Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

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

  

Archive 2014 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800

  
 
W4w3
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


Hi all,

I know there’s a ton of threads similar to this one but since every photographer’s needs are a bit different and I don’t quite yet trust my ability to fully apply the available information, I decided to post this question with detailed description of my own requirements.

So, straight to the point: I’m going to need a sturdy set of tripod legs, a quality ball head and possibly an L-bracket to get the most out of the stunning IQ of the D800 I’m planning to buy in the near future. I have almost no experience in buying tripods (except for the purchase of a Manfrotto 7322YB M-Y aluminum tripod with ball head set about a year and a half ago, see http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/602425-REG/Manfrotto_7322YB_7322YB_M_Y_Aluminum_Tripod.html for details), so I would appreciate well-founded suggestions.

Firstly, I’ll tell a little more about my shooting so that you can get a picture of what I will use the tripod for. I’m an enthusiast photographer, have had a DSLR for a couple of years now and am mainly interested in shooting landscapes (especially seascapes), macro and people. Thus, I would probably need a quality panorama ability, as good a resistance to salt corrosion as I can get, option to use focusing rails and ability to shoot in portrait position. At least currently I don’t do nearly anything concerning wildlife or sports.

Second, I’ve understood that the weight of the camera with lens equipped is one of the key things to consider when it comes to the legs, so here’s something about my gear. My heaviest lens is the Nikon AF-S Zoom Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED (2.13 lb or 969 g), which, combined with the D800 (1.98 lb or 900 g), would in total be 4.11 lb or 1869g. However, I could see myself buying at least the third lens to complete my Nikon’s holy trinity (I already have the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED) and the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II (3.39 lb or 1540 g) would make my setup around 30% heavier than it would be with my currently heaviest lens.

As for where I am now with the process, I have only just began to compare legs and ball heads, not even fully understanding all their features. However, partly being influenced by Thom Hogan’s ideas about buying the right tripod the first time (see http://www.bythom.com/support.htm), I’m only interested in a quality setup that would preferably last longer than any other piece of photography equipment I have. That’s also why I’m willing to invest significantly in the tripod, in terms of both time spent doing the research and also money.

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions and help!



Aug 27, 2014 at 07:45 AM
calk
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


If you can get your hands on a Really Right Stuff catalog, you will have a source for everything you are considering buying. I use their ballhead(s), their L-brackets, their pano gear (simple only, at this point) and rails. The only time I have ever "regretted" choosing RRS gear, is at the moment when I paid for it. RRS gear is comparatively expensive. I bought my tripods before RRS began building and selling tripods, so I don't have RRS tripods.

There are other manufacturers of photographic support platform gear who are very good. So let me end by saying that I have never used a piece of RRS gear that has failed to meet my expectations. Ever. That's about the strongest recommendation I can give.

www.reallyrightstuff.com

Good luck and good shooting!

Cal



Aug 27, 2014 at 08:30 AM
peter_n
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


Welcome to the forum! The two top-tier tripod manufacturers are Gitzo and RRS. Both make excellent tripods and have their adherents on this forum. Last year I came across a camera support survey of professional photographers and the preponderance of use was Gitzo systematic tripods and RRS ballheads.

I live near the shore, and have used my Benro and Gitzo tripods in the sea without any ill effects, but I'm careful with maintenance afterward. If you're serious about "as good a resistance to salt corrosion as I can get" then you should look at the Gitzo Ocean series. Whether the Ocean models are necessary or not I can't say but if you're going to spend a lot of time with the legs in sea water they're definitely worth a look. Certainly my regular Gitzo hasn't suffered from irregular dips in the ocean.

Since you live in Finland I don't know what the situation is there with RRS equipment which is manufactured in the USA. They make very well regarded ballheads and camera brackets and rails and I think should be looked at first. If you want to look at quality European ballheads, FLM, Linhof and Novoflex all make well designed and constructed heads.



Aug 27, 2014 at 11:33 AM
SHVv
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


International shipping information for RRS:

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl/sc.29/category.18694/it.C/.f

Steve



Aug 27, 2014 at 11:40 AM
rw11
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


get a carbon fiber Gitzo where the 3 legs end at your eye level - that should be plenty stiff and the CF will help dampen any vibrations; you can make it a bit stiffer with add-ons later if need be

for the head, you don't absolutely need a ballhead - a pan/tilt head cots less and should work well for landscape only shots

for ballheads, Markins is well regarded, Arca-Swiss, RRS, and some other name brands



Aug 27, 2014 at 12:05 PM
W4w3
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


Thank you for the answers!

Gitzo and RRS keep coming up when discussing quality tripods. I had already read about the two brands and also checked their websites (I could get most of the products from the two delivered all the way to Finland) but intentionally didn't mention these companies not to cause any additional bias towards them. They do seem to make stuff photographers really appreciate, though.

But before going to brands, in general about the tripod system building, could somebody briefly explain how the additional equipment builds on the legs? Like L-brackets, QR plates, levelling bases and stuff, how do I decide what to get and whether they are compatible with each other?

As for the possible need for a ball head, I'm not yet familiar enough with these to know what they offer me. I mean, say, what are the benefits of ball heads over the cheaper pan/tilt heads?

Thanks again!



Aug 27, 2014 at 03:03 PM
W4w3
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


peter_n wrote:
I live near the shore, and have used my Benro and Gitzo tripods in the sea without any ill effects, but I'm careful with maintenance afterward. If you're serious about "as good a resistance to salt corrosion as I can get" then you should look at the Gitzo Ocean series. Whether the Ocean models are necessary or not I can't say but if you're going to spend a lot of time with the legs in sea water they're definitely worth a look. Certainly my regular Gitzo hasn't suffered from irregular dips in the ocean.


The Gitzo Ocean series does seem promising but the price premium could be hard to justify unless the products really do what it says in the description (see http://www.gitzo.com/ocean-systematic-series-3-carbon-tripod-anti-corrosion-4-sec-gt3542los). I understood that many other Gitzo tripod legs can also handle extreme conditions, but as you said, they need quite a lot of maintenance to get rid of all the sea water. I personally would pay somewhat significantly extra to get a tripod that provides "maintenance-free durability and resistance against seawater". That is, the time I spend maintaining my tripod is definitely a cost for me, too, so if I could avoid maintenance completely (which I doubt), I would definitely consider the Ocean series although it seems ridiculously expensive.






Aug 27, 2014 at 03:14 PM
W4w3
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Solid tripod & ball head for D800


rw11 wrote:
get a carbon fiber Gitzo where the 3 legs end at your eye level - that should be plenty stiff and the CF will help dampen any vibrations; you can make it a bit stiffer with add-ons later if need be

for the head, you don't absolutely need a ballhead - a pan/tilt head cots less and should work well for landscape only shots

for ballheads, Markins is well regarded, Arca-Swiss, RRS, and some other name brands


Given my gear, what series Gitzo would you recommend? I have read that the maximum load capacity should not be reached even nearly but instead, to ensure stability in windy conditions, you should multiply your lens and camera's weight by something like 2.5, which then should not exceed the maximum weight. If I decided to get the 70-200 Nikkor, with the D800, this number would be around 8.5 lb (or 3850 g). Using this, it would seem that almost any Gitzo series would do just fine for me, but I suspect that the situation isn't quite that black and white but there are also differences between the series stability, especially in extreme conditions. Is this correct?



Aug 27, 2014 at 03:23 PM





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

    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.