A more sturdy tripod

[Deer Hunter]

Hi
I've always been a Benbo man, had the thing for over twenty years - a good bit of kit. Been everywhere from the top of Ben Nevis to the Masai Mara and onto the Falkland Islands.

However of late I've found it a bit heavy to carry around - too big to attach to a backpack, it was a case of carrying it - from one hand to the other and then slinging it over the shoulder.

Decided to confine it to the spare room with rest of my redundant gear and invest in something a little lighter.
Got a Velbon Sherpa Pro CF645 with a Manfrotto Ball head 486RC2 - First Class does everything the benbo did, with regards to low level shots. You can part the centre column to allow the thing to go to ground level.

The only problem I can see although its not a major issue with me is the legs, not so water proof as the Benbo but can still be immersed in water.

A tip here for anyone who do use their tripod in water. Cut three lengths of cycle inner tube, seal one end and just slip on the legs when required.

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by eeyore

sounds like a plan to me - I have a 190DB and its a cracking bit of kit - Ive never found a fully ball head to be necessary though - I use a 222 joystick head for 99% of my tripod work. You could go for a fluid pan and tilt instead but this would be extremly expensive.

On the tripod front you might also want to consider the uniloc and benbo offerings , but i have never got on with them (imo trying to put one up quickly without looking is like fighting with a greased octopus in a coal cellar at midnight - not thast i make a habit of such strange pursuits )

The Benbo requires a simple knack, do not slacken off the lock completely,
I have never had a moments bother with mine.
I first looked at a Benbo in a camera shop where the assistant seemed to have a "down" on the marque and the crafty look which flitted across his face prewarned me and he slackened the clamp as he handed it over.
This would result in the octopus fable but a quick nip up and this extremely versatile tripod is as easy as pie to use,forget the fable it is a very very very good tripod

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by nightshade

The Benbo requires a simple knack, do not slacken off the lock completely,

The Uniloc is similar. I've got the 1600 and 1700 and they're both very substantial (and heavy!). I'm not sure if the Benbo is the same, but the Uniloc is pretty modular. You can remove the centre column and a leg, and link the two together to make a monopod. There's also a separate plate that fits to the bottom of the monopod, that you can put your foot on to make a 'duopod'.

Jim

[Meta menardi]

I have a Benbo Trekker, it is slightly different to the other models as it has sort of click stops in the joint instead of just friction. Takes some getting used to, but tighten that thing up and it goes nowhere.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

I have a Benbo Trekker, it is slightly different to the other models as it has sort of click stops in the joint instead of just friction.

This is the feature that prevents the notorious 'Benbo Creep', which the larger Benbos are prone to. All the Uniloc models have a similar feature.

Jim