Anyone with experience with a MeFoto tripod? (1 Viewer)

Hey All,
I'm looking for a good compact and light weight tripod for my new Fieldscope ED50. I've heard lots of good things about the Velbon tripods. Does anyone have experience with the Benro Mefoto line of tripods?
I am on a pretty tight budget, so any advice along those lines would also be appreciated.
Thanks!

I've been happy with a Velbon Ultra Luxi for my ED50, but dumped the Velbon PQ157 head it came with for a Velbon ballhead. The scope is so light that a big head is overkill. I would note that the Ultra Luxi is too light to be a firm platform when fully extended, but it folds very compactly and does the job.
My budget did not stretch to higher end tripods such as Benro.

The MeFoto tripods I was looking at are actually in the same price range as the Velbon, especially if one buys another head for the Velbon. So that's why I was comparing them.....

I've never used a ball head, but I have seen that many like them with the ED50. Maybe I'll become a convert as well

cedarbirds said:

The MeFoto tripods I was looking at are actually in the same price range as the Velbon, especially if one buys another head for the Velbon. So that's why I was comparing them.....

I've never used a ball head, but I have seen that many like them with the ED50. Maybe I'll become a convert as well

Click to expand...

The ED50 is a little gem, so light and compact that it is quite usable hand held. A stay on case with a wide strap helps hold the glass snug. That will not replace a tripod for long detailed scans, but it is way more portable.
A less radical alternative is to use a monopod, without a head. You can aim the scope by turning or tilting the monopod quite easily.

These relatively unconventional solutions make the scope much more portable and quick to deploy than a conventional tripod setup. Just take care with the tripod fitting on the scope, it is plastic and easily overstressed.