Travel tripod + fluid head

[rawfa]

Hi guys,

I´m looking for a small, light tripod + head for my photo and video work. I´ve been reading a lot of specs and reviews and I´ve come down to these:

Tripods

Velbon Ultra REXi L Aluminum Tripod - us$185
Load Capacity 8.81 lbs (4 kg)
Maximum Height 5.01' (1.53 m)
Minimum Height 3.74" (9.5 cm)
Folded Length 14.17" (36 cm)
Weight 2.88 lbs (1.31 kg)

Benro MeFoto A1350Q1A - us$230
Load Capacity 17.6 lb (8 kg)
Maximum Height 5.13' (1.56 m)
Maximum Height w/o Column Extended Not specified by manufacturer
Minimum Height Not specified by manufacturer
Folded Length 15.4" (39.11 cm)
Weight 3.6 lb (1.63 kg)


Fluid Heads
Manfrotto 128RC QR Micro Fluid Head - us$85
Load Capacity 8.8 lbs (4kg)
Diameter/Thread 3/8" female thread
Counter Balance System Not applicable
Counter Balance Range No
Center of Gravity Not specified by manufacturer
Quick Release/Wedge Plate Yes, (200PL-14)
Balance Plate Fixed, 1x 1/4"-20 screw
Tilt Drag Not applicable
Tilt Range -60/+90°
Tilt Lock Yes
Spring Loaded Counter Balance Not applicable
Pan Range 360°
Pan Lock Yes
Leveling Bubble/Illuminated No
Temperature Range Not specified by manufacturer
Weight 2.2 lbs (1kg)

Manfrotto 701HDV Pro Fluid Video Mini Head - us$125
Load Capacity 8.82 lbs
(4kg)
Diameter/Thread 3/8" Female Thread
Counter Balance System Fixed counter-balance spring @ 1.5kg
Counter Balance Range 58mm
Center of Gravity Not specified by manufacturer
Quick Release/Wedge Plate Yes 501PL
Balance Plate Fixed, 1/4" Screw and Locating Pin
Tilt Drag Fluid Cartridge with Fixed Drag
Tilt Range -60/+90°
Tilt Lock Yes
Spring Loaded Counter Balance 1 Fixed
Pan Range 360°
Pan Lock Yes
Leveling Bubble/Illuminated Yes / No
Temperature Range -10°C / 60°C
Height 3.7" / 9.5cm
Weight 1.8 lbs (0.83kg)

For day to day photography (90% of my time) I think any of these would work, as I use the NEX7 and my heaviest lens is the Tamron 18-200mm e-mount.
For video things get a little heavier as I might mount an H4N recorder (9.9 oz / 280g without batts) and a shotgun mic (5.74oz / 163g).
Taking a look at how much these fluid heads weight I think I´ll be almost "forced" to go with the Benro as his Load Capacity is 17.6 lb (8 kg)

Any thoughts, experiences and so on with the equipment above?

 

[troelskirk]

Velbon make some cheap and very light tripods with grease-filled "fluid" heads, which are amazingly good compared to price. If possible try out a C-600... I have one of these for my C cam. It is not sturdy enough for a glidetrack and the like, but will give you very fluid movement for very little money. For vertical format photography you can mount a small ballhead on the head...

 

[rawfa]

I´ve just got a good deal a Benro MeFoto A1350Q1A and I will probably get the 701HDV. Like I said, I do photography 90% of the time and when I shoot video I don´t use a very heavy gear. I read that a bunch of people hang some weight on the tripods´ hook so it´s more stable. Anyway, I´ll post my first impressions once I receive the tripod.

 

[elkhornsun]

Bought a Manfrotto 190XDB 3 section tripod that supports up to 11 lbs. and weighs 3.5 lbs. and use it with a Vanguard ball head that has a separate pan control knob. If the tripod head is level I can pan easily and do minor tilt adjustments by setting the tension on the ball. The Vanguard SBH-100 supports up to 22 lbs. and it weighs 16 oz. so with the tripod the total weight is 4.5 lbs. for a very sturdy tripod with a very good ball head.