You only need to buy a good tripod once in your life, so get the good one and you will never think about it again.
You only need to buy a good tripod once in your life, so get the good one and you will never think about it again.
Thank you all for your comments. They have provided me with a number of good points to consider. While I still have more research to do, since I am looking for a small tripod, I do not think the weight factor will be as important as the strength factor.
Bob
Check with Ari about FLM options. That's what I'd do in your position.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
For me, the advantages of a carbon fiber tripod are it being much more comfortable to handle in cold weather, and being able to set up in the ocean surf (or, in Death Valley) without worrying about corrosion.
This is good place to read about options.
https://thecentercolumn.com/
You can go to see the rankings section, or check out by brand or by type. Very useful and informative even for those who are not structural engineers :-)
Just to report back, I ended up paying the extra and getting a CF tripod, a Sirui ET-1204, rather than the aluminum version, the ET-1004. It has four leg sections, rather than five, but still folds down to about 18” long. I am replacing the included ball head with a Field Optics Research FPH-200 pan-tilt head (I don’t like ball heads). So far I have been impressed with its compact size and stability. I especially like that it has flip leg locks rather the the twist locks that are common on tripods in this size and price range.
Bob
Congrats! The first time you shoot in a place of vibrations, I bet you’ll thank your CF tripod.
Just as I’ve thanked my wooden Ries J-600, when in moving water, on a Yellowstone NP boardwalk, in a breeze causing vibration resonance, near a high-traffic road, on a bridge, even on the bouncy floor of a mature forest in the PNW.
Hurray for absorbing small vibrations.
It depends on budget and weight requirements. For me definitely CF. I shoot in the field with a RRS TVC-24, in my view the best compromise for lightness and sturdiness from RRS. Have the optional central column but keeps at home unless I plan to do any portraits. 1.5 kg (3.4 pounds). Easy to disassemble legs if you need to clean. But many other CF tripods will be good.
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