Really depends on what gear you want to use it with and how much weight your willing to carry. I personally would take a look at the Feisol tripod lineup for the price point you are looking at.
Now about that head...have you ever tried one out. I've never have used one, but I heard many horror stories about creep with that head.
Thanks for the replies. My gear is listed in my profile. Heaviest lens would be 300L F4 IS and the two bodies I use are 1D Mark 2N and Canon 5D. The reviews I saw for the trigger head were very good, but I can be swayed by people with more experience.
My vote would be for the new manfrotto line of CF tripods... They're very sturdy and I've always found the manfrotto style flip locks to be faster than the twist lock style. You should also be able to try out and purchase one at almost any well stocked photo store, as apposed the feisol and other import types where I've yet to find a place to try them out in Canada at least and the only option is to ship them in, pay shipping, customs and exchange and then hope you like it... or hope there's decent return policy. As for a head, definately look into an arca swiss system. I've never been too confident with the Manfrotto quick plate system. There's always a little jiggle even if it's good enough to hold my camera on there. I too lusted after the trigger head system... untill I tried it. You know how almost every tripod tip by a pro says "dont extend the center column for maximum sharpness"... how much vibration do you think is going to be introduced by putting a one foot piece of plastic between that steady tripod base and your big telephoto. If you really want something quick, drop the cash on a wimberly sidekick or similar. I found the trigger grip felt awkward and unbalanced as well with anything heavier than a kit lens mounted. I wouldn't even dream of putting my 85L on there and walking away.
Thanks smeghead, will look at the manfrotto legs. Agree about the grip ballhead after reading some more about picking a pod and head. Never thought there was so many things to consider. Getting closer.
I use a Manfrotto 3021 BN Tripod, and it is pretty solid, certainly enough to hold a 300 f/4 and camera, and very compact. A bit heavy compared to more expensive models, but just fine for me.
Its they're new line of CF legs, not the "magfiber" line. The magfiber line seemed to have more plastic parts, these legs are based on the 3021 line, they're just made of CF. They're within a few grams of some of the more expensive legs. I think I paid about $300 CAD, so you can probably get them cheaper in the states. A good ball head is going to run you, but it's SOOOO worth it. It's no sense dropping cash on a great set of legs and putting a crap ball head on it. If you go for a cheap ball head this is what's going to happen especially with a long heavy lens.
1) you line up the shot on a bird on a branch
2) you tighten the ball head
3) tightening the ball head shifts the position of the head or you let go of the camera and it creeps a few millimeters which can be five or six feet away from where you aimed through a long lens... the longer the lens, the more a tiny creep affects framing
4) you swear, loosen the ball head, re frame the shot... go back to 2) repeat untill the bird looks at you like an idiot and flies away.
Ideally you want a ball head with two knobs, a tension knob and a locking knob. The locking knob is obvious.. it tightens the ball head from loose to locked solid. The tension knob controls how loose the ball head starts at, from no tension at all, to partially locked, this will help a lot if you're tracking a moving subject. Just increase the tension untill you can smoothly aim the camera, but the head takes a lot of the weight so you're not jerking around.
Keep an eye on the forums, there's usually a lot of ball heads floating around. My advice is pick up the most heavy duty ball head you can afford, money or weight wise. Many people start off small and have to keep buying better heads when they find out a light one isn't good enough... which is why there's a lot of ball heads on the buy/sell boards I cringed at spending almost as much as my main body on a set of legs and a head... but you will not regret it. The first time you take a truly good tripod out in the field and realise you've been swearing at tripods needlessly for years you'll feel it's money well spent. I found out the hard way that I'm too poor to be cheap, get the best you can afford now and you won't have to upgrade 5 times to finally get to the thing you should have picked up in the first place.
docnlaw24 wrote:
Thanks smehhead, will look at the manfrotto legs. Agree about the grip ballhead after reading some more about picking a pod and head. Never thought there was so many things to consider. Getting closer.
A tripod, to me is the second hardest thing to get right. The first would be a camera bag.
Well I took the plunge and bought a Gitzo 2228 Explorer Carbon Fiber tripod for $365 used. Now I need to decide on a ballhead. Considering RRS BH-40. Thanks for everyones comments on 6the legs, how about the head?
Can't go wrong with the head but keep in mind that RRS do not suggest it for any lens over 200mm, given that your 300mm is the f4 version it might be fine.
From RRS website: " Our BH-40 is our mid-sized ballhead and is perfect for popular light to mid-sized gear such as 70-200mm/f2.8 and 300mm/f4 lenses." Looks like it is a great match and will keep me from going up to 2.8 300mm
Dec 18, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
The BH-40 is a very nice ballhead. But I would probably prefer a Markins Q3, M10 or Arca-Swiss Z1 instead. I like the feeling and smoothness of the ball better on those. But anyone of those are of course good.
For some reason, Kirk BH-3 heads have been selling for very low prices here recently. They're Kirk's model equivalent to the BH-40 and such. I use one and am very happy with it.
Went with the Markins Q3. Thanks Lars and the rest of the FM gang. Also bought 5D L bracket on the B and S board. Know it is time to learn how to utilize the tripod setup to improve my skills.
I had a chance to use the 322, and quickly went to using it worng-handed. That freed my right hand to work the shutter and wheels on my D80. Other than that, it seemed like a very capable system.
I am in the same situation. All I want is a place to hang my Canon EOS 50D with the 28-300L in any position and know that it is safe. Cost Is an object but weight is not, so aluminum is fine. I live in the southern US so cold is usually not an issue. I want to be able to turn the head vertical and know the camera is safely attached to the head. Quick release is a must. thanx
Here's what I currently use (see link). Great tripod at the price! I have used many tripods over the last ten years , including a couple Gitzos.But this is what I ended sticking with for the last few years.
I cringed at spending almost as much as my main body on a set of legs and a head... but you will not regret it. The first time you take a truly good tripod out in the field and realise you've been swearing at tripods needlessly for years you'll feel it's money well spent. I found out the hard way that I'm too poor to be cheap, get the best you can afford now and you won't have to upgrade 5 times to finally get to the thing you should have picked up in the first place.