Tripod for Travel

[DDirector]

Right now, I have a great tripod. It isnt pretty looking or lightweight, but it works like a charm.
It is great for location work or studio work. However, if constantly on the move, its not ideal. Its heavy and big.

The way I have mine setup is like this:
Giottos MTL 3361B legs + Kessler High Hat + Cartoni Focus HD Head.

When traveling, I want to store away my tripod away in a suitcase. And also throw it onto my backpack.
The tripod head also needs to be lightweight and small. But still hold up about 10-15lbs.
The Manfrotto 775 sticks have a great feature. They have a small ball head to level the head. But its heavy and too big.

Sticks:
-Small & compact tripod when folded.
-Carbon Fiber so its lighter
-Some leveling system?
-Cheap

Head:
-Small & lightweight
-Cheap

The best I found for the two is this:
Manfrotto MVH500AH Fluid Head + Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 Tripod.
Its lightweight, super compact, and cheap. But what about leveling the head?


I will also attach the Wooden Camera 8" Safety Dovetail to the fluid head.
All my gear have arri standard dovetail plate. So, that would be the fastest and easiest way to swap gear.

 

[lightstrum]

Acratech leveling base. I use it with a very light weight Gitzo 1581 and Benro S6 head. I also use the S6 with benro carbon sticks that has a small ball head.
But the gitzo just makes it into 20" carry on or backpack. The gitzo can take the weight if you don't extend the center post, but you have to be aware of it being a bit springy.

 

[DDirector]

I have a tripod that says it supports up to 11lbs.
But its way stronger than that. I literally lifted myself up (150lbs) from the tripod without issues fully extended out. Just the center column was down.
I found a tripod that says it supportst 15, 17, and another 27lbs. How do I know if it can hold more or not than what it says?

 

[Darren Levine]

you're looking at photo tripods, which can be used for video, but they're not build to the same stability as video tripods, and so buying one that's made cheaply, lightly, or for lower weight, might wiggle your video unless you're using a small camera. go to a store and extend the legs of any tripod, then grab the top of it, and twist your hand, if there's a head on the tripod, lock the pan, and do the same thing. that's the biggie, because if you have a larger rig and light anything but a very loose pan setting, the twist in the tripod will become a part of the movement. sometimes it's ok, and sometimes it's not, but it's important to note. good video tripods will not twist under such a test, but many cheap and even many not so cheap photo tripods will.

 

[DDirector]

I am looking for video tripods though.
I just own a photo tripod. Its actually really good. Ive never had major problems with it. Its just that its large and heavy, even without the head.

I looked into the Gitzo as they seem to be the only ones that are light and compact enough. But they are $600+
But, the compactness and the weight are the two biggest factors. Guess I'll just have to forget about it and find one used in the future.

I noticed they have ones with center columns and ones without. Is there a difference?
The ones with the column seem to be better because its cheaper, more compact and lighter. But they just dont go down as low, which isnt a big deal, and their weight is in the 15-27lb range as mentioned above.