thanks

 

[theRBK]

my M158n6/KJ-1 combi has been with me for ~3yrs now... one of its formerly abit stiff to extend legs is now much smoother to extract... all other parts of the tripod still going strong *touchwood* ... I have personally dismantled the ball head (hand itchy;p) and found the construction to be clean, without burrs or bad finishing... have not had any prob with the ball head and tripod so far... i've used it with a D200 and 70-200 and found it usable...

 

[sloth]

A127n6 and KS-1 former owner here.

That combo served me well and I shot some of my most memorable footage on that combination. The KS-1 will hold up to a Canon 100-400 with midsize body, no grip. Stable.

I had it for a year, new owner has had it for a year plus. Still going strong. New owner shoots HDR blended shots on it in daylight and uses it even more than I did. In fact the tripod (and owner) came back to visit me recently.. no complaints about it.

Myself - I upgraded to a Gitzo 1530/Markins Q3 - so I know quality when I see it. But really, for the price you are paying, if I had to do it all over again and I was on a budget, I'd buy Benro without a second thought once more.

 

[windforce]

oh yea 1 thing. i just tried to mount my D300 with grip on benro BH-00 and it can't fit like the proper way. i hate to rotate the plate 90deg to fit becoz the release clip will kanna the grip. so ya caution for u guys if u are using D300 with grip.

 

[ExplorerZ]

from my experience, most of the time the bottleneck lies in the ballhead rather than tripod if both are of average price and quality (eg 486rc2 and 190-series, most of the time the head will be bottleneck). so its always good to invest a little more on a better head than better legs(if money is a concern). do note that even if the setup is 1/2 the weight of what the ballhead support, it might not mean the ballhead will not "drag" when in awkward position or when the load isn't well balanced(heavy lens)

have been using my silk 330dx for 2years or so, looks abused but still function almost as good as when i just bought.

 

[zoossh]

I am also looking for a good tripod and have been leaning towards Manfrotto 055MF3 and 460MG. I've read about the Benro but just concerned about China Made products. Nothing against them but their quality check???

Is my choice ok to go with my 40D? I might go more into macro photography.

tripod legs are non electronic hardware and not totally a precision equipment as compared to the tripod head. if u are not one of those who are particular about the background of original designs and business ethics, benro generally got good feedback for its pricing although it does not compare to gitzo.

for macro, i think the column design might be impt. but since i dun do macro, i suggest u seek others opinion on that.