buy with confidence is good. but i guess i better make sure what im buying is good for me first before confidently buying haha
Sirui tripod
- Thread starter gohjialong
- Start date
buy with confidence is good. but i guess i better make sure what im buying is good for me first before confidently buying haha
You never know until you try.
Each of us have unlimited wants and needs, knowing what can cater for our shooting style is the key of what is good.
My usual question to a person buying tripod is,
"How long you have been shooting?"
"What is your shooting style?"
"What are you looking for?"
"What is the heaviest gear are you going to use for this tripod?"
"What is your budget?"
Then I will do a gauge what to recommend.
Are you going for macro, birding, landscape, travel?
Do you slowly take your time, set up and shoot, or shoot on the move?
Is low angle a must? How low do you want?
Or you need something higher than eye level?
This one takes some time to realise, that is why my first question is...
How long have you been shooting?
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The main pitfall in purchasing a tripod is that we normally base the criteria to buy on price. The sales person will ask you your budget and push one to you according to your budget. This normally ends up with the wrong tripod. You should do some research on line. The Sirui is touted as a cheaper alternative of the Rolls-Royce of tripod, the Gitzo. The specs are all on-line. You should get a sturdy unit if you are seriously going to take landscapes because if you take pictures outdoors, the force of wind blowing will vibrate the tripod and you get blurr pictures.
The 5-sections type is not as sturdy as the 4-sections. The max height: you should feel comfortable peering into the viewfinder (without centre-column extension) and camera mounted. (Imagine crouching to compose and set 20 pictures and you get what I mean). You may end up with a tripod that satisfy the above points but then it is too expensive and too heavy. But "cut one time and bleed a lot of blood" is better than cutting 3 times and "bleed more blood". That's why I ended up with two tripods now. One for local photography and one for travelling.
Cheers and happy BBB.:bsmilie::bsmilie:
LEW
My first tripod is a 1.5kg manfrotto which is still with me now. haha. but i need a lighter one becos i cant be carrying that 1.5kg black thing all around, heavy for the arms and bad for people's eyes too wen they see me carrying a thing like that. its rather huge anyway.
tried and tested my sirui tripod (T1204) at HK, The Peak (it can be very windy there) as well as at Melbourne, Great Ocean Road (near the coastal area). Never topple.
You might wanna check out the T-1205x.
It's CF so its pretty darn light.
Small enough to fit into my laptop bag.
It's somewhat sturdy enough to support a 5Dm2 w/ a 70-200 f2.8 on a G-10 ballhead.
On a side note, i absolutely hate ballheads, so anyone know where i could find a small fluid pan head? I dont want those big and heavy ones for video cams...
It's CF so its pretty darn light.
Small enough to fit into my laptop bag.
It's somewhat sturdy enough to support a 5Dm2 w/ a 70-200 f2.8 on a G-10 ballhead.
On a side note, i absolutely hate ballheads, so anyone know where i could find a small fluid pan head? I dont want those big and heavy ones for video cams...
1. Yes. I have a Sirui Tripod T-1204X (if I don't remember wrongly) with G20, to replace my Manfrotto 190-XPROB. I find Manfrotto, very solid but it is too solid, and heavy and bulky. And Manfrotto is too expensive for their CF models.
2. T-1204X or T-1205X
3. I opt for 3 section because it's easier to deploy and keep. But you do lose out in height. I am somewhat tall so have to bend a bit for my 3 section one. The other consideration why I choose 3 section last time is because I want the weight to be below 1 KG and the 4 section one is slightly above 1 KG. My rationale is my Manfrotto on paper weights 1.86 KG, if I am going to spend > 300++ I want to make sure there is substantial improvement. So to me 1.86 versus 1.2 isn't that big. So I opt for 3 section that is 0.9, at least the weight is halved. Again like I said you must be comfortable with the maximum height.
4. My tripod is quite solid, the build quality has last me many months... 8 or so. And it still look new. Went to 2 overseas heavy duty trips. I had to walk long distances but wasn't bothered by the weight, not unlike the Manfrotto. My setup can hold 70-200 VR2, D700 with battery grip and two battery without any problem. For the price you pay, it's really value for money. I was considering Benro previously but I never and will never trust China brands. That is of course my personal preference.
5. My Manfrotto was flip lock and yes it is faster to deploy. But according to a Benro salesman, they say flip lock not good, got some returns, which is why their newer model is the twist lock kind. I usually take salesman's words with a pinch of salt. In any case, after my 1st experience with my 1st tripod, weight, portability is utmost important to me than flip lock or twist lock. I am glad I chose Sirui. Bought from TK. You may be able to pick up at BnS.
Come on i read everyone's advice for me and am truly aprreciative of whatever they might provide for me so as to allow me to choose the correct choice. I really am. Sorry if it seems to you that im not
I just got the N1004, which was recommended by ppl in TK as better value for money.
The N series is great with the monopod function. I figured it could come in handy in case of need for a self-defense weapon. :bsmilie:
The N series is great with the monopod function. I figured it could come in handy in case of need for a self-defense weapon. :bsmilie:
Self defense? i thought when things get dangerous just use the whole tripod? haha.
right now my mind is thinking of getting the N series but if i feel that it is too heavy to my liking then i'll maybe just get the T series as i initially wanted a lighter tripod but one that can fit my eye level.
True. The whole tripod can cause more damage coz it's heavier. However, considering its weight and shape, it is sort of a 奇门兵刃, which requires lengthy training before effective usage. A monopod, with its shape and weight, is better suited for layman like me. LOL
I am not contradicting myself. Let me explain.I said. My Manfrotto was good but too heavy for my liking.
I said. When choosing for my Manfrotto's replacement, I decided on Sirui because at that time I was told or I read from the web (somewhere that I can't remember now) it is a South Korean brand. I also compared both Benro quality and Sirui and find Sirui quality very different and seem much better than Benro. Benro looks like typical China manufacturing quality. Hence at that time of purchase and until today, I always thought it was a South Korean brand.
Now that you mentioned, I just checked and realized that the sales office is in South Korea but manufacturing plant is in China.
I said. My Manfrotto was good but too heavy for my liking.
I said. When choosing for my Manfrotto's replacement, I decided on Sirui because at that time I was told or I read from the web (somewhere that I can't remember now) it is a South Korean brand. I also compared both Benro quality and Sirui and find Sirui quality very different and seem much better than Benro. Benro looks like typical China manufacturing quality. Hence at that time of purchase and until today, I always thought it was a South Korean brand.
Now that you mentioned, I just checked and realized that the sales office is in South Korea but manufacturing plant is in China.
actually from what i know. Sirui and Benro is the same company. Just like Manfrotto and Gitzo. One is made for consumer market one for the upper class market.
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