best place to buy Vanguard tripods?


tester99

Member
I'm looking to get the Vanguard 263AT with SBH-250 ballhead and the local prices are prohibitive compared to the US sites (e.g. Amazon). any idea where i can get it locally for a reasonable price?

thanks!
 

Local shops all sell it at around the same prices. You can try SLRR or TK.

One word of advice though. I have tested both the aluminum and carbon fiber versions of the Alta Pro series. Not good at all. The center column vibrates like a bobble head even with a slight tap on the legs.

Even the much cheaper Manfrotto 190xprob or 055xprob are way way way more stable.
 

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I'm looking to get the Vanguard 263AT with SBH-250 ballhead and the local prices are prohibitive compared to the US sites (e.g. Amazon). any idea where i can get it locally for a reasonable price?

thanks!

Consider Sirui..... personally I prefer this to vanguard
 

Local shops all sell it at around the same prices. You can try SLRR or TK.

One word of advice though. I have tested both the aluminum and carbon fiber versions of the Alta Pro series. Not good at all. The center column vibrates like a bobble head even with a slight tap on the legs.

Even the much cheaper Manfrotto 190xprob or 055xprob are way way way more stable.

i was reading through the reviews for both 190XProb vs 263AT, and many recommended the 263AT for the feature set it had (most importantly the flexible centre column). The only reason I held back for the 190XPROB is that the centre column cannot do angles other than horizontal/vertical, and it lacks basic features like bag hook.

how about the Benro A2970T? any comments on it? that is also one of the models i'm looking at.


Anyway, I am boycotting SLRR as their customer service is EXTREMELY POOR. I called yesterday to check the price for the tripod, and this guy made me wait for a few minutes, then told me to 'call another day as they are attending to customers now'. To top it off, his tone was extremely unfriendly.

okay, enough ranting and back to topic.
 

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Consider Sirui..... personally I prefer this to vanguard

i'm attracted to their super light weight tripods, but afraid it'd defeat the primary purpose of having a tripod to begin with... (stability).
 

Benro tripod build is better. I looked at both before, you should just head down to City Hall area since Benphoto is there at Penin and you can see Vanguard at SLR Revolution. Limited models for Vanguard though.
 

This is assuming you are looking at a tripod with variable centre column function.

If you are not, Sirui is stable as tripods go.
 

I have the A2970T. Its a heavy and very stable tripod. Its not a travel tripod though. Its perfect for timelapse shots I use it a lot for video with my fluid head.
 

i'm attracted to their super light weight tripods, but afraid it'd defeat the primary purpose of having a tripod to begin with... (stability).

Nah. Don't worry abt it. It will serve u good
 

This is assuming you are looking at a tripod with variable centre column function.

If you are not, Sirui is stable as tripods go.

how would you guys rank Sirui for stability? T1004X vs 263AT vs A2970T vs 190XPROB?

there doesn't seem to be a lot of Sirui reviews online.

i would love a light tripod, but strong winds result in camera shake easily.
 

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i was reading through the reviews for both 190XProb vs 263AT, and many recommended the 263AT for the feature set it had (most importantly the flexible centre column). The only reason I held back for the 190XPROB is that the centre column cannot do angles other than horizontal/vertical, and it lacks basic features like bag hook.

how about the Benro A2970T? any comments on it? that is also one of the models i'm looking at.

Anyway, I am boycotting SLRR as their customer service is EXTREMELY POOR. I called yesterday to check the price for the tripod, and this guy made me wait for a few minutes, then told me to 'call another day as they are attending to customers now'. To top it off, his tone was extremely unfriendly.

okay, enough ranting and back to topic.

SLRR has a 2-day sale yesterday and Sat. I am surprised they make time to pick up your call. While checking for you, the guy could hv been hijacked by other in-store customers with queries and thus took some time to get back to you.
I hope you could forgive them if they hv not responded to your expectations.
I do not work nor know anyone personally there but most times via phone, email or physically in the store, I am comfortable with their service.
As for tripod, I would vouch for Manfrotto. I have used other brands n their leg locking mechanism are not that fantastic.
 

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how would you guys rank Sirui for stability? T1004X vs 263AT vs A2970T vs 190XPROB?

there doesn't seem to be a lot of Sirui reviews online.

i would love a light tripod, but strong winds result in camera shake easily.

I find the T1004x much better at handling vibrations than the 190xprob.
 

how would you guys rank Sirui for stability? T1004X vs 263AT vs A2970T vs 190XPROB?

there doesn't seem to be a lot of Sirui reviews online.

i would love a light tripod, but strong winds result in camera shake easily.

There's a reason why everytime someone starts a tripod thread the de facto recommendation is Sirui.

Sirui is also twist lock, much easier to strip and clean compared to the fliplock that comes on Manfrotto legs.

I don't think people can find one shop to test all, so you'll get all sorts of subjective comments. I can tell you for a fact that Vanguard doesn't feel stable at all, the rest are about the same to me.
 

Im a very happy user of a Sirui tripod. As far as im concerned Sirui offers more value for money at almost all price points.
 

There's a reason why everytime someone starts a tripod thread the de facto recommendation is Sirui.

Sirui is also twist lock, much easier to strip and clean compared to the fliplock that comes on Manfrotto legs.

I don't think people can find one shop to test all, so you'll get all sorts of subjective comments. I can tell you for a fact that Vanguard doesn't feel stable at all, the rest are about the same to me.

Yeah. Not being biased.

Sirui tripods are made more refined finishing and smooth. Vanguard or Manfrotto tripods are made v 'rough' finishing, not to mention the weight
 

I had the 263AT with sbh30 but sold it off due to the weight. Its quite stable in windy conditions. If you find it wobbly still, add some weight to the stone bag provided.

In terms of finishing, sirui is one of the best I've seen but I didn't go for it due to the twist lock. Prefer clip lock which are quick to set up and keep - just my personal preference.

the flexibility of the centre column is very useful for low angle or when you need to extend it at an odd angle.
 

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