[Recovered Thread: 102126]

[cmoy]

Canon 20D with a Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 L lens, heaviest lens I havefor now. What I'd like touse it forismacro, portraits andnight shots. Mightbe runningaround the city with it soI'dlike something that's not too heavy. I have about $150.00 to spend. I've read reviews and searched through forums but I still don't know what to buy I needhelp

Thanks,

Chris

[kenbalbari]

The Slick models seem to be very popular in that price range:
340DX
400DX

And Manfrottos are even more popular:
3001D
3011N

The above packages all contain fairly inexpensive heads. A 3-way pan or 3D head is probably a good choice for your portraits and night scenes. But if for some reason you want a nicer ballhead you would be able to add one in the future.

The 340DX is the lightest one I listed, and probably suficient for your current gear. The others are a bit heavier, but can also probably handle a bit more.

Now, hopefully someone with a bit more experience with these will comment.....

[cmoy]

Thank you Ken! I'll check out thesetripods

[cmoy]

Thought about it and have decided to save and buy acarbon fibertripod legs. I'm still unsure which to get.My gear is still the same: Canon 20D, Speedlite 550,Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 L lens. I'm planning onpicking up a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L and the 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lensesin the nearfuture so I'll need a tripod that will be able to handle these lens with my 20D. Any suggestions for legs and head would be a great help! Thanks!

Chris

[tmoreau]

If your looking for a "good" tripod, your budget needs to be $400-$1200. With that gear, you will want a good tripod sooner or later.

Pan/tilt heads can do the job for cheaper, but I (and most others) find them a pain. Good ball heads are $250-500 and come with an arca-swiss style quick release. These are good choices, small and large versions (either will do until you decide on a 300/2.8 or bigger lens)

Markins M10 or M20
Really Right Stuff BH40 or BH55
Kirk BH1 or BH3

Kirk is the best deal, especially since they come with a generic plate for your camera. About $260. The others are over $400 once you add a camera plate.

Cheapest legs are manfrotto 3021 at $150. Gitzo is the 'standard' ($$$), and Fiesol is becoming a popular budget carbon-fiber option.

There are other budget options like certain Slik or Velbon models, but I dont know much about them. I skipped the midrange stuff and went from my noodle leg jalopy to a good Manfrotto 3021 and RRS BH40.

[cmoy]

Thanks tmoreau! I ended up with a used Gitzo 1227 which came with a Manfrotto ballhead. I'm going to save for a Kirk BH-1 or a Markins M20 L.

Thanks!

Chris