light tripod for dslr

There are a few options for a compact dslr- not sure if these will accomodate a long telephoto.

Flexibility, portability, durability, and relatively low weight- Joby Gorilla Pod DSLR model w/ gitzo ball head

Portability, ease of use, and very light- Tamrac Zipshot TR406 (mini 28" or standard 44")

Low weight, low cost, compact- Giottos RT-8150 8-Section Compact Tripod (replace stock 3-way head w/ ball head)

thanks.

Giottos look good, any idea how to swap stock head to ball head.

For a small DSLR with a standard zoom lens, weighing less than 5 pounds, you might try the following:

Target sells a small Manfrotto four section pod with a combo video/still trigger style pan head. $60. Weights 2.6 pounds
BHPhoto has a number of options: the Induro Adventure series is a four section pod with either a ball head or a three way pan head. Ball head will weigh less. The AKB0 weighs about 2.5 pounds, runs about $140 + shipping

Locally I found a Benro four section with a ball head for $60.

These ultra-light tripods are typically aluminum, with a cheap ball head. They all weigh under 3 pounds, which is about as low as you can get without going gimmicky. GorillaPods are great if you like shooting from a tree limb or off the ground, but in practice, that's almost never the right spot for the shot. Beanbags — same issue — too low for most scenic shots. The VersaTrek (tiny folding tripod, also sold under the Tamrac name) is not worth the money — unstable, floppy, and the connection is tenuous
at best.

For backpacking light (a tripod falls outside the ultra-light classification in my mind), any of the above will work passably.

Inexpensive? Doh! Don't think I can help you much there. I was looking into a Manfrotto table top tripod, which is relatively cheap but I would like something a bit taller and more adjustable. I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Gitzo Series 00 tripod and pairing w/ RRS BH-30 Pro head, but it's a crazy expensive setup (probably $600+ even after rebates/discounts).

Of course, there is always the SUL option of not bringing a tripod at all… I got this lovely shot last weekend in GSM NP with no tripod at all, just used some conveniently placed river rock (this was taken at Upper Forney Creek, btw):

Double post… grrr I do this way too often lol

this is a very small tripod that you can also strap to a small tree trunk for heighth… it is very light, small and usable.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I just put an order for Giotte tripod and ball head gear. I found a blog from member dondo on how to DIY head swap.

While I love to get those expensive tripod, since its worth more than what I paid for my refurb D5000 body :).

I have heard great things about HorusBennu's carbon fibre tripods (can be found on eBay, I don't know if they have any retail vendors though). I was planning on getting one of the smaller ones as a replacement for my Dolica tripod, which does the job but not very well. Instead I decided to ditch the dSLR entirely for backpacking and take a Canon S100 with a tiny Ultrapod. The S100 shoots in RAW format and has full manual controls and a pretty good sensor. You lose the flexibility of multiple lenses, but due to weight constraints I only ever took one lens for backpacking anyway (Sigma 10-20 or Canon 18-55). At 24mm on the wide end, it's not as wide as I like for landscapes, but certainly better than lugging 6lbs of camera equipment into the wilderness and hoping it doesn't get wet! I believe there are even a couple of companies out there that make a screw on filter kit for the S100 so you can use 37mm filters on it. I plan on getting one of these in the not too distant future as I miss having a polarizer for landscapes. Of course, if you're shooting wildlife with a large telephoto with your dSLR, forget everything I just said… a compact can't compete for the long range stuff.

"I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Gitzo Series 00 tripod and pairing w/ RRS BH-30 Pro head…"

I gave a lot of consideration to Gitzo/RRS combo, but ended up with a Feisol CT-3441T and Markins Q3T instead. Still north of $600, but I really appreciate the height of the Feisol and the Markins is superb. After a year of heavy usage, no regrets on that decision. Weighs in at about 54 oz. though. Then add the Canon 60D with a lens or two and I'm over 7 lbs in camera gear.

I think I'm about to pull the trigger on an S100 and leave all of the above behind when venturing very far from the Jeep…

– Dave

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/822241-REG/Sirui_BSRT025_T_025_5_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html

it works really well, imo. pretty light, can find a lighter ball head i am sure.. wish i had this with me in greece for our honeymoon instead of a total POS one i had.. :P

I tried the Sirui in store. It's definitely small and light, but with 5 leg sections, it's built more of leg locks than actual legs. As a result, the working height is much lower than other comparable pods.

I've been using Jobi Gorillas for some years now. They work fine for me, and are MUCH lighter than conventional tripods. No ball head – oh well, work around.

Cheers

The Gorilla SLR-Zoom Tripod has an AWESOME ball head, and supported my Canon SLR with a fat battery pack and big heavy lens just fine. Absolutely great piece of gear. I can’t think of a single shot I wasn’t able to get with it… in fact, I’ve been able to put it up in trees, slap it on a wobbly rock (and straighten the shot with the ball head after)… it makes shooting with a tripod effortless. I’ve used mine hundreds of times very successfully.

I actually got a Gorilla Hybrid, which is meant for smaller cameras, since I recently switched to Micro 4/3s. It weighs all of 6 oz and is even more versatile than the SLR version (due it’s weight).

I think it’s absurd to carry a full-fledge, multi-hundred dollar tripod on a backpacking trip when this option exists. It is maddeningly frustrating to pack down 3 tiers of 3 legs EVERY TIME you want to take a shot, then fiddle with each latch to make it level.

Maddeningly frustrating? Ha, that's to be expected when you mix ultralight backpacking with photography, and part of the fun. There's always a trade off to be made. The gitzo/rrs combo is appealing for a few reasons – it can handle a full-size DSLR plus whatever lens I'm carrying (a 70-200 f/2.8 would be the most I ever ask of it, but I typically bring a large aperture prime or macro), weighs less than 1.5lbs for the head and tripod combined, can be weighed down for extra stability, extends to a useful height (the series 00 is about half the height of most tripods), the head pans (would make shooting panoramas much easier), etc.

The very same time-eating adjustments you denounce are my godsend – I'll gladly deal with them if doing so lets me capture the shot I want.

I have one of the Gorillapods for SLR zooms and don't like it much. I always found it difficult to get it absolutely guaranteed stable when bracketing images for HDR, and consequently a lot of my HDRs ended up with a ton of ghosting. IMO there's no substitute for have a proper tripod with an SLR… even my cheapo Dolica does a much better job of keeping the camera stable than my Gorillapod. Plus, with a tripod that has legs, you can put it in a stream (carefully, of course) and get those awesome close-to-water long exposure shots.

Slik tripods are a good value. You can pick them up for good prices. http://www.slik.co.jp/

Also maybe look at Benro.

Unless you're setting up for a pano, you don't need to fiddle with the leg locks to level the tripod. It just needs to be level enough that it's stable and doesn't tip over due to the weight of the camera. Final adjustment is done with the ballhead.

Still, any tripod use is going to be slower than simply hand-holding a compact camera. It depends on what the focus of a particular trip is. If photography (especially low-light photography) is a primary goal, then a proper tripod is indispensable.

A lot of good suggestions have been added, and I need to underscore that, like backpacks, no one tripod is the best for all uses. I own an ultra-light expensive Gitzo setup with a Really Right Stuff ballhead and plate set (tall, rock solid), a cheap Slik aluminum jobbie (shorter, more wobbly, packs smaller), and a Gorillapod SLR Zoom (teensy, lightest, most fiddly, worst in winds). Each really has its own uses, strengths, and weaknesses. I find the Gorillapod the least useful above treeline, the Slik best for good-weather short treks, and the Gitzo when the weather/terrain may be challenging and photography is one of the main goals of the trip. Heck, I even have the tiny original Gorillapod when I just want to take my Lumix TS3 (I sea kayak as well as backpack), which is a decent combo if all I want are hands-free snapshots, as opposed to a full Canon 5D setup with extra lenses.

YMMV and horses for courses, but wanted to reflect that a lot of the suggestions in this thread are equally valid, it just depends on the kind of shooting you do, where, and in what conditions.

I just received my Benro A-150EXU from B&H. Most important detail first, it weighs 2.2 lbs as claimed.

It is pretty amazing for the weight. My standard dSLR set up which weighs 2.5 lbs feels pretty secure on it, even when fully extended. It extends from 8" to about 63". I'm 5'10'+ and the viewfinder is level with my eye when fully extended. In addtion you can reverse the center post and drop the camera to ground level. It collapses to about 20'. It has combo rubber and spike feet.

It feels and looks well built. I am impressed.

Just share my set up for your reference. I use Gitzo 1541 with central column removed and BH-25 ball head. This setup is very light and it still keeps major functions of a tripod.

"The very same time-eating adjustments you denounce are my godsend – I'll gladly deal with them if doing so lets me capture the shot I want."

Same here. Also, a Gitzo Mountaineer carbon-fiber tripod + Arca Swiss Monoball P0 weighs around 2.5 pounds, and is stable enough for videography using the big SLR lenses that I don't backpack with as well as for long exposures with my Arca Swiss monorail.

The RRS ballheads are excellent, but the Arca Swiss P0 is smaller and lighter than the BH-40, and the monorail fits directly into the SlideFix clamp.

Another alternative available now is the 5-ounce pocket tripod from Really Right Stuff… it's rated for 100 pounds, it's pocket-sized, and costs just under $100.