# Need sage advice between Manfrotto vs Induro before purchase



## Zzang (Jul 12, 2012)

Purchasing Tripod today or tomorrow it is between these two models. Please help guide me in the right purchase. Thank you.


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## Zzang (Jul 13, 2012)

Anyone?


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## 412 Burgh (Jul 13, 2012)

I'm waiting to hear some
Options. Im in the market for a tripod. My 50 dollar Manfrotto from best buy is rubbish but serves me well for travels.


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## KenC (Jul 13, 2012)

I have a Manfrotto and I love it (I think it's the regular 055X).  People I know who have Manfrotto gear all seem to like it.  I don't think you can go wrong with it, or probably with the Induro.  Have you handled the tripods?  More than anything else it comes down to what you're comfortable with.


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## tirediron (Jul 13, 2012)

I don't have any first-hand experience with the Induro units, however from what I have heard, they're a decent product for the dollar.  Manfrotto is a high-quality and well-regarded product.  The 055 legs are a good, solid set which will serve you well.


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## unpopular (Jul 13, 2012)

if you can afford the manfrotto, go for it. They are well trusted.

I don't know why people buy new tripods. They depreciate at a remarkable rate. Being on a budget myself, I would never buy a new tripod personally. Check ebay.


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## pixmedic (Jul 13, 2012)

we went with the manfrotto 290 tripod and manfrotto 804RC2 pan tilt head with quick locks.  not the highest end models, but they are sturdy and work very well. 
dont know anything about induro, but i cant imagine you would be disappointed with a manfrotto product.  next on my list is a monopod.


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## unpopular (Jul 13, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> next on my list is a monopod.



Why?


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## pixmedic (Jul 13, 2012)

unpopular said:


> pixmedic said:
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why not?


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## unpopular (Jul 13, 2012)

They just seem kind of silly to me. I am sure you get some stability, but I can't imagine all that much.


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## fjrabon (Jul 13, 2012)

unpopular said:


> pixmedic said:
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I actually use my monopod a lot.  For holding my speedlight/softbox when shooting outside portraits.  I also carry it with me when shooting night street shots, mostly for protection though, haha.

edit: I also find them fairly useful for panning automotive shots.


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## fjrabon (Jul 13, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> we went with the manfrotto 290 tripod and manfrotto 804RC2 pan tilt head with quick locks.  not the highest end models, but they are sturdy and work very well.
> dont know anything about induro, but i cant imagine you would be disappointed with a manfrotto product.  next on my list is a monopod.



One piece of advice with monopods, the only thing that matters is having a quick release plate (screwing and unscrewing the whole thing is a PITA).  Other than that, just get the cheapest one you can find.  There really is almost no difference in stability model to model.


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## pixmedic (Jul 13, 2012)

unpopular said:


> They just seem kind of silly to me. I am sure you get some stability, but I can't imagine all that much.



where it seems appealing to me is when i want the extra stability, but I am also moving around a bit. i imagine the monopod being a lot easier to move around and quicker to set up than a tripod. while it wouldn't give as much stability as a tripod would, it seems like it would be more stable than just a handheld camera.  they aren't terribly expensive so i don't see the harm in picking one up. our local camera store has a nice one for $130 with a foot piece on the bottom so u can hold it down. seems like it would work pretty well. Ive heard quite a few people praise them so, I guess im willing to throw a little money at one to try it.


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## fjrabon (Jul 13, 2012)

I briefly owned that Manfrotto, before I found a good deal on a carbon fiber tripod and traded it to my friend for some filters.  It was a fine tripod and seemed really stable.  It's pretty heavy is really the only negative I could find.  The joke was "it's a pro tripod, because pros don't have to carry their tripods around, they have assistants."  If you'll mostly be using it at home it's about all you'd need.  If you'll be carrying it around, strapped to a bag, well, just know 5 pounds strapped to the side of a camera bag is a bit of a haul.  I mostly carry my tripod that way, and that's why I changed to carbon fiber.


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## pixmedic (Jul 13, 2012)

fjrabon said:


> unpopular said:
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I typically carry my gun for protection.. but i can see where a  monopod would be effective as well.   :mrgreen:


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## fjrabon (Jul 13, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> fjrabon said:
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Ha, well I couldn't randomly wander into bars then, as I believe it's illegal to carry a gun into a bar in georgia even if you have a permit, unless the bar owner explicitly grants permission.


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## pixmedic (Jul 13, 2012)

fjrabon said:


> pixmedic said:
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Its illegal to carry a gun into any establishment where alcohol is their main business. its also illegal to drink any alcohol when carrying anyway.


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## fjrabon (Jul 13, 2012)

pixmedic said:


> fjrabon said:
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Not to veer too off topic, but in Georgia you just have to be under the legal driving limit (0.08 BAC)


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## unpopular (Jul 13, 2012)

I am relatively certain that it is 100% legal to carry a gun into a bar in Wyoming, people usually don't out of courtesy, but I don't think there is any law against it.


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## pixmedic (Jul 13, 2012)

unpopular said:


> I am relatively certain that it is 100% legal to carry a gun into a bar in Wyoming, people usually don't out of courtesy, but I don't think there is any law against it.



could just be florida then.  guess we should get back on topic...so.. just get the  manfrotto tripod.


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## TCampbell (Jul 13, 2012)

I own a few tripods, monopods, and heads.  Most of my gear is either Induro or Benro.  If you're worried about quality, I can vouch for the fact that the quality is there, but the model you picked in your example is the Induro A213.  

I have an Induro A414 -- which is quite different.  The leading letter tells you if it's aluminum vs. carbon fiber.  The next digit has to do with the size or beefiness of the tripod.  A 400 series is much beefier than a 200 series.  The A414 is a tank.  It's a VERY solid tripod.  It won't budge or shake even in a stiff wind.  But of course the downside is that it's very heavy.  If you had to go on a long nature hike with a tripod to set up for some wildlife photos or some stunning landscapes from difficult to reach vantage points this would NOT be the tripod to carry.  

The 200 series will be lighter, but it also won't be as solid.  In a stiff wind, it'll probably vibrate.  Since the whole point of a tripod is to provide the camera with a solid mount in order to take shots that would hard to take as hand-held photos this needs to be a major consideration.  

I do have a lightweight travel tripod that fits into my carry-on luggage.  It's carbon fiber.  But the lets are fairly flexible -- which means it's only suitable for use in light air OR if I can find a way to shield it from the wind.  Most of the time I can get away with that... but not always.  So I sacrifice knowing it has a weakness but will meet my needs 70-80% of the time in exchange for being light enough to carry around on long hikes and travels easily.

BTW, the final digit indicates how may sections are in a leg.  The "3" in A213 means each leg is in 3 sections.  A "4" would mean it has 4 sections which usually means it collapses to a smaller size.

The legs on most Induro tripods are ratcheted in a way that allows them to spread extra wide and the tripod can be set to a very low level.  This is important since it's nice to be able to shoot from near-ground level if you want.  You can also reverse the head and hang the camera below the center post rather than atop the center post.  You can also swap out the center post and put a short post on the tripod so that the center post doesn't have to be raised when the tripod is set to a low position.

I am not familiar with the Manfrotto model you are looking at.

There's a preferred way to "size" a tripod.  Extend the tripod legs full (to make the tripod as tall as possible.)  Put the center post HALF-WAY up (not all the way.)  Add a head and mount your camera.  At this position the viewfinder on your camera should approximately be at eye-level for you.  This allows you to stand comfortably while shooting.  If you were shooting things up in the sky (e.g. an airshow) you would fully extend the center post so that as you "look up" from a comfortable position and if you're trying to stay above a subject but shoot down you would drop the center post and it would be comfortable to operate.  Note that for MANY subjects you won't fully extend your tripod... you'll collapse a section (or two) of the legs or spread the legs extra wide and shoot low to the ground.  But the key is WHEN you need to operate the tripod while standing you want it to be comfortable to use.  

When shooting people, keep in mind that the camera height creates an illusion in the photo that can cause a subject to appear to be taller or shorter than they are in real life.  If you want to help someone look tall, lower the tripod height.  If your eyes are at the same height as the subject's eyes than you will perceive that they are as tall as you are.  But if you have to look up slightly, you'll perceive them as being "tall".  Meanwhile, if you look down a few inches to their eyes then you will perceive them as being "shorter" than you.  You'll want a tripod that allows you the range of heights necessary for the types of shooting you plan to do and the perspective you need to have of your subjects.


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