I searched the forums and see that Oben Tripods have only been brought up once and it was about 2 years ago, hence my post.
I am looking at picking up a new tripod this Friday and B&H has this Oben carbon fiber tripod on sale (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/768034-REG/Oben_CT_2300_3_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html.) I was hoping someone on here may have had some/any experience with the Oben brand as there really are no reviews of these and even customer ratings are hit & miss depending on the model (some have no ratings while others have a bunch.)
My questions concern the Oben brand and tripod features in general.
• First, the weight rating for this tripod is 10.4lbs. Is that how much the head/legs combo can hold, or is that the weight the head can hold without fear of creeping?
• Second, are twist lock legs better than flip locks or is it just a personal preference thing?
• Third, the head included has a single adjustment lever and I'm wondering if that will be something I'll kick myself for later? I don't do a lot of video (some I guess) and mostly do handheld for shots of the kids, so not sure if I would really need separate knobs for pan and tilt? The tripod would be used more for landscapes/cityscapes/astrophotography.
• Fourth, what of the Oben brand? Does anyone on here use one? Are they any good? I know I can't expect rock solid results for the price, but if the legs are good I can always get a better head when I can afford it.
Sorry for the long post with all sorts of questions, but I don't like having buyer's remorse when I can't get in my car and drive it to the store for exchange/return.
I am looking at picking up a new tripod this Friday and B&H has this Oben carbon fiber tripod on sale (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/768034-REG/Oben_CT_2300_3_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html.) I was hoping someone on here may have had some/any experience with the Oben brand as there really are no reviews of these and even customer ratings are hit & miss depending on the model (some have no ratings while others have a bunch.)
My questions concern the Oben brand and tripod features in general.
• First, the weight rating for this tripod is 10.4lbs. Is that how much the head/legs combo can hold, or is that the weight the head can hold without fear of creeping?
• Second, are twist lock legs better than flip locks or is it just a personal preference thing?
• Third, the head included has a single adjustment lever and I'm wondering if that will be something I'll kick myself for later? I don't do a lot of video (some I guess) and mostly do handheld for shots of the kids, so not sure if I would really need separate knobs for pan and tilt? The tripod would be used more for landscapes/cityscapes/astrophotography.
• Fourth, what of the Oben brand? Does anyone on here use one? Are they any good? I know I can't expect rock solid results for the price, but if the legs are good I can always get a better head when I can afford it.
Sorry for the long post with all sorts of questions, but I don't like having buyer's remorse when I can't get in my car and drive it to the store for exchange/return.
