Does any one know of a Velbon tripod, model CX-687? It is offered to me for sale at $60. Is this a deal? I am intending to use it with a 12 lb. field camera so it must be strong and of good quality.

Thanks for your help. Frederick

-- Frederick Park (fpark@clemson.edu), November 18, 1999

Answers

I've used a Velbon tripod before and I will give you some advise that I wish I had followed myself: bite the bullet and spend the bucks necessary to get a good tripod from the beginning. For the neighborhood of $150 to $200 you can get a nice set of Manfroto legs and a decent head. You will go through many times that much in broken cheap tripods before you will break a decent one. Spend up front and you will get better durability and better stability. I broke three cheap tripods and was preparing to buy the fourth when I counted up the pennies I had spend on cheap pods and it added up to more than the cost of the Gitzo that I bought instead. In the bargain I now have a much more stable tripod and my images show it. Especially when I plunk a heavy lens on the thing. If you are going to plop 12 pounds on top of a tripod, you definitely will want all the stability you can get.

-- Fritz Brown (brownf@idhw.state.id.us), November 19, 1999.

I'll second that view. Get a good tripod that is built for LF. Don't put a camera made for precision and quality on a tripod made for a Holga or Diana quality point and shoot. The slightest puff of wind will ruin a picture you have taken pains to set up. I have a Velbon tripod(one of their better ones too) and use it on pack bike treks where I can't take my 7lb Gandolfi and 4lb Bogen to use with my old Speed Graphic. And I pray frequently for still wind conditions bcause even with the good quality head on those spindly legs the slightest puff of wind and forget that picture. Take the advice and get a decent tripod if you are going to shoot medium or large format. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), November 28, 1999.