Travel tripod: current thinking

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Hey all,
I’m putting together a lightweight travel rig for an O/S trip and am looking for current advice on a travel tripod please. The gear it will carry is my Skyguider Pro, DSLR and a wide field lens….about 6kg all up. My tripod budget is $500 and it needs to be backpack compatible.

There are a number of threads on lightweight travel tripods that date back a few years, but nothing I can find that’s got the most recently available tripods.

The two options I’m considering at the moment are:
1. Leofoto LS-284c (carbon and gets a great rating on TheCentreColumn.com)
2. Preowned PeakDesign aluminium.

Does anyone have any experience using these please? Alternatively, if you have another you love for lightweight astro in this budget then I’m open to ideas.

Cheers,
Paul

PS: I already have a TC40 for use for local travel and love it. It’s just too bulky for this kind of O/S travel though.

[Crater101 (Warren)]

I don't have either of those, but I have dealt with these folks on one or two occasions and found them reasonably good. A link to their travel tripod page, just for info.
https://landscapephotogear.com.au/pr...s/tripod-kits/


Cheers!

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Cheers Warren,

Will definitely check them out.

Originally Posted by Crater101

I don't have either of those, but I have dealt with these folks on one or two occasions and found them reasonably good. A link to their travel tripod page, just for info.
https://landscapephotogear.com.au/pr...s/tripod-kits/


Cheers!

[Crater101 (Warren)]

No worries!
I forgot to mention that I picked up their TX-VK "Voyager" about 18 months ago. It's probably a little bit light for your needs, but for a general lightweight travel tripod, I've found it fine.

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Thanks Warren,

Yes, I’ll be going for a model without any vertical riser I think. I’ll just be screwing the Skyguider base directly to the tripod and never raising the tripod more than ~1.5 leg segments at the most to keep it as stable as possible.

Thanks again for the lead,

Paul

Originally Posted by Crater101

No worries!
I forgot to mention that I picked up their TX-VK "Voyager" about 18 months ago. It's probably a little bit light for your needs, but for a general lightweight travel tripod, I've found it fine.

[Graman (GR)]

Check out the Innorel tripods on Amazon. The RT90C model is rock solid (and similar to your TC40) - but they also have other models that are smaller and may suit your needs better, e.g.:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Tripod-INN...%2C516&sr=8-10

[Graman (GR)]

Also see:
https://www.amazon.com.au/INNOREL-NT...16&sr=8-8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com.au/INNOREL-NT...16&sr=8-8&th=1

[Geochron (Jon)]

Hi Paul,

the PeakDesign is a great tripod but you would probably also need the accessory Universal head to provide a stable platform for a SkyGuider.

I'm planning to use mine with an AM-3 mount for overseas travel. It is supposed to have a 9kg capacity...which should be plenty.

cheers, Jon

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Thanks for the tip. I hadn’t thought about Innorel at all. I’ve taken a look the range and this one might be an option. My only concern is that the centre column lock/unlock might foul with the base of my Skyguider. Seems like a bargain though at $220.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Tripod-INN...09JWBTGX9?th=1

Originally Posted by Graman

Also see:
https://www.amazon.com.au/INNOREL-NT...16&sr=8-8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com.au/INNOREL-NT...16&sr=8-8&th=1

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Thanks Jon,

It certainly looks the part and is the most compact of all. Do you have the aluminium version or the CF? I’m afraid the CF peak design is beyond my budget so I’m interested in hearing how people have gone with the aluminium version for Astro applications.

Cheers,
Paul

Originally Posted by Geochron

Hi Paul,

the PeakDesign is a great tripod but you would probably also need the accessory Universal head to provide a stable platform for a SkyGuider.

I'm planning to use mine with an AM-3 mount for overseas travel. It is supposed to have a 9kg capacity...which should be plenty.

cheers, Jon

[Geochron (Jon)]

I have the CF version but it was purchased for general photography (not astro) purposes as I was tired of lugging a heavy tripod around in my pack and had gone through any number of cheap versions over the years. The PD design is outstanding - I have never seen/used anything like it before and it looks like it will outlast me (though not difficult at this rate - lol)

It only recently occurred to me that this could also be repurposed for astro work and made for the very real possibility (though probably still a huge hassle with Customs etc) of taking a small astro rig on an overseas trip. Later this year will be my first venture of that kind - and I am both looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time

[xa-coupe (Jeff)]

I use a Manfrotto Element in caron fibre, they're under $300.

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Thanks Jeff,

Out of interest, do you use it with any kind of star tracker or just with a camera and ball head for short(ish) exposures?
Cheers,
Paul

Originally Posted by xa-coupe

I use a Manfrotto Element in caron fibre, they're under $300.

[xa-coupe (Jeff)]

Originally Posted by Plossl68

Thanks Jeff,

Out of interest, do you use it with any kind of star tracker or just with a camera and ball head for short(ish) exposures?
Cheers,
Paul

I do have a star tracker I will use on it (ioptron), but at the moment I haven't done it as the tracker is a few hundred kms away from the tripod and I CBF travelling to get it. I got this tripod specifically for the tracker as I will travel a bit with it.

It is VERY light and I would want to be sure it won't tip over when I use it so I'll be messing around a bit trying to tip it over deliberately to give myself confidence.

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

Have a look for a Benro Mach 3 tripod. Without the head, they come in around your budget. Good solid tripod, payload around 15kg. Nice and sturdy. I use mine with my AZ-GTi and small scope when I'm travelling.

[Geochron (Jon)]

BTW - Neewer sell a 'reverse engineered' (I'm being polite) version of the Peak Design CF tripod for half the price.

https://au.neewer.com/collections/su...60332cf2&_ss=c

I don't know anything about their quality but it looks almost identical.

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Cheers Dunk,

I think I’ve narrowed it down to either the Benro Mach 3 (although I also considered the tortoise) and the Leofoto LS284C. Just about ready to pull the trigger. Great to hear if your experience with the Benro.

Originally Posted by Camelopardalis

Have a look for a Benro Mach 3 tripod. Without the head, they come in around your budget. Good solid tripod, payload around 15kg. Nice and sturdy. I use mine with my AZ-GTi and small scope when I'm travelling.

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Thanks Jon,

It does look similar although, as you say, hard to know on the quality. I’m tossing up now between Benro and Leofoto, both with really strong reviews.

Cheers,
Paul

Originally Posted by Geochron

BTW - Neewer sell a 'reverse engineered' (I'm being polite) version of the Peak Design CF tripod for half the price.

https://au.neewer.com/collections/su...60332cf2&_ss=c

I don't know anything about their quality but it looks almost identical.

[Plossl68 (Paul)]

Well, I finally went ahead and ordered a Benro Tortoise 24C. In the end I felt the centre column of the Mach 3 or the Leofoto wasn’t going to add anything for my needs and it’s hard to find anyone saying a bad word about the Tortoise.

I look forward to it arriving and its first test.

Thanks all for you input,

Paul