I am looking for a good tripod setup for around $200 for my rebel t2i to shoot mountain bike videos. This tripod has to be fairly dirt and dust proof because i will be shooting mainly on a dirt surface. Since i will be only using a dslr setup, it doesn't have to support a lot off weight, but i don't mind having a little extra bulk if its going to be stronger. Don't tell me I can't get a good tripod in this price range or anything like that, i understand this is a low budget, but its what i have to work with. I just want to know what you would get if you had around 200 bucks to spend with my needs in mind
Thanks a lot

Hi Michael

I have been using Weifeng E-717 tripods so a few years now and at under $200 they are awesome. However they might be a wee bit too heavy to carry up a mountain but boy, they are tough!! In the bag mine weigh almost 10 lbs but they are rock steady (I use 8lb cams on them) and the bowl heads are great for levelling out on rough terrain without having to adjust leg length!!

Chris

oh, bowl heads, thats what there called! I definitley want one of those, because leveling by adjusting the legs is a huge pain! I will look into that one for sure

I can't seem to find that exact tripod, do you have a link to where you bought it?

Hi Michael

Just go onto eBay and search for "75mm bowl tripod" The E-717 is stocked by plenty of shops there.

I actually bought mine from the USA and it was cheaper than buying it locally here in Australia!!

Chris

Or look for a Libec TH-950DV. That's about all I can think of around your price point that is remotely near good.

(And for heaven's sake keep Soucy away, he'll want you to spend $2000!)

I say NAAATHING.

I'll let you lot dig holes, then fill 'em in later...........


CS

The correct answer is of course to buy a Vinten Vision Blue or a Sachtler FSB-4! (Which I am humming and hah-ing over for my 2kg Panasonic babycam).

But that costs slightly more than $200.

BTW, for $200 you'll probably get something good for locked-off shots, and if you're lucky you could do a decent pan or tilt at full wide angle with a bit of work. Which might be OK for the mountain-biking stuff, as long as you don't expect to do a lot of long lens work.

I have actually been thru a pile of tripods and "so called" fluid heads and these Weifeng's are as smooth as silk...Outstanding performance for the price and have never let me down yet...however I am dumping 3.1kg of camera on them so the head may not be as good as I have experienced if you plonk a tiny DSLR on it....I'm just saying that they work like magic with my setup.

I guess a $5K tripod might be a lot better but my budget is just a trifle lower than a TV studio!!!

Chris

I bought one of these tripods in china for about 100€. they are great for the price. and the pans work well with dslrs. and they are heavy, which i consider to be a plus.

im now looking for a distributor here in europe, since i couldnt bring mine to europe (here the weight wasnt that positive). does anyone know one? i googled but couldnt find much.

cheers

I think walimex is a rebrand for asian brands.

Walimex pro EL-717 is Weifeng E717

Walimex Shop Austria - Walimex pro EI-717 Videostativ 15610 (http://www.walimex-shop.at/product_info.php/info/p630_Walimex-pro-EI-717-Videostativ.html)

Chris,

FSB4 sets are around $800 US. Vinten Blue is around $1000.

You don't need to go to $5k these days. Unless you move over the Tasman to live in Dunedin, that is!

I have been doing a little research about that 717 tripod and i cant seem to find anything but positive reviews about it, for under 200 bucks, it sounds like a steal

Hi Mike

Ireland is pricey then???? I actually write a bit of Software for a guy in the Munster area. I see that most prices there are also in Euro rather than pounds????

Don't worry I wouldn't pay $5K for a tripod ... I see that Miller make a unit that retails for $4950 here...that's more than my cameras cost each!!!

Michael

The E-717 is quite a lot under $200 currently in the USA !! If you are not happy with it, dump it on ebay and buy something else but they certainly work for me!! If you do a search for Weifeng you can also look at the factory website based in Taiwan...they have a lot fancier than the 717 too!! That's the entry level bowl unit!!

Chris

Chris,

UK is pretty much take the US$ and and replace the $ with a £ sign, always has been. Add on taxes and duties and a bit of ripping off customers. Thankfully I live in the slightly less bankrupt part of Ireland!

Michael - my advice on that tripod is to go for it. No point pontificating on bigger and better things if all you have is < $200! There's always a "best tripod at each price point" and this is probably it.

now I'm stuck, i was set on the 717, but then i stumbled upon this WF718 Fluid Head + Tripod Close Look Review CheesyCam (http://cheesycam.com/wf718-fluid-head-tripod/)
same brand, same good quality, but a little more versatile with the center column being able to move up and down, and the different leg positions
what do you guys think? now i can't decide, but it looks as if the 718 is a little more suited to smaller cameras

Hi Michael

The day I exchanged adjustable legs and elevator columns for bowl heads was a huge turning point in my life. True, an elevator column gets you higher but the leveling facility of a bowl unit is way, way, more useful. I personally would hate to go back to fiddling with legs to get the tripod level!!!

Chris

Pro Video Tripod w Fluid Pan Head EI717 717 75mm Bowl - eBay (item 190470074595 end time Dec-18-10 09:21:47 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Pro-Video-Tripod-w-Fluid-Pan-Head-EI717-717-75mm-Bowl-/190470074595?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c58e6b0e3)

Thanks Chris for he suggestion. I already purchased the Vision Blue (with BillMeLater.. lol) but as SOON as I purchased it, I saw the Libe RS series and now this thread! lol

Since it's only about 5th of Vinten's price I wouldn't mind purchasing and trying it out and compare to my Vision Blue.

One question is, does this have balancing mechanism and also do you happen to know if this can handle the Canon XHA1?

Thanks so much!

EDIT: Amazon.com: ePhoto Professional Heavy Duty Video Camcorder Tripod Fluid Drag Head Kits by ePhoto INC WF717: Camera & Photo
They seem to have a lot of rebranding for this model

Chris,

Thank you very much for putting us on to the Weifeng 717 tripod. I found one on eBay in the UK branded as the Fancier WF-717 for just £129.95 with free delivery in the UK or just an extra £9.95 to ship to me here in France. It arrived today & it really is a very decent piece of kit & you really cannot go wrong at this price (the equivalent of about $220 including 20% sales tax). http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360317983645#ht_3376wt_1021

Here is a video review of the WF-717 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QJwL31bWxk