Sturdy tripod (>50lbs) : any advice ? E-Image/Ikan ?

B

Benji Tshi

New member
Hi there,

I'd like to get a new tripod in order to support my sliders. I already own a edelkrone slider, which has to be centered mounted, and i'm planning to add/upgrade to a Hedron with counterbalance add-on.
So i need something very sturdy. Features doesn't matter that much, i don't really mind having to operate a lot of knobs and levers, i don't care about how it looks, all i care is being stable. Ideally, i'd like it to be not too expensive (300$ or so) and that's a big plus if it's under 30" folded and under 10lbs.

I've ran into Ikan / E-image tripod, specifically the GA752 which is given for 88lbs, weighs 7lbs, is 28" when folded and costs 200$, which i need to add 40 or 50 for a 75mm bowl. Any feedback on this brand ?
Or maybe somebody has a better suggestion ?

Thanks for helping
 
I don't know if there is a better option for you given the price range and features, but it's difficult to imagine a tripod that cheap holding up with extensive use. I own the 3 foot Hedron with the flywheel, and it is not a lightweight slider by any means, particularly with my Sony FS7 on it. You will need two tripods to support the Hedron at lengths beyond 2 feet, though the counterbalance probably eliminates that necessity. It's not lightweight and nearly 4x the price, but the Manfrotto 528XB tripod supports up to 110 pounds and would be useful for jib setups too. The Kessler K-Pod is also pretty heavy duty, supports up to 500 pounds, but it's 22 pound weight is probably more than I'd want to haul around. On the plus side, it's cheaper than the Manfrotto and has relatively inexpensive caster options to make it more portable.

All that being said, I don't think there are many other choices in your price range. Maybe a Libec tripod?
 
Thanks guys :)

silyn said:
If you need something really sturdy look at Kessler K-Pod Tripod ($599):
http://store.kesslercrane.com/products/tripods-heads/k-pod-tripod-th1004.html
I have it - rock solid, an amazing thing. Plus, it's a part of the system you can build with time.
Click to expand...

I know it, it seems great, but also overkill for my use : too heavy, too big :(

KeilProductions said:
I don't know if there is a better option for you given the price range and features, but it's difficult to imagine a tripod that cheap holding up with extensive use. I own the 3 foot Hedron with the flywheel, and it is not a lightweight slider by any means, particularly with my Sony FS7 on it. You will need two tripods to support the Hedron at lengths beyond 2 feet, though the counterbalance probably eliminates that necessity. It's not lightweight and nearly 4x the price, but the Manfrotto 528XB tripod supports up to 110 pounds and would be useful for jib setups too. The Kessler K-Pod is also pretty heavy duty, supports up to 500 pounds, but it's 22 pound weight is probably more than I'd want to haul around. On the plus side, it's cheaper than the Manfrotto and has relatively inexpensive caster options to make it more portable.

All that being said, I don't think there are many other choices in your price range. Maybe a Libec tripod?
Click to expand...

Counterbalance is supposed to eliminate the wobble at both ends. So with the Hedron i'm not so worried about this. However, the whole slider would be around 50lbs including counterweights and camera. The pressure point should be at the very middle of the tripod...but still, it has to handle the weight.
I'll keep the K-pod in mind, though its weight is really a problem for me (considering all the stuff i already have to carry around). A "mini" K-pod only holding up around 200lbs would have been more than enough.
 
Stay away from anything Ikan! Absolute GARBAGE! Not to mention most of their stuff is just rebranded Chinese gear with a hefty mark up. We have a running joke at the station I work at, anytime something breaks the first words are always "must be Ikan" I would look at an older Vinten, great heads for sure!
 
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