Tripod Replacement Recommendation

[jfindley]

I purchased a Sirui T025 cf tripod a few months ago. I liked it because it is small and light, perfect for traveling around. I can strap it to the bottom of my lowepro pack and don't even notice it's there. After having used it for a while, I found there is a flaw in the design, in my opinion. While being cf and supposedly stronger, having the center column always above the peak of the tripod apex, I get a lot of camera shake. When I want to make the tripod even higher up by extending the center column telescope arm, it gets worst. A light breezy day pretty much kills any tripod shots I intend to shoot. I'm thinking about trading in for a different tripod. I've been searching around and want to find a tripod that's great for travel, in and out of the city and is sturdy and light. I am pretty content with the ball head that came with my Siriu, so I will probably use it. I've been looking at the Slik Pro 724 CF and 824 CF. They seem pretty light, and fold up tightly. Does anyone have any experience with these or want to recommend something similar.

A little about me. I mainly shoot landscape shots both day and night. I alternate between and 15-85mm canon and a 70-200 IS F4L canon. My camera body is a XSI at the moment, I'm in the search for my next upgrade.

[andnowimbroke]

I'm not real familiar with the brand of tripod you mentioned. The bad thing about being compact is stability and maximum height are the trade-offs. Gitzo had come out with a compact model, but that was done by making more leg section. Very sturdy but the price is steep. I always keep an eye out for the height without the center column extended. Every time you raise the column, you'll get more "wiggle". Does your tripod have a hook on the end/bottom of the center column? Any time you can hang some weight on it helps. I use a bungee cord when on hikes and don't feel like packing/getting more weight. On the bottom of my travel tripod, it has a hook. Just connect the bungee to that and step on the other end. Maybe you can get by with something like that without having to buy a new tripod.

[ham]

I'm still tempted by the Three-Legged-Thing Jack

http://www.3leggedthing.com/2gen/jackblack-130.html

Even though they've now put the price up £50.