Benro travel angel or benro travel flat-any experiences?

[chinmay]

Guys,
Looking at one of the following to purchase with max load of 13 pounds.
Would want to know pros and cons of each model.
I would like to ideally settle for the benro travel flat as it may easier to pack in my backpack, but comments are welcome.

I also believe that the centre column is detachable in flat series and may not be always required making it even more attractive..

Or should I stick with manfrottos 190 series.
I have a 496 RC2 head with a slik companion at the moment which is about 2 ft long when folded.
Thanks

[Brendon]

Contact lesserunknown (Dr Ming). He uses a carbon fiber travel angel tripod. Its darn compact and light when folded but I haven't tested it with any heavy lenses. He has a 150-500mm lens now so he can do some basic testing of the tripod if he is willing.

[lesserknown]

I have the 0680T with a load capacity of 6kgs. Its extremely light to carry and folds quite small. Have tried the sigma 150-500 and am quite satisfied . The total weight of the D90 and sigma (703 gms + 1780 gms ) is 2483gms quite within its limit .

[chinmay]

Thanks guys, picked up a brand called Sirui.
Will post details, when I use it. It weighs about 800 gms without head, and folds to just 350mm.
Fingers crossed:-)

[Prashanth]

Hi All,

Sorry for hijacking this old thread. Thought of using existing one , rather than creating a new one.

I was looking for a slightly versatile tripod. My initial budget was 10k. Have strecthed it by 50% now

I was going through this particular model - Benro A-2691 Travel Angel Alum. Tripod with B1 Head.

• Supports 26.4 lbs (12 kg)
• Extends to 5.44' (1.66 m)
• Folds Down to 17.7" (45 cm)
• Weighs 4.6 lb (2.1 kg)
• Detachable Leg Functions as 4.5' Monopod
• 5 Leg Sections
• 180° Folding Mechanism
• Dual Action Ballhead Included
• 360° Panorama Scale
• Separate Lock and Drag Adjustment Knobs

The specs are impressive. Read quite a bit of reviews. Mostly good. only cons found are -
1) B1 head that it comes with is not upto the mark of the legs. So the max weight that it can safely take (due to this B1 head) is 10Kg
2) I guess it can not be brought down to near ground level for low shooting

My questions -

Has anyone used it, & have 1st hand experience? so would you recommend this? Do you think these cons listed post a big issue? (in my current usage, i ve never used a tripod this low, but may in future & i doubt if i will ever cross the 10kg total weight)

Or any inputs in making me decide.

I am specifically impressed by its ability to fold to abt 45cm easily fitting most suitacases while travelling along with light weight, good weight-bearing capacity! add on is ability to use the centre column as monopod.

Any input is geratly appreciated!

Thanks,
Prashanth

[VikramF]

Hi All,

Sorry for hijacking this old thread. Thought of using existing one , rather than creating a new one.

I was looking for a slightly versatile tripod. My initial budget was 10k. Have strecthed it by 50% now

I was going through this particular model - Benro A-2691 Travel Angel Alum. Tripod with B1 Head.

• Supports 26.4 lbs (12 kg)
• Extends to 5.44' (1.66 m)
• Folds Down to 17.7" (45 cm)
• Weighs 4.6 lb (2.1 kg)
• Detachable Leg Functions as 4.5' Monopod
• 5 Leg Sections
• 180° Folding Mechanism
• Dual Action Ballhead Included
• 360° Panorama Scale
• Separate Lock and Drag Adjustment Knobs

The specs are impressive. Read quite a bit of reviews. Mostly good. only cons found are -
1) B1 head that it comes with is not upto the mark of the legs. So the max weight that it can safely take (due to this B1 head) is 10Kg
2) I guess it can not be brought down to near ground level for low shooting

My questions -

Has anyone used it, & have 1st hand experience? so would you recommend this? Do you think these cons listed post a big issue? (in my current usage, i ve never used a tripod this low, but may in future & i doubt if i will ever cross the 10kg total weight)

Or any inputs in making me decide.

I am specifically impressed by its ability to fold to abt 45cm easily fitting most suitacases while travelling along with light weight, good weight-bearing capacity! add on is ability to use the centre column as monopod.

Any input is geratly appreciated!

Thanks,
Prashanth

Hi Prashanth - I used to shoot with the 169 combo (level below this in terms of handling weight of 8 Kg and same head) till I sold it for a CF one.
Tripod: The B1 head is very good (not like the BH heads which do have a little creep). I'm fairly certain that if you get equipment that is over 3.5Kg in weight (1/3rd the max support of the head), you'd need a Gimbal head and not this ballhead.
Tripod: It can't be brought down to ground level, but it does get very low (basically the length of your center column - so about 30-35cm, which is pretty low for most things).

[Prashanth]

Thanks Vikram. Good to hear that you were happy with this ball-head. excuse my wording  - i meant the same about tripod (low-level shooting).

Since I have used only a basic tripod till now this is a big-jump from that - from the specs & your experience, do you think it is good-buy?

regards,
Prashanth

[VikramF]

Thanks Vikram. Good to hear that you were happy with this ball-head. excuse my wording  - i meant the same about tripod (low-level shooting).

Since I have used only a basic tripod till now this is a big-jump from that - from the specs & your experience, do you think it is good-buy?

regards,
Prashanth

I bought it myself - so what do you think? Even miss it a little now that it's sold.

[Prashanth]

Good to hear. thanks again.

really appreciate you taking time answer my queries. I am sure this would have been millionth time someone asked such questions- especially gear suggestions.

Regards,
Prashanth

[amit_hazari]

Prashanth, I have Benro A-268 with B1 ballhead. It is a pretty good tripod and convenient to carry too. I didn't choose A-269 because I have my reservations against 5 section legs.
I have a very lightweight setup so I am not sure if the Benro will be able to take heavy load.

From where are you planning to purchase the tripod? I had purchased mine from Gaffarbhai and sons.

Regards,
Amit

[Prashanth]

Hi Amit,

Thanks for the info. Are you referring to Benro A2681TB1?

currently i have a very light setup too. I had a quick glance at the model you have. I didnt specifically find any significant difference compared the one i suggested except as you mentioned 4-section vs 4 section. I would like to hear your reservations about 5 section!

I am from Bangalore. I found the model I suggested on buytheprice.com. I am still considering the purchase, so I am open to suggestions.

Regards,
Prashanth

[amit_hazari]

Thanks for the info. Are you referring to Benro A2681TB1?

I am not sure about the exact model number. I remember that it is A268 travel angel and it has B1 ballhead. I will check the receipt again and will let you know.

I would like to hear your reservations about 5 section!

Tripods having more leg sections are generally less stable. Ideally I would have chosen one with three sections but that would have resulted in larger packed size.

If I have an option then I do not expand all the four sections of my tripod. I also try to avoid extending the center column up.

If you search online for number of tripod legs and stability then you will find many articles and discussions.

http://mansurovs.com/how-to-choose-and-buy-a-tripod-for-a-dslr-camera
Nasim Mansurov: "Depending on the maximum height of the tripod, there might be between 3 and 5 sections on tripod legs. The more sections, the higher the tripod and generally a little less stable."

http://bythom.com/support.htm
Thom Hogan: "Personally, I travel with smaller duffels and tend towards the four-section Gitzos, even though they compromise overall stability a bit."

I am still considering the purchase, so I am open to suggestions.

Check this out too:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/1-5m-aluminum-alloy-digital-camera-tripod-5kg-load-max-15247

I don't have this Victory 3001 tripod but have heard about this in this forum. It could be a good option. It will cost one fourth that of Benro
I can't recommend it because I haven't owned. Ask Arun B (www.jjmehta.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=4916). I think he has owned this tripod.

Also see the following thread: http://www.jjmehta.com/forum/index.php?topic=6991.165 (search for 'Benro' and 'Victory')

[amit_hazari]

Hi Prashanth,
      I just checked that the name of my tripod is A268M8 with B1 ballhead. Its load capacity is 12kg.

I read (almost) all the posts of the thread www.jjmehta.com/forum/index.php/topic,6991. I highly recommend you to read the entire thread if you have yet not chosen your tripod.

amitk26 had purchased and reviewed victory 3001. He had also reviewed a korean carbon fiber tripod of brand HorusBennu. Would you believe that he paid less than 13000 Rs for the tripod AND a nice ballhead! That's really a steal.

Regards,
Amit

[kunwar.g]

Hi Prashanth,
      I just checked that the name of my tripod is A268M8 with B1 ballhead. Its load capacity is 12kg.

I too had the same tripod & head combo. Very satisfied with it. Has gone with me on multiple trips. Not very heavy and the tripod bag which comes with it is good for protection and carrying. The pano feature of the ballhead is also useful.

One lift of the Manfrotto 550ProB was enough to convince me against its weight. I ordered the Benro from GaffarBhai. Well packed and shipped to NCR from Mumbai.

Recently coated the legs with the 3M carbon Fiber Vinyl ( just for visual, not advantage other than 1 layer of protection against scratches)

One real advantage of the 2691 is that you can detach one leg to get a monopod ( your post above says so).

[Brendon]

Hi Prashanth,
      I just checked that the name of my tripod is A268M8 with B1 ballhead. Its load capacity is 12kg.

I read (almost) all the posts of the thread www.jjmehta.com/forum/index.php/topic,6991. I highly recommend you to read the entire thread if you have yet not chosen your tripod.

amitk26 had purchased and reviewed victory 3001. He had also reviewed a korean carbon fiber tripod of brand HorusBennu. Would you believe that he paid less than 13000 Rs for the tripod AND a nice ballhead! That's really a steal.

Regards,
Amit

I have no doubt the tripod Amit bought was good but he purchased it locally in Korea and so didn't face the hassles of custom duties and shipping. Custom duties are pretty freely levied these days and so the cost is sure to rise even further if we purchase that tripod from ebay.com.

[amit_hazari]

I have no doubt the tripod Amit bought was good but he purchased it locally in Korea and so didn't face the hassles of custom duties and shipping. Custom duties are pretty freely levied these days and so the cost is sure to rise even further if we purchase that tripod from ebay.com.

This is a very valid point Brendon. Shipping could cost around $30 to $35 and the customs duty for tripods would be around 10% (I am not completely sure through).

[Brendon]

I have no doubt the tripod Amit bought was good but he purchased it locally in Korea and so didn't face the hassles of custom duties and shipping. Custom duties are pretty freely levied these days and so the cost is sure to rise even further if we purchase that tripod from ebay.com.

This is a very valid point Brendon. Shipping could cost around $30 to $35 and the customs duty for tripods would be around 10% (I am not completely sure through).

Its 27% for camera equipment. So thats around 4000 bucks only for customs on a $250. Earlier they never bothered much with customs but now they are very strict. I paid 600 bucks duty for a tripod and macro rail for a total of just $18+$14 ~ 1800 bucks (including shipping) which comes to 33% duty.

[amit_hazari]

Its 27% for camera equipment. So thats around 4000 bucks only for customs on a $250. Earlier they never bothered much with customs but now they are very strict. I paid 600 bucks duty for a tripod and macro rail for a total of just $18+$14 ~ 1800 bucks (including shipping) which comes to 33% duty.

I didn't realize that the duty was so high. I had seen the following document and thought that it would be around 10%.
http://www.dutycalculator.com/Hscodes/hs-code-for-tripods-for-photographic-cameras/

27% is prohibitively high.

[Brendon]

Its not a fixed no but mostly arbitrary based on the whims and fancies of the custom agents.

[Prashanth]

Thanks Amit, Brendon & Kunwar. Thanks for all your inputs. I had done a quick check on threads available. But yes not exhaustively. Thanks to my travel over the weekend, I didnt end up ordering anything yet. so will do some more reseacrh before finalizing.  folded length & weight are still big checkpoint for me. 

I will come back if I have any more questions. Thanks,
Prashanth