Lars,
I bought my 500 f/4 and Sidekick from an FM member and recomended that I get the leveling base. He had it and he shot motor cross and I shoot wildlife. It really does help to level things out very quickly. It is not a must have, but a sure nice to have.
Dang, this thread turned the wrong way. I actually have a 1321 base sitting in my cart at B&H, but the early responses had convinced me I could save the money and weight. Now y'all have gone the other way. Shoot. :-(
BeeMan458 wrote:
Sweet! But color me blind: no leveling base
Maybe I buy one later, but I don't really need it I have been shooting with my 300 & 500 lenses on monopod or handheld for 2½ years without any level problems. And that's a lot more difficult than shooting with the Wimberley. With the 500 you can't see the horizon on 95% of my shots anyway It also make the tripod a lot more heavy.....
LIke maybe this, although this one seems designed for very small precise (and slow) adjustments in level, rather than larger quicker ones like the Gitzo pieces we've been discussing here.
Nill Toulme wrote:
LIke maybe this, although this one seems designed for very small precise (and slow) adjustments in level, rather than larger quicker ones like the Gitzo pieces we've been discussing here.
Is there anything Manfrotto doesn't make? (And as usual, you can buy four of them for the price of the Gitzo.)
Nill
~~
www.toulme.net
Nill,
I have the Manfrotto 3416 between my Berlebach Report 2002 tripod and the Manfrotto 3421 gimbal. I got it used from an FM'er, couldn't imagine using a gimbal without it.
I'm surprised FM'ers haven't discovered Berlebach. I ordered one from the factory in Germany - they don't sell the 2002 here in the US - and with air freight it was still a third the cost of a big Gitzo. Oh, did I mention that wood's vibration dampening qualities are better than CF? The 2002 is just legs, no head, and it's rated to 15kg. It's a sweet piece of kit.
My 3042 "report" with its built-in leveling base is paired with Bogen's 3421 gimbal and a Kirk quick release mount, which makes for a very solid combination.
The tripod is about 7.5 lb. and is rated for over 22lb load. The Bogen gimbal adds roughly another 3 lb., so that's about 11 pounds total. Definitely not suitable for long treks, but very stable and flexible design if weight isn't a factor.
What I really like about the Berlebach's built in leveling system is the range of up to 30 degrees in angle adjustment, which is about twice the range of others, such as my Acratech leveling base that I use with a Gitzo tripod. But then again, that kit is setup with different criteria where light weight and portability are the primary goals.
The Report 2002 is rated 15 kg, and I'll bet the only difference between the 2002 and the 2042 is the leveling head. The Bogen leveling head is also rated to 15kg. I passed on the 2042 because the numbers didn't work.
You need something like the 2002 with a 600 f4 non-IS; the lens comes in over 13 pounds on its own. I think the load in my rig (Canon 5D w.battery grip, 600 f4, Bogen 3416 and Bogen 3421 gimbal) comes in north of 25 pounds, too close to max capacity for even a 12kg-rated 'pod. Toss a flash unit on and it only gets worse.
The 2002/3416/3421 combo is like a rock. All this stuff pushes a Lowepro 600 Trekker to its limit, but it all fits - if you see somebody walking across a large western state under that load, though, it's not me...
Probably correct that they use the same legs. You can also go with the Berlebach 2032 with built-in leveling base that has the same 15kg rating as the 2002. Or for that matter the 1032 that increases total capacity to 18kg. Add a /P extension to the model numbers and the leveling base will also have a built-in panoramic rotator, which is kind of redundant with a gimbal mount.
They offer enough configurations to meet just about any need or capacity. Most dealers only carry one color - natural wood. If you order direct you get a choice between 4 finishes.
AJ Nadershahi wrote:
Probably correct that they use the same legs. You can also go with the Berlebach 2032 with built-in leveling base that has the same 15kg rating as the 2002. Or for that matter the 1032 that increases total capacity to 18kg. Add a /P extension to the model numbers and the leveling base will also have a built-in panoramic rotator, which is kind of redundant with a gimbal mount.
They offer enough configurations to meet just about any need or capacity. Most dealers only carry one color - natural wood. If you order direct you get a choice between 4 finishes.
