Advice on tripod specifications (1 Viewer)

I am planning to upgrade my tripod to a quality VERY STABLE setup. My maximum equipment weight will eventually be 7 to 8 kg - camera, gimbal, 500mm lens, flash, etc. The tripod will be used for DSLR bird photography but also for digiscoping.

Is a tripod rated at 8kg enough or would a bigger tripod be better. Stability is very important to me but I don't want to carry unnecessary weight either.

Is an offset center column useful for birding or is it mainly a macro photo tool ?

Personally I'd go for a set of legs that are rated to hold much more weight than you ever plan to up on them. If you're looking to put 7-8kg of gear on top I'd look at legs rated to take ~12kg. I'd recommend looking at Gitzo tripods, I recently got one and have been amazed by hold solid it is, a real set up from the Manfrotto I used before. A number of the Gitzo models come without a central column which makes them ideal for low level shooting.

postcardcv said:

Personally I'd go for a set of legs that are rated to hold much more weight than you ever plan to up on them. If you're looking to put 7-8kg of gear on top I'd look at legs rated to take ~12kg. I'd recommend looking at Gitzo tripods, I recently got one and have been amazed by hold solid it is, a real set up from the Manfrotto I used before. A number of the Gitzo models come without a central column which makes them ideal for low level shooting.

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Also, if it doesn't come with a center column you won't be tempted to crank it up to eye level. I bought the Gitzo 3540 XLS with four leg sections. It will raise to over 70 inches without a column. If you don't need to extend that far, leave one section closed and you can still have it at 59 inches. Have a seat and want to use a bird/bag blind, you can close it even further. And, it supports 18kg!!!! You won't get any shake from this one.

Gitzo 1325 is the best fit for your application. If you don't want to spend that much on a carbon fiber tripod, you can get an aluminum 1320 for a lot less.

Key features you should look for:
- 3 leg sections (as opposed to 4) so that the innermost leg sections are still relatively "thick"
- Height (without the center column raised) should be sufficient to cover most of your needs.

Feisol CT-3371 is also a good tripod if you are willing to consider a Taiwanese brand.