Home · Register · Search · Software · Hosting · Software · Join Upload & Sell

	Moderated by: Fred Miranda
	Username   Password FM Forum Rules FM Forums | General Gear-talk | Join Upload & Sell    end    Archive 2012 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod?

gspiridakis Offline • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #1 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? Hi there, people who use the long tele-photo lenses on a tripod, what kind of ballheads use?? I am talking about lenses with min. size of a 300 f/4 up to a 600 f/4 lens. I have a Vanguard tripod with video supporting head (with a grip i mean). I am going to buy a Manfroto lightweight tripod, and i need suggestions on a steady ballhead with grip, to support my new 1D4 and the 500f/4 lens with extender (means 5,5kg). I will use the same one for my spotting scope, but that doesn't matter because the scope is weights quite less. I 've seen the Manfrotto 327 RC2 ball head on the net, i liked it but i've never seen it face to face or used it to see if it works for me.. Your opinions? George Jan 11, 2012 at 10:04 AM

jcolwell Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #2 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? I don't think you should use a pistol grip head for a long lens. It's not the right tool. It will be difficult to control a heavy lens. It'll probably "fall over", and take the tripod with it. I use a Wimberley Sidekick on my Manftotto 468MG head for my 500/4L IS lens. For a 600/4L IS, you should probably get the full Wimberley WH-200 II head. Also, I don't think you should use a "lightweight" tripod to support heavy gear. Jan 11, 2012 at 10:35 AM

gspiridakis Offline • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #3 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? Thanks a lot Jim. I will not use the tripod fully extended many times (with my photo equipment), only with my scope. With my photo equipment, i will use it mainly in a hide, so the tripod will be quite low, so i don't think i 'll have problems about it's balance. Your Wimbeley Sidekick must be great, but i don't want somethig so big. the main reason i go for a lightweight tripod, is to have it on my backbag when i hike for long distances and i don't want to hold my heavy and big Vanguard. In thise cases, i will not have the 500 lens with me either... Besides that, since that tripod can support 5 kg, i don't think it will have problem to hold 5,5kg... So, for the hiking it will be great, for my 500mm will be enough (at least these are my thoughts). Now my search is on a ballhead that can support the 5,5kg of euipment when i need it. George Jan 11, 2012 at 11:05 AM

lowbone Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #4 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? I think you are making a huge mistake if you use long lenses with lightweight tripods and grip heads. I think jcolwell is correct when he says it will fall over. I use a sidekick on my 300mm f 2.8 and a full wimberly on my 500 f4. Be careful when going by advertised load limits on tripods and heads. To be safe I always go with twice the advertised limit as I feel that manufacturers greatly overestimate these numbers. Jan 11, 2012 at 02:24 PM

jcolwell Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #5 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? Hi George, You're welcome. The part about it falling over isn't so much about the stability of a light weight tripod (as long as it doesn't collapse); it's more about the difficulty of keeping a heavy lens upright when using a pistol grip head. If you're using something like a 500/4L IS, as soon as you squeeze the handle to release the grip on the ball, it'll want to fall over sideways. The hand that you're using to grip the handle will be head-pressed to keep it from "falling over". In some cases, this might put the whole kit on the ground. Regardless, it's not a good scenario for controlling the lens. My favourite way to support a heavy lens (aside from handheld) is on a bean bag. Next is the Sidekick (as I don't have a full Wimberley). I used a Manfrotto pistol grip head for four or five years. I found it was best-suited for light- and moderate-weight gear on a monopod, as it's not so easy to get the composition "just right", by making fine attitude adjustments on a tripod. Jim Jan 11, 2012 at 09:14 PM

skibum5 Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #6 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? gspiridakis wrote: Hi there, people who use the long tele-photo lenses on a tripod, what kind of ballheads use?? I am talking about lenses with min. size of a 300 f/4 up to a 600 f/4 lens. I have a Vanguard tripod with video supporting head (with a grip i mean). I am going to buy a Manfroto lightweight tripod, and i need suggestions on a steady ballhead with grip, to support my new 1D4 and the 500f/4 lens with extender (means 5,5kg). I will use the same one for my spotting scope, but that doesn't matter because the scope is weights quite less. I 've seen the Manfrotto 327 RC2 ball head on the net, i liked it but i've never seen it face to face or used it to see if it works for me.. Your opinions? George I thought the pistol grip was an amazing concept. Then I used one for a week. My arca swiss p0 upside down monoball is soooo much better and more flexible and lighter. The pistol grip is more limited in where you can easily aim it, it's hard to make it grip tightly enough and still move without wrenching your hand. In the end I have to say I didn't like it at all! The arca p0 weighs but a fraction the pistol manfrotto grips do. Also I tried some manfrotto ballheads and they all stunk, so many knobs to turn, poor range of motion, etc. arca p0 is just a flick spin and the main ball is locked or a quick 1/4 twist and the pan head is locked. it supports my 300 2.8 fine, locks it down solid, never tried something quite so large as a 600 on it. Jan 12, 2012 at 01:00 AM

gspiridakis Offline • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #7 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? When you are using a big telephoto on a tripod, don't you need something to help you turn the body-lens combo in the differnet directions or to follow your subjuct?? Because i imagine using it like my spotting scope, one hand is on the grip and turns the mechanism and the other is on the focus wheel o f the scope. The same is going to be on the body-lens combo, one hand on the grip and the other will hold the camera for the shooting.. I don't ecxactly understand how can you use a big lens with a ballhead without a grip..Because when you need to turn it you have to it holding the lens, otherwise if you hold the body the combo may crash..It may work for small lenses up to the size of the 300 f/2,8 , but to heavier lenses how does it work? That's the reason i want a 'pitol' head, i actually prefer a head with a grip like the heads used for video.. Anyway, thanks everyone for your help, George Jan 13, 2012 at 08:35 AM

jcolwell Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #8 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? gspiridakis wrote: When you are using a big telephoto on a tripod, don't you need something to help you turn the body-lens combo in the differnet directions or to follow your subjuct?? Yes, exactly. That's what my 468MG head with Sidekick does. The lens mount plate attachment point to the sidekick (or full wimberley) allows you to rotate the end of the lens up and down (i.e. elevation), and the base of the tripod head provides left-right panning rotation (i.e. azimuth). Between the two, you can follow virtually any motion path. Jan 13, 2012 at 11:36 AM

telyt Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #9 · ball head with grip for Manfrotto tripod? If a gimbal head is too big for you, I'd suggest an Acratech long lens head instead of the Manfrotto pistol grip head. The advantage of the gimbal head is that it places the rotation point at or near the camera's center of gravity, so it doesn't flop over if it's not locked. The grip head moves the rotation point much too far away from the center of gravity which when combined with the (dumb design) tall tripod foot of the typical long lens gives gravity a long lever arm to wreak havoc with you and your equipment. As long as your lens has a rotating tripod collar you don't need all the degrees of motion a ball head offers. The Acratech long lens head has a rotation point which is much closer to the tripod mount than the pistol grip or most ball heads and restricts the tendency to flop over to one degree of motion, with a tension adjustment. Jan 13, 2012 at 01:23 PM

	end FM Forums | General Gear-talk | Join Upload & Sell end

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username   Password    Lost your password?