Tripod and Ballhead - Lightweight

After a LOT of testing by ourselves and our customers, we’re very comfortable this is the best possible combination of light weight, small size, and high performance we can get in a tripod-ballhead combination. The combination will easily support a professional series body and 300 f2.8 size lens, but is easy to carry or travel with.

We’ve chosen Velbon’s El Carmagne Carbon fiber tripod legs. The 4-piece legs with quick release flip lock latches set up in an instant to a maximum height of 61" with centerpiece extended (48" without) but collapse to an easy to carry 18" length. They weigh only 3.2 pounds and can support a 15 pound camera/lens combination.

We’ve topped it with a Markins Q3 ballhead and quick release plate which weighs less than a pound but is capable of supporting over 30 pounds. We’ve tried a number of other ballheads that were less expensive but keep coming back to Markins because they are so reliable and smooth. The Q3 has a panning base, very smooth progressive ballhead friction adjustment, integrated bubble level and Arca-Swiss compatible quick release plate. The online manual for the Markins ballhead is located here