I'm just going to be honest here
I use an adorama tripod and not even one of their carbon fibers $50
I use an Adorama pan/tilt head at about $40
It weighs about 9 pounds. I hike with it. I'm young. No big deal at all.
I spray foam into whatever sections I can to minimize vibration
I tape the leg in glass tape where the leg locks for a tiiiighter fit.
I put pipe insulation on the legs for added cushion ..this is actually stuck to the cushion already there through use of double sided carpet tape
I superglue 35mm cassette felt strips on the tripod head/QR platform for tight wobble-free support.
I tighten everything down
At some point I will add leg spikes
I use 35mm and a 4x5 tachihara at maybe 5.5 pounds with a large lens on it
I'm happy with it
Apug will hate me but I turned down a NOS Ries Jr tri-lock w/o head for $75. There were 4 of them.
Conspicious Consumption Sucks!
OTOH
If I ever shoot bigger than lightweight 4x5 :/
What makes a cheap tripod "cheap"? After all, a three legged design is the most stable structure there is and as long as the center of gravity does not extend too far from the vertical centerline, it will not fall. If the legs lock well, it will not colopse, either. Weight ratings I can understand. The legs/structure are engineered to support a certain weight and any more will compromist the physical integrity.
I am not trying to combative, just trying to understand what seperates and/or differentiates a cheap(bad) from a not cheap(good) tripod.
I use a Bogen 3021 w/ 3030 head for my Calumet Cadet, Kodak 2D 5x7 and both my Fuji MF rangefinders. I have had no problems with stability in the almost 20 years I have had it.
gene
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Long live Ed "Big Daddy" Roth!!
schwefel,
When you go tripod hunting, grasp the apex of the tripod & give it a twist. A stable tripod won't have any flex in it. Then raise the center column as high as it will go & see if there's any flex in the column or crown. If there is, move along. I'm a believer in heavier, thicker, more massive tripods. But. The Bogen 3021, older Tiltalls & Quicksets will give excellent value. Gitzos are terrific but more costly. Bogen & Gitzo will have interchangeable heads where Tiltall & Quickset don't.
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A motorcyclist is the only one who understands why a dog rides with it's head out the window.
I use various tripods and heads for various purposes with my RB; Bogen, Gitzo (carbon fiber and aluminum) but always grab my Tiltall for studio type settings and for short trips close to home - I just throw it over my shoulder and go. The black Tiltall looks like it was made for the RB (my favorite - toughest and least expensive tripod). My Gitzo carbon fiber is best for backpacking and macro work close to ground level.
I think tripods are like the cameras, there isn't one that will serve all purposes.
__________________ "Pictures are not incidental frills to a text; they are essences of our distinctive way of knowing." S. J. Gould
schwefel,
When you go tripod hunting, grasp the apex of the tripod & give it a twist. A stable tripod won't have any flex in it. Then raise the center column as high as it will go & see if there's any flex in the column or crown. If there is, move along. I'm a believer in heavier, thicker, more massive tripods. But. The Bogen 3021, older Tiltalls & Quicksets will give excellent value. Gitzos are terrific but more costly. Bogen & Gitzo will have interchangeable heads where Tiltall & Quickset don't.
Thank you! That is the kind of info I am looking for.
Tripod 
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