So a few months back there was a forum thread about tripods and I pooh-pooh'd carbon trupods. Basically the train of thought went something like this: a promaster or slik CF tripod weighed as much as my aluminum SLIK Sprint Pro tripod and cost 3x as much, so why upgrade if it isn't lighter? Plus no one could show me that a CF tripod vibrated less than aluminum. I finished off by saying that I'd rather spend the extra money to upgrade optics.
Although I do stand by the fact that the weight is the same and the money is better spent upgrading optics (until you have kickass optics), my conclusion was dead wrong. On a whim I went out and bought a Promaster CF tripod on a Christmas sale to find out if it really was worth it. Aaaaaaaand it is. The CF tripod is significantly more stable. It resists/dampens vibration better than aluminum and it definitely gets back to a solid picture more quickly when it does vibrate. I don't know if it is the material itself, or the fact that the CF tripod has much larger legs than aluminum that creates the benefits. I can't imagine using a spotter with my old tripod unless there is zero wind. Now I've got upgraded glass, a fluid head, and a CF tripod. All I'm missing is the red arrow in my binos that points to the deer! So if you're on the fence, try out a CF tripod and I don't think you will regret it.
Although I do stand by the fact that the weight is the same and the money is better spent upgrading optics (until you have kickass optics), my conclusion was dead wrong. On a whim I went out and bought a Promaster CF tripod on a Christmas sale to find out if it really was worth it. Aaaaaaaand it is. The CF tripod is significantly more stable. It resists/dampens vibration better than aluminum and it definitely gets back to a solid picture more quickly when it does vibrate. I don't know if it is the material itself, or the fact that the CF tripod has much larger legs than aluminum that creates the benefits. I can't imagine using a spotter with my old tripod unless there is zero wind. Now I've got upgraded glass, a fluid head, and a CF tripod. All I'm missing is the red arrow in my binos that points to the deer! So if you're on the fence, try out a CF tripod and I don't think you will regret it.
