Late to the party but I went through this last year when I first grabbed my Sony a6400!! Honestly, that Sigma 16mm is such a beast for those wide shots, but yeah, its lowkey a struggle to balance on a tiny tripod. I remember my first trip to the coast... I almost had a heart attack because my old kit tripod kept dipping forward under the weight of that heavy glass!! I spent weeks obsessing over the carbon vs aluminum thing. To save cash for actual travel, I decided to go with the MeFOTO RoadTrip S Aluminum Travel Tripod. Its pretty amazing because it folds up small enough to actually fit inside my carry-on bag, which was a huge win for me. Plus, it has this hook on the bottom where I can hang my backpack to keep it stable when the wind picks up during long exposures. It literally saved my shots in some windy street photography sessions! If youre looking for something super sleek, I also tried out my friends Manfrotto Befree Advanced Aluminum Travel Tripod with Ball Head and it felt incredibly solid for the price. Its a bit heavier than carbon, but seriously, the extra weight kinda helps with that front-heavy Sigma lens anyway, you know? Carbon is fantastic but for a budget-friendly setup, these aluminum ones are such a steal. Anyway, I hope you have a blast on your trips!! Let us know what you end up picking??

In my experience, balancing the a6400 with that Sigma 16mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens is tough cuz it is so front-heavy, and u definitely dont want a cheap tripod vibrating during a long exposure. I get the struggle of fitting everything in ur carry-on! Here is what I suggest:

• Peak Design Travel Tripod Carbon Fiber: This thing is honestly amazing for portability. It packs down literally the size of a water bottle. The ball head handles the Sigma weight well, and I am very satisfied with how stable it feels.
• Leofoto LS-224C Ranger Series Tripod with LH-25 Ball Head: This is a great alternative if u want better value. It is technically more stable because there is no center column, though it doesn't get as tall. Honestly, I would suggest going carbon fiber... it makes a huge difference when ur walking all day. gl!

Works great for me

Unfortunately I had some real issues with the more popular vlogger style tripods people usually suggest for the a6400. I tried the Joby GorillaPod 5K Kit first thinking it would be beefy enough, but it was honestly such a letdown... that Sigma 16mm is just too front-heavy and the joints started drooping during a night shoot I was doing. Total nightmare. @Reply #4 - good point! It really is a small world when we're all fighting the same gear battles. I actually ended up returning a Vanguard travel set because the flip locks felt so flimsy and I didn't want my camera hitting the pavement. Eventually I bit the bullet on the Sirui T-025SK Carbon Fiber Tripod with B-00K Ball Head and it's been okay, tho I still baby it quite a bit. Its way more reliable than the plastic-y stuff but it still fits in my backpack side pocket. Its not as tall as I'd like but it keeps the a6400 steady for those long exposures. If you want something even more rigid, the Slik PRO CF-634 Carbon Fiber Tripod is what my buddy uses and it feels way more secure than the generic stuff. I just dont trust those ultra-cheap aluminum ones anymore after my last kit almost tipped over in the wind.

No way, I literally just dealt with this yesterday. Small world.