Manfrotto introduces carbon fiber version of its 190Go travel tripod

Do you own both Feisol and Sirui products? If not, that's quite a bold statement. I own a Feisol ct3442 tripod and do not know of any direct Sirui equivelent. Similarly I have a Sirui P326 monopod as none of the Feisol Monopods have identical specifications. In terms of quality and value for money both my Feisol and Sirui products are similar. One does not 'outbeat' (great new word, if a little tautological) the other.

Sirui and Benro are definitely NOT Gitzo quality products. wherever they're made, or whoever used to own the factory, etc.

Almost all of the knock-off tripod brands are less than 15 years old, save Giottos which claims to have been around since 1988. Feel free to mention any others.

Feisol, from what I can tell, is not a German manufacturer, they're made in Taiwan, and are also less than 15 years old.

Personally, I have lost track of how many knock-off tripods I've utterly destroyed over the years. I'm just abusive of my gear, even when I'm trying to be extremely gentle I'm still doing crazy things with my tripod leg angles, chasing the light, etc.

If anything, generally speaking I have indeed found that the older the company, the better quality they offer. Giottos and Induro, being some of the older ones around, have pretty solid quality stuff. Giottos has even been around long enough that there are fake Giottos tripods being sold on Ebay!

BTW, my favorite? SLIK.

Basically though, you just have to ask yourself one question: How rough are you going to be on a tripod, how often are you going to use it, and in what conditions? The more gentle you are, and the more tame conditions you're in, the more you can just flip a coin, and buy a pretty colored tripod that matches your wardrobe. Maybe pick between twist-lock leg joints and lever-lock, but that's about it.

However the more you plan to use your tripod in rugged conditions, on a beach or in a sand dune, and the more frequently you plan on doing it, ...you're going to quickly regret almost any purchase under $300, and probably in the long run need to service even the nicest of tripods. A Gitzo or RRS tripod ought to be cleaned after use in salt water or a sand dune.

If you claim to be rough on your gear, and claim to have had zero problems with this or that knock-off brand, that's fine, good to know. Personally though, my favorite brands are Slik, Gitzo, Giottos, Induro, and Manfrotto.

I chose the agfa iso rapid over the kodak.Great camera.

My guess is that one buys tripods/head/releases less often.

duchamp,
what? you don't change your tripod's head at least once per week... tsss.

To matthew saville,

I agree with you, though macro and low light still requires a sturdy tripod. A lot of newbies do not realize it. So I will rephrase you because this seems more logical for me: why not buy the best tripod, if you already have a great body? :)

duchamp, because there's no such thing as THE best tripod. ;)
they all have their quirks and advantages.
but I agree, don't skimp on the tripod and head... after all my tripod has been at work far longer than most of my camera bodies have... so it's good investment.

rpjg,
Can you receive a salary without bank?
Than,can you spend any amount of your money via card without being rejected at one point? (usually it happens in the evening,when you deicide to offer a nice dinner to someone)

Sorry,but I don't think so.

I'm raging against the machine and paying full retail to prove it.

Zoran, the (ridiculous) point refers to Valiant Thor's nonsensical and incorrect comment that banks are "criminals" because they offer loans. Loans that people are free to take out - or not.

Your comment was about payment systems, which is an entirely separate (and irrelevant to photography) matter.

rpjg,
Agree. Sorry,I was not clear enough. Banks are not criminals for loaning us their money,no. But when they limit me how much and when I can spend what I have earned.
...
certainly knowing for more precise description of such bussines behavior I want to give myself that pleasure and call them criminals. And you know what,it tastes good! :-)

Over and over the justice department settles massive criminal charges for a pittance.No one admits guilt and no one goes to jail.

jackspra: irrelevant to this discussion. Note that the banks have paid (and are still paying) incredibly large fines for what happened. Proving criminal intent on any one individual is a very tricky task, especially when the negative affects are from actions taken by many. Not to mention that those actions can more easily be titled "stupid" or "risky" as "criminal".

Zoran: no-one limits what you spend, that's also ridiculous and incorrect. There are numerous banks to choose from, and numerous payment channels you can use - not the least being cash.

Anyway, there's too much irrationality and tinfoil-hattedness when it comes to commentary on banking, so I'm out of here.

@tbcass,

I think you are confusing the stability of sheer weight, material thickness, ...and actual strength, rigidity.

A big fat aluminum Manfrotto tripod, like my big fat (7 pound!) Slik tripod, feels more rock-solid than a lightweight CF tripod because it is just that: a ROCK.

A <3lb tripod, Aluminum or CF, will be more vulnerable to shutter shock, wind, etc

I feel like serious nature photographers ought to forget the whole (Thom Hogan) classic advice of "invest once, spend a fortune, and you'll never buy another..."

Personally, I recommend that a serious nature / landscape photographer give up on one tripod to rule them all: buy two or three different tripods. An ultralight hiking tripod such as the Slik 614 CF that is as rigid as any <2lb set of legs could be expected to be, plus a heftier, heavier aluminum tripod such as the Slik 500DX or 700DX, which is so freaking heavy that it might even outweigh your camera! (Which, in the game of stability, is a very good thing!)

@matthew saville;

No I wasn't confusing anything and I agree with what you say. I was only commenting on the belief that carbon fiber tripods are inherently more stable than aluminum ones. That's not true if you ignore the weight advantage of carbon fiber. I own 2 tripods, a light portable one and a very heavy one. I don't carry my equipment over long distances so the advantage of CF isn't worth the extra cost to me. I feel a lot of people buy carbon fiber tripods, even if the lighter weight isn't important to them, simply because of the mistaken belief they are "better".

You're right, many CF tripods are only marginally lighter, nearly twice the price, and basically un-improved strength-wise.

However, like I said, pound for pound if you put a CF tripod up against an aluminum one, all other mechanical aspects being identical, the CF one would in fact be stronger yet lighter.