Okay so i need a tripod, something strong for hiking and some nasty bit of work later on in summer.
I have narrrowed it down to the manfrotto 055MF4 or 055CXpro4.
Problem is the CX version is just the newer version and seems to be light, taller and kinda better? But its close to a hundred bucks more where as I can get the older one for around 400, at my local shop ( maybe i should buy it off ebay?)

What do you guys think should i save teh money and buy older or get the newer one. Thanks again.
























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Past gear - jaguar x type black on black on black
Current gear - Upcoming 2012 jeep wrangler unlimited sahara
Nikon d7000, niffty 50, 18-105, polarized!!!!

 

I would get the sturdy - lighter one. If you are hiking a light 'extra' is better. The D7000 needs a little more tripod, especially with a big lens. I have the same camera (love it) with the 28-300. Real front heavy so a collapsible is out of the question. I buy most of that stuff on ebay. Check out some of the mono-pods out there too. unless your going for time-lapse, they work pretty good too. Enjoy.

 

Thanks I aprreciate it, i found the newer one on ebay for less then 400 bucks so im transfering funds now. I dont mind carrying he extra weight and I did consider the monopod, problem is in the mountians at night, your only ambient light is the stars, so Ill go all out and hopefully wont be too back breaking.
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Past gear - jaguar x type black on black on black
Current gear - Upcoming 2012jeep wrangler unlimited sahara
Nikon d7000, niffty 50, 18-105, polarized!!!!

 

I've been using this one for about 5 years now.

Benro Versatile A2970F 3-Section Aluminum Tripod A2970F B&H

I beat to death & hike it in the mountains all day. Can't complain. I use it on all the cameras I have 1Ds3, RB67 & Toyo 45G. The 4X5 is maxing out it's capabilities and it does shake & vibrate more but I just wait for it to stop. It's lasted longer than the Giottos/Monfroto setup I had which litterally fell apart in the field. Monfrotto 488 I had, the ball disintegrated and the screw stud in the Giottos broke off when it tipped over. Mind the fact it was full collapsed & leaning on a rock, wasn't the harderst blow it ever took but it was the last one. So far the Benro/Induro combo has held up well and was a bit cheaper and lighter than what I had before.

 

I went with the newer 055CXPRO4, its a heavy duty enough for me..i hope.

But I have another problem, head, plates and allthat nessasry stuff. IM am completely lost, I looked online but Im still in the dark,

 

Disco, I guess I am either too old fashion or too cheap, but if you are hiking, I would think you would want a "disposable" tripod. That way if you trash it while out, you are not out anything. I have a cheapo tripod that does what I need with my Canon XSI. It is all plastic (I know, not the best), but for the weight of it and the strength that it has, I would think it would do you good. Mine has a 3 stage leg setup. So, getting it set up on an uneven surface is pretty easy. Then you can get a better tripod for all your other work. Sure it is 2 tripods, but I think you would be better off that way.

Just a different way of looking at things.

 

Manfrotto makes some very decent aluminum tripods for the money, but don't bother with their clamping system - go straight to Arca-Swiss compatible plates and clamps.

Hejnar Photo makes some good stuff for the money, or get Really Right Stuff if you're feeling wealthy. For less expensive carbon fiber there's Benro or Velbon, of course Gitzo is the best.

 

yea i understand what you mean thermo, But the last thing you ever want to happen is, during the middle of the night on a mountain top, 100's kilometers away from civilization, you setting up long expousure for stars and you realize after waiting a good 30-1 hour exposure that the tripod moves and fails its purpose. But i got one that i hope wont. I dont mind lugging a bit of extra weight but it better be worth it.


I think im going to go with the arca swiss or he really right stuff heads. Do you gys now if there universal fit at all???

 

RRS, Kirk, Hejnar, Arca-Swiss, Acra-Tech, etc, all use the (more or less) universal Arca-Swiss system. If you have knob-type clamps, you should be able to mix and match rails/mounts with clamps.

Quick-release clamps have less margin for dimensional deviations, so if you want to use a quick-release clamp all of your rails should all be from a single manufacturer, so after you adjust the clamp for one rail they'll all fit nicely.

If you want to mix and match brands, go with screw/knob type clamps. The AS Z1 head is fantastic with a RRS clamp.