Sirui N2204 & K20x

[petermmc]

Hi all,

Just received my Sirui N2204 CF tripid and K20x ballhead from TNT. I purchased this after much deliberation and investigation into Ballheads and Tripods. This is made in China and seems to have a very good reputation amongst professionals in the Asian market.

I understand that there are many good reasons for spending a great deal of money on a good tripod and ballhead. I have heard all the arguments. This thing is beautifully finished and comes with a padded bag and a few extras. The ball head even comes with a baseplate which is an optional extra in many of the very expensive brands. The ball head uses 'arca swiss' clamp and is precision made not like something I saw in a reputable phot shop the other day. I like quality stuff and this thing looks every bit the professionally made tripod and ballhead.

I purchased mine through a company at:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Dzone2-au-Dig ... 34.c0.m322

The seller is Dzone2

Sirui has a website which describes its quite extensive range of tripods and ballheads that may be worth looking at.

Delivered to my door this CF tripod and Ballhead was $422.00. I hope this helps anyone who is looking for a decent tripod & ballhead at a great price. I will give you an update in about six months after I have used it for a bit.

Peter Mc

[gstark]

Thanks for posting this, Peter.

Any chance that you can some images of what you received?

[petermmc]

Hi Gary

I will do my best.

I am amazed at how good this thing is. I am so impressed, I may even put my camera on it

Regards

Peter Mc

[petermmc]

The first link here is for the tripod which I purchased:

http://www.siruiusa.com/tripods/n2204.htm

The second is for the ballhead which I purchased:

http://www.siruiusa.com/ballhead/k20x.htm

Both have better pics than I can take. They seem to be very proud of the fact that their materials are forged rather than cast. The 'forging' on my one is brilliant. Note: there is a difference between forging an copying even though it is Chinese . They are not trying to be a euro brand which are often made in China anyway. They are proud of their products as being the new generation of well made Chinese equipment...I made that bit up. They have quite a few lines in their product range catering for stability and weight as well as compactness.

I haven't posted a photo here for ages and I have forgotten how to. When I work this out I will post some real photos.

Even the safety catch on the arca swiss type clamp is made of brass. Its as if they have taken the best available on the pro market and made it just a little bit better and much cheaper....I will stop now as I sound as if I have shares in the company.

Regards

Peter Mc PS one of the legs can come off to make a monopod. That is just cool. (You just need to remember to put it back) It also has a few extra bits including a short extension tube for inverting the ballhead and getting really close to the ground. At the very bottom of the legs, if you turn the rubber foot, spikes come out which I think are for protection to keep away all the admirers. It also seems to have a hook on the bottom of the post, in the middle, for weighing potatoes or something. The ball head reaks of quality & has two separate bubble levels - one on the side and one on the top. The panning movement is superb.

[Matt. K]

Peter
Very interesting post...Thanks. What kind of money are they asking for these pods?

[petermmc]

Hi Matt

They vary in price. Mine was $422 delivered. This included the tripod and ball head, camera plate, padded fitted bag and a few tools. They make a fitted d700 camera plate if you need that. The tripod is one of their higher end ones as is the ball head. This thing is so solid. It makes my old Manfrotto look like a poor cousin. It comes with a bag, a plate and even a larger tripod circular joiner with a spare 1/4" / 3/8" screw and a number of allen keys. The tripod is able to invert so that the ballhead fits neatly underneath it which saves a lot of space. I got the 4 section one but there is a five section one also for around the same kind of price. You only have to look at this thing to see that it is a quality item. The one I got which is the N2204 tripod + k20x ballhead is a package deal. The ball head on its own costs between $150-$160. I am sure one would have to try very hard to find operational and structural differences between it and a much more expensive one like Markins, RRS, Arca Swiss or Kirk. My thinking was that I could easily have spent the same money and only received a ball head. I only need it to last a life time. It was fun taking the risk. Even Gitzo is made in China.

All the best

Peter Mc

[Mr Darcy]

their materials are forged

THis is puzzling. Forging, in this context, basically means beating the crap out of it with a hammer, but they claim to be Carbon Fibre. End result of this process would be splinters at best.

They all seem to be screw fitting clamps. I LOVE my Lever release RRS clamps, but given the price differential I guess that can be forgiven.

Do they do L-Plates?

[surenj]

Thanks Peter.

Would love to hear how you fare with this combination in the next year or so. How often do you use your tripod? BTW, are the screws in the tripod made of non-corrosive material? Would it withstand regular (read weekly) salt water exposure?

[petermmc]

Hi Surenj

Only time will tell. There seems to be brass inlays in the receptacle of the main screws at the top. All of the other fittings such as the base plates have both, what appears to be stainless steel screws with allen key slots as well as a retractable handle.

How much do I use my tripod? Well I expect to be using it a lot now. It just looks so cool. I live close to the sea so I will be able to give you the heads up about corrosion.

Funnily enough this whole journey started when I decided to buy a Kirk replacement collar for my 300F4. It led me to Arca Swiss and it went down hill from there. I didnt end up getting the replacement collar but I am now an arca swiss convert.

Regards

Peter Mc

[Murray Foote]

I have an Arca-Swiss ballhead which is much more expensive than the one you bought. However, most of my clamps are now SunwayFoto, another Chinese manufacturer, very ambitious judging by their product line and seemingly very good quality. My tripod is a Taiwanese Feisol, also very good (though their ballheads do not have a good reputation, as for Gitzo ballheads). If I bought a second ballhead it would probably be a SunwayFoto. A SunwayFoto ballhead and Feisol tripod would be around the same price as you paid (though I don't know whether Feisol do a dual tripod/ monopod).

I expect that Sirui as well as SunwayFoto will be original Arca-Swiss Standard, as opposed to the American RSS/ Kirk standard that is slightly different (and wider). Just be aware that if you end up going to lever action clamps, the two standards are not entirely compatible.

[petermmc]

Thanks Murray. Good advice.

I also noticed your great music photos. Galong NSW? I'm sure I went to school there...long story.

Peter Mc

[petermmc]

THis is puzzling. Forging, in this context, basically means beating the crap out of it with a hammer, but they claim to be Carbon Fibre. End result of this process would be splinters at best.

Possibly referring to the metal parts rather than the carbon. I think their manufacturing is possibly better than their English.

They all seem to be screw fitting clamps. I LOVE my Lever release RRS clamps, but given the price differential I guess that can be forgiven.

I think you can still pay a lot for screw clamps from all the big names. Mind you I do like the idea of lever clamps but never having them I am quite happy with the screw ones.

Do they do L-Plates?

[/quote]

Not sure about L plates but I am sure other brands' L plates would fit...don't quote me on that one.

[Murray Foote]

I also noticed your great music photos. Galong NSW? I'm sure I went to school there...long story.

That's a pretty small place to go to school at. The Blues Festival was held in an old pub with a huge covered area out the back. There was a succession of great bands and it was great not to have to chase round from one venue to another. However Tony held it on the same weekend as the Goulburn Blues Festival (according to rumour because he had a grudge against the new organiser of that - may or may not be true) and it was also a weekend of remarkably torrential rain. Consequently not enough people turned up, he went broke and had to sell the pub. Great festival, though.

[imak]

Peter,

Thank you for your post.

I am planning to buy the same Set from the same seller but do you think it's worth to pay $7.00 more and get the N2205 with the same ball head?

Please advise.

[ravescar]

Does this tripod have legs anti-rotation feature? The offical website doesn't say. however some review on forum say it does.

It is known as Anti Leg Rotation in Benro and Gitzo

The ebay and online shop usually don't understand this question.

I find it odd that Sirui would not advertise it as having this feature when(if) it does, since tripods having this feature is normally a big deal.

[ravescar]

An update:
I asked sirui USA the same question and this is the reply i got:

Hi Hua,

Sorry for this late reply. It does have the anti-rotation system that prevents the leg from twisting when setting up. The N-2204 features a detachable monopod leg which can be easily screwed off the tripod and be used as a fully functional monopod. It comes with an extra short center column that you can use interachangeably with the main column. In addition, the tripod comes with a traveling case and shoulder strap, which makes it very easy to carry around. You can buy the tripod on http://www.lensca.com, it should have an estimated shipping cost to Australia. I will ask someone to confirm shipping prices for you. Thank you for your interest in our products!


Sincerely,

Alice
Sirui USA
-----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Anti-Rotation Feature on Sirui N2204 Tripod?
From: ~hidden~
Date: Thu, March 10, 2011 10:46 pm
To: sales@siruiusa.com

Hi Officer:

I am very interested in buying an Sirui N2204 Tripod and i am in Australia, I am currently looking at importing it from either China or USA. that tripod seem to be very feature rich, but website does not mention if it incorporate anti-rotation system on its leg to prevent twist when setting it up, like "Anti-Rotation Leg System" on some benro tripod. I want to ask if that particular tripod model, Sirui n2204 incorporate similiar feature?

Also, i want to ask if it is possible to buy this tripod from Sirui directly online and have it shipped to Australia, and if so, what is the price and shipping cost?

thanks
Hua

so it seems it has Anti Leg Rotation System like Benro Travel Angel C2681TB1 has.

with the last mystery solved, and if this particular Sirui tripod model has ALR feature it win me over feisol CT3442.
The only remaining question would be the build quality, stability and durability, for which i am going to get one and test.

[dervish16]

Thinking about getting one of these. What do you think of it now? Have you had any problems with it?

Thanks
Chris

[surenj]

Hi Peter, I would love to hear about your thoughts on this tripod. Especially on any corrosion issues after salt water exposure.

[petermmc]

Hi Surenj,

I have now had this tripod for about three months. As far as corrosion is concerned, although I live relatively close to the sea in Wollongong, I have not taken the tripod for a visit to the beach. The metal bits are still shiny though.

The thing about Sirui is that it does not pretend to be a rebadged 'marque' and apparently is quite popular amongst professionals from Asia. It just struck me that this company is trying to sell its products on its own merits rather than its ability to copy. I think that this will happen more and more in the future where we will look to some Chinese brands because they are made in China not despite their being made there.

When you get the kit, it comes in a really well made padded bag with a set of dedicated allen keys and a few other bits and bobs that are useful for inverting the tripod for ground close ups and the like. One of these bobs is a small CF tube that can be placed in the tripod instead of the existing slideing tube which allows for very close to the ground action. They have thought of everything. I also like the fact that the whole tropod inverts for better packing and that one of the legs can be unscrewed and used as a monopod. The ballheads are also of very good quality and I have had no problem with the ones that I purchased. I even purchased a second smaller one called the G10 for use on my existing monopod so that I can use the Arca Swiss consistently across my systems. When you buy a ball head you get a mounting bracket free (included) and many other brands you have to buy separately. I just bought two extras and have found that I now have one on all my equipment so that whether I am using the tripod or monopod or lenses, I always have a consistent mount.

I wrote a response yesterday to an enquiry about this tripod but it seems to have been lost in the mail. I responded to a question about RRS and whether this mounting system would work with the Sirui. My response was that I didnt know but I did purchase the Kirk replacement collar for my 300f4 and it was slightly wider than the Sirui Arca Swiss mounts BUT it still fits fine with the adjustable clamp. The word is that if you have the alternative lever clamps, using different Arca Swiss mounts can be a problem because they demand exact fit. The cool thing is the Kirk fits without adding any additonal mount...that's the Arca Swss thing.

In the next few weeks I may well post some shots of my tripod in action to give viewers a better idea of how good this thing is. Have a look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOevriaMTxQ and see what you think. Even the mounting brackets are well made.

Have a nice day.

Peter Mc

[surenj]

Thanks Peter for your detailed reply.

It is a difficult decision in someways as the Gitzo is around $700 and this one around $300 offering similar but not same functionality. Hard to press the trigger on either really.... Although I doubt either would last more than 5 years in my hands. [I often don't wash my tripod after seascape shoots for several days...especially if I go by myself] That's why I have been asking the question about seawater for a while. My guess is that no tripod could hold it's own against seawater abuse hence a possible reason to buy Sirui type of brand and keep 'upgrading' every few years or so. I would hate to spoil a Gitzo that quickly.

I don't know what Rodney's thoughts are on this matter.

[biggerry]

I have had a good look over the Sirui Range and I reckon the N2204 is pretty well their sweet spot in terms of weight for height and strength, the only other one I would probably consider is the N2205, just to get that extra 60mm of height.

The height is pretty good on these 1390mm and 1650mm (with column ext.) and at 0.5kg lighter than my manfrotto I am not finding much to dislike about them. The extra monopod is pretty tweaky too, nice one!

I would like to see one of these in the flesh just to see what the quality is like for myself. At the end of the day they are a much better price than the gitzo or RRS equiv. For me, I am not a pro and certainly do not need to dump 700 bucks on a tripod and head so these are looking very attractive.

[aim54x]

I really hope that someone else pulls the trigger on one of these, I am not currently in the market for a new tripod, but will be looking in the future.

Funnily enough, the Benro Travel Angel series tripods offer similar folding/monopod features, and the K20x reminds me of a Markins ball head.....