peter_n Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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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.
My two rigs below.
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http://www.nolan.com/forum_imgs/gitzo_benro.jpg |
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