runamuck wrote:
Good to hear it wasn't anything serious.
Granted, a couple weeks in the boonies isn't a real test of a tripod's longevity, but it is a good indicator of ability to hold a camera and lenses steady. I just have to wonder, where are all the naysayers now?
I forgot. One good test means the whole sample lot is good.
4x4rock wrote:
You can say the same of one bad test doesn't mean the whole batch is bad.
Well, on that you are wrong. Depending on the size of a population, a single failure in the correct sample sizecan be very significant in describing the reliability of overall population. I work in the semiconductor industry and in the qualification of parts this is often done where a single failure can condemn the whole lot. In tripod, where the populations are not all that large, I can see many instances where a single failure can easily point to a serious reliability problem.
Conversely, a single pass in the sample size is typically not significant but rather insignificant.
J.
Oct 09, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
geofan wrote:
I have been using it for the past week and I must say it has been excellent so far. I been attaching my 500mm to it and so far it been sturdy, easy to set up and adjust. The leg joints have a seal to them so even when I've set the tripod up in sand and water the Benro tripod keeps the crap out.
The real torture test will be my trip however, lots of mud, frost, rain and snow. The tripod will be strapped to the rack of my ATV for hours over very rough trails and also to my backpack while hike into the high alpine, so it should be interesting to see how it'll hold up. ...Show more →
Good luck with a 500mm lens on that tripod and ballhead
That tripod is too small for a 500mm lens. The leg tube diameter is too small to provide the necessary rigidity - all that besides the fact of the argument of who made it or who has the better CF etc...
To handle that lens, you would need something that is equivalent to a Gitzo 3 series or larger.
For comparison purposes, my Gitzo 1258 (basically similar to current Gitzo series 2) can damp about half the vibration of a gitzo series 3 (i tested the 3540LS). Even the 3540LS is going to be marginal for a 500mm on a crop body.
So, I think that if that is what the original poster is using this tripod for, it is going to be in low wind conditions or his expectations are lower for image sharpness. It is possible to get a sharp image on the worst tripod in conditions where there is no or limited vibration. The better stuff has a much wider operating range and can dampen much more vibration.
No, it doesn't work for lens reviewers either. They describe the characteristics of the one lens they look at. They do not speak about the reliability of all of the lenses as a whole (if they do, they shouldn't).
There are well understood and widely used procedures about determining sample size and it has nothing to do with just the IC industry - it is widely used pretty much everywhere. The bottom line though in gross terms is that one failure can be more significant than one pass so that is why I ragged on you about your statement. It is incorrect.
There was a seller from another site that was selling a AS B1 head that had the panning knob stripped. According to him, it was working fine one day and it just stripped the next. Now he wanted to sell and go with another one.
Base on this logic, I assume that all B1 heads are bad? Don't think so.
Anyway, I was looking at the Benro but found a brand new Markins Q3 for just bit more so I went with that.
4x4rock wrote:
There was a seller from another site that was selling a AS B1 head that had the panning knob stripped. According to him, it was working fine one day and it just stripped the next. Now he wanted to sell and go with another one.
Base on this logic, I assume that all B1 heads are bad? Don't think so.
Anyway, I was looking at the Benro but found a brand new Markins Q3 for just bit more so I went with that.
Thanks the OP for starting the thread.
No, it doesn't say that (and frankly that is a wild assertion) but it is reasonable to presume that it is a weakness of the device (of which every device has a few) - especially if there is more than one occurrence. None of this stuff is manufactured in any quantity so single failures like that are significant.
I think your right regarding the lense. My 500mm worked just fine when it was calm but it was often very windy and I found there was some wind vibration although the tripod dampened pretty quick.
I'm a bit torn whether to fully blame the tripod or the lense, which I am NOT impressed with at all. I have used it on a friend's Gitzo 3 series rig and I could not get a sharp picture out of this lense no matter what. Anyone want to buy my Sigma 150-500mm??
I should make something perfectly clear, I'm not anti-Gitzo or any other high end tripod manufacturer at all. Generally I'm a total gearhead and like to buy the best available equipment that I can afford. I just got into photography this May and have already spent a boat load so a 1k tripod set-up was just not doable, the Benro was affordable and I felt comfortable enough to take a chance on purchasing one.
I'm trying to be as objective as possible with my review and opinion of the equipment I purchased, I have no agenda to make my decision a ringing endorsement for Benro just because that is what I purchased. Having said that I must say I am very impressed with the Benro rig I have. If it doesn't stand up in the long run i will certainly say so.
JohnJ80 wrote:
That tripod is too small for a 500mm lens. The leg tube diameter is too small to provide the necessary rigidity - all that besides the fact of the argument of who made it or who has the better CF etc...
To handle that lens, you would need something that is equivalent to a Gitzo 3 series or larger.
For comparison purposes, my Gitzo 1258 (basically similar to current Gitzo series 2) can damp about half the vibration of a gitzo series 3 (i tested the 3540LS). Even the 3540LS is going to be marginal for a 500mm on a crop body.
So, I think that if that is what the original poster is using this tripod for, it is going to be in low wind conditions or his expectations are lower for image sharpness. It is possible to get a sharp image on the worst tripod in conditions where there is no or limited vibration. The better stuff has a much wider operating range and can dampen much more vibration.
My new Benro tripod did double duty last week as a hangar for draining grape juice (should have took a photo). My wife hung batches of 20 pounds of crushed grapes in a muslin cloth on the underhook to drain into a kettle. She did this several times for a large batch of grapes.
The tripod has been excellent, it is really beefy. The KS-1 head is not so good when compared to my Kirk BH-1 head. For light use, it should hold up fine, but for pro use, it won't last long. I've got my Manfrotto 3011 and 3021 legs for sale. There is no comparison as to stability.
... you can move to CA