Great Lightweight Tripod

My wife has one of these. Works great...she doesn't like to carry heavy stuff, so this was perfect for her.

Lol Jeff, is there anybody who *does* like to carry heavy stuff? :D

Ha! Ok..she WON'T carry heavy stuff. I don't like it, but will tolerate it. ;)

Dolica - I have one. Took it to Hawaii when I want to take long exposures. It is a light weight and packs small. But boy are there a lot of knobs to twist. Takes a lot of time to set up and in the end it is lightweight. Not the sturdiest thing.

I actually DO like to carry heavy stuff, I shoot in stiff winds a lot, the weight helps fight that.

However one of these days my head is going to get smarter than my back is strong.....and I'll go light. Thanks for the recommendation!

The Manfrotto BeFree is what I use while backpacking-- however, I use the carbon fiber version, which I would say is very worth the extra price for the added strength and stability. The only problem is the height-- it really doesn't get all that high, so if one has a bad back or knees it could be a problem.

I still use the heavy one most times. But, when I'm hiking a couple miles or more, the lightweight one is a great option to have.

Have you looked into carbon fiber tripods? A bit pricey but maybe perfect for when you need a full size tripod that is light.

I have a Pro master something or other now. It is aluminum and quite light but VERY sturdy.

I looked at the carbon fiber option but decided I would break it in a week. Same reason I didn't get one of those fancy shutter releases that you can change all your camera settings with. That is all great and all but would it survive being under my knee in the sand and salt water? (Yes, the basic Canon release will do just fine there and all ya gotta do is knock the sand off and blow the water off and press on.)

Carbon fiber = not worth the extra money to me. I always consider the amount I spend against the amount of use something will get. The aluminum version is plenty sturdy and extends plenty large enough for me. I'm very happy with it. I doubt I would be quite as happy if I spent nearly double the amount on it, lol.

Thanks for the heads up, been looking for a smaller tripod for the same reason so will check it out!

My aluminum tripod with the BH-55 ball head weighs around 6-7 lbs. I would love something lighter but can't justify buying another tripod just because it is lighter. I could use that extra money for a piece of equipment I really want. I am in pretty decent shape so I have managed so far. So until A.) the tripod breaks or B.) I do, then I will put up with the weight.

My tripod and head without camera is 14 pounds. I love it!