Is it possible that the ball fits a little too loose in the head to begin with, so you get movement when tightening down as it moves into proper alignment? Though, it would seem the ball would settle upwards, not down. Infact, it seems like it should do that anyways since garvity is in charge of the camera until the ball clamp takes over. Speculation of course.
I do have an interim fix which works, if I keep the tension tight during the final adjustment then there is no droop, it's tightening from loose where there is a small downwards shift.
I'll do some testing when I'm not shooting with it for long enough, big project for a fundraiser, I need the prints for marketing by Sunday morning and then continue shooting till Tuesday and email the results to a lab in New York for next day delivery to the client who is flying there on Sunday to incorporate into the files they are presenting. Don't we love deadlines!
Dennis M 1064 wrote:
Stability, portability ( a compromise between the two leaning towards stability) ease and smoothness operation. I have to buy things pretty much on the opinions of others, combined with research...
I would like to have something I can pack around, stuff in a suitcase for airline travel, big enough to work very well, but not so big that I end up leaving it in the truck. Hopefully it can handle a larger prime lens, in fair weather.
Dennis I'm not a pro, just a keen amateur but I've spent the last couple of years slowly upgrading my seriously old and worn out support kit which was of the Slik aluminum variety. I've ended up with two tripods; a Gitzo series-3 systematic with an Arca-Swiss Z1 ballhead and a Benro travel tripod with a Markins Q3T head. Both tripods have 4 leg sections mainly for travel, I think the 4 vs. 3 leg section issue is moot as modern twist locks are quite rigid. If I was buying a studio tripod I'd get a 3-section though. My choices were based on perceived quality and value.
When I was buying the systematic, RRS offered only the TVC-33 as they hadn't released the 4-section version and they were not a consideration for me at that time. My choice was between the Gitzo 3541LS and a Chinese Benro C3780T and the Gitzo price dipped below the Benro with dealer and manufacturer discounts and I paid $540 for a $900 tripod. I already had the Benro travel tripod at that point so I knew that quality wasn't a problem. I think that had the RRS TVC-34L been available at the time I would have been sorely tempted, but the price at $1K+ plus the extra weight and longer folded length over the Gitzo would have been issues.
RRS and Gitzo are both good, durable products. I've never used or even seen a RRS tripod but user reports rate them very highly indeed. I do have a couple of RRS products and the build quality is excellent. I get the sense that the RRS tripods have better quality materials, for example they use billet aluminum parts whereas Gitzo use cast magnesium parts that can sometimes (but rarely) be problematic. I think this mainly explains the difference in cost. But for me at least choosing a tripod that's 95% as good as another that's almost twice the price wasn't a difficult decision at the time. Unfortunately RRS don't seem to have sales but you can get Gitzos on sale especially around the Holidays/New year at very good prices.
The other thing is that I couldn't try a RRS because they're not in stores. I could try Gitzo, Benro, Feisol, Manfrotto etc. I'm 5'8" in height and you need to get a tripod that's suitable for your size, and the feel of the various brands can be different too. I don't know if there are camera stores in Old Orchard Beach any more but there's a Hunt's in Portland near the Maine Turnpike (Rte 95) I think it's in the Maine Mall. I found that being able to use a tripod with my own camera was absolutely invaluable when I was shopping.
sjms wrote:
i know some people that have used the AS B1 design of ballhead and find the RRS design difficult to accept. in fact the RRS design is for the most part the first departure from the AS design in the field of what i consider usable compact design ballheads. Kirk, markins (i have an M10), benro, photo clam, and about a dozen or so more took on the basic AS look and feel. RRS decided to do it a little different. i prefer the lower profile and the control design...
in the end a TVC24 and a Markins Q10 (the classic AS type look and feel) would do you well if the BH40 does nothing for you. the BH55 and 40 have a different "feel" to each other so you know which you are using. in the end its whatever you feel the most comfortable with....Show more →
WRT the ballhead I think those who like a very solid lockdown prefer the RRS heads, and those who like smooth friction-damped movement prefer an Arca-Swiss variant. I'm an Arca-Swiss type myself but I do like the design of the RRS BH-55, although I wish it were smoother in use and lighter in weight. However the squat design of the RRS has stability advantages too. You interact with the ballhead a lot so perhaps even more than a tripod it's worth trying a few in a store if you possibly can.
I think with your gear sjms is right with the RRS-24 or 24L, but Gitzo have some good competition with the new 2542LS which will go on sale at the end of the year. One area where I think RRS has a distinct advantage is service. Gitzo is a large European company and the distributor here in the US (Bogen/Manfrotto) is decidedly spotty when it comes to service. OTOH you like the idea of a small(ish) US company and I can say from experience that the RRS after-sales service is exemplary if something goes wrong.
Gitzo is a part of the Vitec Group PLC. the Bogen name has faded forever over 2 years ago and is just Manfrotto distributing which is a wholly ownd subsidiary of Vitec. i seam to have little issue with them when i call and have part numbers. also they are about an hour away if push comes to shove.
Hey Peter,
I get down to Bean town about once a week. Just passing through though. That was some great input. I rarely go to the mall and haven't looked at camera stores there. Guess it is time to catch up.
There is a camera store on Forest Ave in Portland, and I went in there a couple times several years ago. It reminded me of guitar shops. Crowded and if you weren't a local jammer that could lay down some jammin' licks, they wouldn't give you the time of day. Unless you had the three grand cash actually in your hand so they could see it.
Maybe they have changed. I could check there as well. Maybe I can borrow somebodys 500mm Series II to just carry around with me in the store. "Oh, just lookin'. Didn't want to leave it in the truck. Should have left it at home with it's big brother, the 800."
Thanks for the photo as well. I'll go put my hands on some stuff when I get back to the big city of Portland.
sjms wrote:
Gitzo is a part of the Vitec Group PLC. the Bogen name has faded forever over 2 years ago and is just Manfrotto distributing which is a wholly ownd subsidiary of Vitec. i seam to have little issue with them when i call and have part numbers. also they are about an hour away if push comes to shove.
I too have had no problems with getting Gitzo parts. But others have struggled with repairs, an example being the guy who owns the tripod with the piece that sheared off the base. First they didn't repair it properly, then after several weeks and many phone calls they asked him to take the tripod to a local UPS but there the Manfrotto account number wasn't accepted, long story short they sent him to FedEx and the tripod was finally fixed properly, but only after several weeks and a lot of hassle. He was not a happy camper and I don't blame him.
peter_n wrote:
I too have had no problems with getting Gitzo parts. But others have struggled with repairs, an example being the guy who owns the tripod with the piece that sheared off the base. First they didn't repair it properly, then after several weeks and many phone calls they asked him to take the tripod to a local UPS but there the Manfrotto account number wasn't accepted, long story short they sent him to FedEx and the tripod was finally fixed properly, but only after several weeks and a lot of hassle. He was not a happy camper and I don't blame him. ...Show more →
most of the time the issue stems from the approach method used. email is for the most part the most worthless and most used medium of commumication. companies like Manfrotto get tons of absolute garbage in their inbox as do i sometimes. direct vocal communication is the preferred method. yes there are times whey even "screw the pooch" even doing that. but it is less prevelent and names are available for accountability.
Actually this particular interaction degenerated pretty quickly into phone conversations. And it was qualitatively different from a guy calling in with accurate information about a part(s) he wanted. It involved the infrastructure of returning a complete unit to a group who could repair the tripod properly under warranty and get it back to the owner. Also I don't want to paint the brush too broadly; this was a sample of one and the fault in the tripod base was really unusual and maybe the user's experience was too. The internet is very good at spreading bad news...
sjms wrote:
yep. it is pretty much permanent on my TVC33. i used their original prototype for a time until the finalized product arrived. i still feel the adjustment "knob" assy needs to be about 1" longer but i can live with it.
It still does not seem quite finished. The knob is too short and it is difficult to tighten sufficiently. There is no tension or friction/viscosity control either, so it goes from tight to floppy rather easily.
you're right as with 100% of this type of head there is no friction/viscosity control. its a halfball and its simple in design and execution. i did mention that i felt the adjustment was a wee bit short for my taste but more then usable. it doesn't take that much effort to tighten. and yes it is a unlock position lock type setup as most half bowls are including my sachtler. on a TVC i do have reasonable access. i don't know if its different on the Gitzo. i'd say its as finished as it's going to be for weight and function. takes but a moment to line up. they also have one with a hook at the end of the adjustment handle and is longer. don't know why its not available as an original with the setup. most likely a phone call will resolve it. not an option for me. http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=TA-3-LHDL&type=0&eq=&desc=TA-3-LHDL%3a-Leveling-Base-HDL-with-Hook&key=it
EB-1 wrote:
It still does not seem quite finished. The knob is too short and it is difficult to tighten sufficiently. There is no tension or friction/viscosity control either, so it goes from tight to floppy rather easily.
The Gitzo one is the same, plus it has that annoying lever sticking out the side that allows you to change heads quickly. Talk about an accident waiting to happen... I've been in touch with RRS about the longer handle but there was no offer to swap + extra payment unfortunately. They should make the longer handle an option.
I rejected the Gitzo version some years ago as being too heavy.
I've already had the ball head stuck on the leveling base. The knob needs to be really tight or the whole bowl turns when trying to remove the head. I can get my hand in there under the legs, but not use full strength unless they are at a wider setting.
Grrr. Another $70+shipping for the long handle/hook. Now I see there is a version with the long handle and hook for $30 more that the base model. I could swear it was not there a week or so ago. Upgrading accessories never ends. At least I did not have to buy a new $925 tripod.
Actually I think it may be good to have both. I can certainly think of situations where I would still want to use the leveling base with the short handle.
Actually I prefer the long handle without the hook. I wonder if I can swap the hook with the other handle. Maybe I can add some rubber or something around the grip to increase the circumference and torque.
pretty quickly into phone conversations. And it was qualitatively different from a guy calling in with accurate information about a part(s) he wanted. It involved the infrastructure of returning a complete unit to a group who could repair the tripod properly under warranty and get it back to the owner. Also I don't want to paint the brush too broadly; this was a sample of one and the fault in the tripod base was really unusual and maybe the user's experience was too. The internet is very good at spreading bad news...