p.1 #1 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
Having never owned a tripod in 20+ years of shooting, I'm completely overwhelmed by the number of tripods and heads available. (I feel like every tripod review assumes I've owned multiple tripods before 😂 ) I have zero frame of reference on what features I want/don't, no matter how many reviews I read or watch. Hoping those that have been down this path before can help steer me in the right direction.
I currently primarily shoot street, travel and indoor volleyball. I've been wanting to do more landscape and macro photography (specifically with focus stacking) where a tripod will make things much easier.
Wanting a tripod to shoot more landscape and macro
Stable enough for focus stacking
Currently shoot a Nikon Zf, largest lens being the 70-200 2.8
Looking for something I can also use in creeks/rivers when fly fishing in freshwater
When collapsed, small enough to fit into a carryon or strap to a backpack
Able to get down low/flat for macro
Durable & solid warranty
If you shoot similar things in a similar way, what would you suggest?
p.1 #2 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
Finding the right tripod is a journey, not a destination. It should take ~20 years.
Do you want to shoot standing up? Or are you OK bending over or kneeling when not shooting at ground level. If you want to stand, how tall are you? You need to choose your tripod leg size based on how tall you need it to be.
p.1 #3 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
jeffbuzz wrote:
Finding the right tripod is a journey, not a destination. It should take ~20 years.
Do you want to shoot standing up? Or are you OK bending over or kneeling when not shooting at ground level. If you want to stand, how tall are you? You need to choose your tripod leg size based on how tall you need it to be.
😂 maybe we can make unless than 20 years.
I’m 6’, although I think I value portability more than having to bend down.
p.1 #4 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
Choosing a tripod is an exercise in trade-offs. Good advice to pick a working height first. If you think you'll be shooting on uneven or steep ground, get something that goes higher than your preferred working hight. After you figure out a height, decide on a budget.
p.1 #5 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
If you use the tripod in the rivers you will be doing maintenance on it like disassembling and cleaning, and replacing parts. Some people used pipes or something with a closed end to make a sleeve that protects the legs from water.
Most good heads can handle a little fresh water like rain, but I would not deliberately submerge them in dirty waters. What are you photographing from the water exactly?
p.1 #7 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
I've been using a pair of tripods made by Really Right Stuff for the past 10 years. One is a Series 3, model TFC-34, and the other is a smaller and lighter Series 2, model TFC-24, that I use when I'm hiking. I've taken the TFC-24 with me on nine rafting trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and backpacked with it to the Havasupai tribal lands to photograph the waterfalls.
Over the years, this tripod has spent a lot of time in water and sand. I've had it in water all the way up to the apex of the tripod. When doing this, water can get into the tubes of the legs and become "trapped" inside. When this happens, I remove the lower leg section and drain the water. When I return home, I dissamble the tripod and give it a thourough cleaning.
p.1 #9 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
I'll step on the third rail and actually recommend something. Historically, no one ever actually takes the recommendations and continues down the long road of tripod experimentation. But here you go:
The "284" means 28mm largest leg section diameter and 4 leg sections. I find 28mm to be the smallest size leg the is consistently stable for the size lens you're working with. 4 sections is the compromise of collapsed size versus stability. 5 sections are less stiff and 3 sections don't collapse short enough. I owned the non-leveling 284 legs. I'd suggest the leveling variant if you want to do panos and because the legs are slightly longer for a bit more working height. Without the head detached, the legs will fit inside a 22" bag.
I prefer 3-way heads to balls. But that is the other half of the tripod adventure. Some swear by ball heads. I don't see the point to "waterproof" legs. They are only sealed at the joints. If water gets in the top, it can't drain out. When mine get wet, I just take the legs apart and let them dry. Twist lock legs are much easier to open and clean compared to flip-locks.
p.1 #10 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
jeffbuzz wrote:
I'll step on the third rail and actually recommend something. Historically, no one ever actually takes the recommendations and continues down the long road of tripod experimentation. But here you go:
The "284" means 28mm largest leg section diameter and 4 leg sections. I find 28mm to be the smallest size leg the is consistently stable for the size lens you're working with. 4 sections is the compromise of collapsed size versus stability. 5 sections are less stiff and 3 sections don't collapse short enough. I owned the non-leveling 284 legs. I'd suggest the leveling variant if you want to do panos and because the legs are slightly longer for a bit more working height. Without the head detached, the legs will fit inside a 22" bag.
I prefer 3-way heads to balls. But that is the other half of the tripod adventure. Some swear by ball heads. I don't see the point to "waterproof" legs. They are only sealed at the joints. If water gets in the top, it can't drain out. When mine get wet, I just take the legs apart and let them dry. Twist lock legs are much easier to open and clean compared to flip-locks....Show more →
I appreciate it! And yes, starting to read similar about waterproof tripods.
For the Lefoto - is this able to go flat on the ground for macro work? I can't quite tell.
p.1 #11 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
Shoefly wrote:
For the Lefoto - is this able to go flat on the ground for macro work? I can't quite tell.
Yes, it goes nearly flat. The max leg angle is 85°. You don't really want 90° outdoors because then the leg joints will be in the dirt. Indoor "tabletop" tripods are usually the only ones that go to 90°. If you want to go that route, I've had the very heavy duty SUNWAYFOTO T1A21 for many years. It is ridiculously over-built and weighs as much as a full height tripod. But it is the most stable thing on solid flooring or rock. Outdoors on soft or uneven ground, longer legs like the LS-284 give you better stability.
p.1 #12 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
jeffbuzz wrote:
Yes, it goes nearly flat. The max leg angle is 85°. You don't really want 90° outdoors because then the leg joints will be in the dirt. Indoor "tabletop" tripods are usually the only ones that go to 90°. If you want to go that route, I've had the very heavy duty SUNWAYFOTO T1A21 for many years. It is ridiculously over-built and weighs as much as a full height tripod. But it is the most stable thing on solid flooring or rock. Outdoors on soft or uneven ground, longer legs like the LS-284 give you better stability.
Thanks! I found a LS-284CEX X version with a smaller LH-30LR head, on eBay for ~$290 new. I would have preferred a slightly larger head, but based on reviews I've read on this forum of the LH-30, it should not be a problem. (And if it isn't, this is affordable enough I'll be ok buying a larger one)
p.1 #13 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
Shoefly wrote:
Thanks! I found a LS-284CEX X version with a smaller LH-30LR head, on eBay for ~$290 new. I would have preferred a slightly larger head, but based on reviews I've read on this forum of the LH-30, it should not be a problem. (And if it isn't, this is affordable enough I'll be ok buying a larger one)
I was also going to recommend a Leofoto. I have the LS-284CEX and the LH-40 ballhead with the LR-60 plate. The only thing you will be giving up from the corresponding RRS kit, which costs AT LEAST 5x more, is leg angle. That would be significant if it wasn't trivial to fix with a file and 5 mins of your time.
You don't say anything about what IMO is THE most important metric of a tripod - max height without center columns. The 284-CEX is on the low end of what I would consider acceptable for a 6-foot photographer. Leofoto sells a taller version that has 30mm legs, but that is too heavy for most of my needs.
p.1 #14 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
jeffbuzz wrote:
I'll step on the third rail and actually recommend something. Historically, no one ever actually takes the recommendations and continues down the long road of tripod experimentation. But here you go:
The "284" means 28mm largest leg section diameter and 4 leg sections. I find 28mm to be the smallest size leg the is consistently stable for the size lens you're working with. 4 sections is the compromise of collapsed size versus stability. 5 sections are less stiff and 3 sections don't collapse short enough. I owned the non-leveling 284 legs. I'd suggest the leveling variant if you want to do panos and because the legs are slightly longer for a bit more working height. Without the head detached, the legs will fit inside a 22" bag.
I prefer 3-way heads to balls. But that is the other half of the tripod adventure. Some swear by ball heads. I don't see the point to "waterproof" legs. They are only sealed at the joints. If water gets in the top, it can't drain out. When mine get wet, I just take the legs apart and let them dry. Twist lock legs are much easier to open and clean compared to flip-locks....Show more →
I have the 324CEX and it's not the sturdiest, but good enough for the 100-500 type of lenses and 200-600. I imagine the 284 series would be flimsier but OK for 70-200/2.8 and 100-400. I don't like the puny 4th section on some of the smaller tripods.
p.1 #15 · Waterproof tripod+head for landscape & macro?
EB-1 wrote:
I have the 324CEX and it's not the sturdiest, but good enough for the 100-500 type of lenses and 200-600. I imagine the 284 series would be flimsier but OK for 70-200/2.8 and 100-400. I don't like the puny 4th section on some of the smaller tripods.
EBH
All tripods are a set of compromises. Without a center column, the smallest leg section is always going to be the weak point. Just leaving the lower leg section collapsed increases the stiffness if you can tolerate the shorter working height. The longer leg length on the CEX leveling legs likely makes them a bit less stiff than the shorter non-leveling versions.
My LM-324C legs are ~75mm shorter than the 324CEX and rock solid with a 3kg lens on a gimbal. That's like 1 inch less per extended leg section. I'm sure that makes some difference in stiffness. Taller legs need to be larger to maintain stiffness. If you want legs long enough for overhead shooting, you'd need to jump up at least one more size in outermost leg diameter to 36 or 40mm to get comparable stiffness to 32mm legs at eye level.
You can mitigate this by using 3-section legs instead of 4. Fewer sections are always stiffer. But then you have to deal with longer collapsed size that bumps many 3 section legs over the magical 22" carry-on size. I had a set of 3-section Leofoto 323 legs which were definitely stiffer than the 4-section 324's. But I found I always picked the 324's to carry because of the smaller collapsed size. Strapped on a backpack, the 323 legs were tall enough that I could feel increased center of gravity and the head would sometime snag on tree branches which my head cleared.
4-sections seems to be the best compromise. I have 5-section legs that I also rarely use because I can't get my hand around all 4 leg locks at once. On the 4-section legs I can grab all 3 twist locks together and fully unlock each leg with one twist. The 5-section legs take 2 twists per leg because I have to grab that 4th lock ring separately. Small thing, but annoying. Technically it takes me twice as long to open the 5-section legs. If you want scary small, look at the diameter on the last segment of some 5-section legs.
