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Tripods
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I bought a full featured and sturdy tripod from a new company in the US called http://www.amvona.com. The tripod can be found on the link below:
http://www.amvona.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=2350
As I said it has what you’d expect from a class trippod including spirit level and adjustable angle 3-stage legs and a grip ball head with a reversable centre column for low shots. This takes my Sony A100 with Bigma with no movement or shake. I bought this through Ebay for ?125 incl. postage and didn’t get nabbed for VAT & Duty.
The only disadvantages are its weight (7lbs) and it only comes with 1 mount plate but it’s good for the price. I’d suggest doing a search on Ebay first rather than direct sales as you’ll get it cheaper. The P&P looks expensive but nett it works out OK.
We have still some surplus stock of Slik tripods left over from Photo Fest. Prices represent a significant discount off list and the build quality is extremely good. Able 300DX ?80.00, AMT ?135 and the Goodman ?90
I can vouch for the Slik 300DX, I bought one at the show from Sheldon and it’s a nice sturdy tripod that will cover most of my immediate needs. Takes a D80 with kit lens and battery pack with no problem. The centre column is in two pieces which means you can split it for really low level shots..allows the tripod to get very close to the ground. Well worth the money.
Picked up a Manfrotto 055 MF4 last Saturday. Light and sturdy. Legs go all over which is great. Carrying handly and a hook for hanging the camera bag underneath when things are a little windy.
I’ve got two heads on trial. The Manfrotto ball head sucks … -90 and +90 movement my &^$%. Only in 1 vertical plane so it sucks for use in a hide. I’ve also got a “Basic pan and tilt” Manfrotto head. Very nice. Rock solid, smooth and more movement than the ball head. Probably will keep the pan and tilt.
joe_elway wrote:
The Manfrotto ball head sucks…
A Ballhead is the only way to go, especially if you’re in a hide. But the cheap little ones are useless, and in fact can be a real pain in the arse! I use a Manfrotto 468RC2 and I love it. If I could justify a better one than that again I would probably buy something like a Markins, or a Kirk Enterprises Ball head, but alas it I’ll have to wait a little longer before I can afford one.
Any reason you didn’t mention the Arca Swiss Ballhead Thorsten?
That’s the one I’m saving up for-Although an Arca Cube would be nice,
if there are any lottery winners out there-http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/arca-cube.shtml
I agree that a ballhead is much easier and faster to handle, BUT if you buy a cheap one, you will be only cursing in your hide (that usually keeps the birds away). I have a relatively cheap Giottos MH1000 ballhead, which tends to lower a bit after you set it into position… drives me crazy!
The Manfrotto MF tripods are good, don’t make a mistake with choosing a head!Thorsten wrote:
joe_elway wrote:
I use a Manfrotto 468RC2 and I love it.
Cannot be totally sure but I think that’s the one sitting in the boot of my car. It really is only around -35 and +35 except in one axis where it is -90 and +90. I’ll likely get a video style head instead for wildlife.
jb7 wrote:
Any reason you didn’t mention the Arca Swiss Ballhead Thorsten?
Well spotted! I deliberately left that one out because over the years I’ve just read far too many reports of the Arca-Swiss head locking up. Most of the time it’s because of user error, but one would think that a well designed head would take into account the fact that users are going to do stupid things which they shouldn’t. I’m not familiar with the Cube as it’s been some time since I’ve looked at their range but they may have improved things with that.
One other name which I forgot to mention but would seriously consider is RRS (Really Right Stuff).
The other head I use a lot is Manfrotto 410 RC. This is a geared head which is ideal for those occasions when you need to make precise adjustments to the cameras position. It’s great for any type of architectural photography or still life photography. It doesn’t suffer from any backlash or hesitation, both of which are problems on my ball head (but the more expensive ballheads should be free of these problems too) and because of this enables the precise adjustment I referred to. The big downside to this head is that it’s quite slow to use. The Manfrotto 405 Pro Geared Head is the big brother of the 410 but for it’s price I’d be more inclined to go for a top level ball head.
joe_elway wrote:
It really is only around -35 and +35 except in one axis where it is -90 and +90. I’ll likely get a video style head instead for wildlife.
That restricted range of movement is not exactly unusual for a ballhead and to be honest, it’s never been a problem for me. It’s a design feature (or design limitation) of ballheads. There is one ballhead which does have a much wider range which you might consider and it’s the Acratech
Yes I use a 410 too,
after that glowing review I’d be tempted to put it up for sale here
and take the risk on the Arca-
I use an Arca camera,
and it works so well-I’ve read the reports too,
and also reports of how it can be easily fixed-I like the idea of the elliptical ball,
and reckon it would be worth it for that alone-Watch out for a 410 in the for sale section soon- :D
j
jb7 wrote:
Although an Arca Cube would be nice,
if there are any lottery winners out there-http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/arca-cube.shtml
Scratch everything I just wrote about Manfrotto Geared Heads. I’ve just read the above link on the Arca Cube and now I want one too!!! Looks like an amazing piece of engineering! Except when you read something like “For as much as this head costs, in my opinion it should be delivered from the factory in perfect operating condition; this is simply an unacceptable problem to have on such a high-priced item.” in a review, in conjunction with all of the ball head issues you read about, it does call into question the design of the Arca Swiss products.
jb7 wrote:
I’ve read the reports too,
and also reports of how it can be easily fixed-I like the idea of the elliptical ball,
and reckon it would be worth it for that alone-I know – there’s one part of me that says something as finely engineered and expensive as that shouldn’t have a problem like that and another part of me says that something as finely engineered and expensive as that shouldn’t be used by people who don’t know how to use it! The elliptical ball is quite clever alright.
Played with an Arca ball head for a few minutes around 12 months ago. Smoooooth.
I got the SLIK AMT of Sheldon last week and I am delighted with it. It?s exactly what I was looking for.
The full name is SLIK PRO 330 AF (AMT), which is a new model, so I couldn’t find any online reviews for it. But the image looked promising and so did the specs I found on SLIK?s website.
It?s basically a modified PRO 330 DX with their new improved 1100E trigger ball head.
The tripod is made from magnesium aluminum alloy, got speed release lever leg locks, gearless center column (can be halfed!), 3-position leg angle adjustment. It weighs 1.5 kg and takes 4 kg load.
The head weighs 5000 grams and takes 3 kg load. It?s ?pistol grip? trigger works very well. Excellent grip when fixed and easy to adjust using one hand. It?s It has a all-metal quick release system with an rectangular plate that sits in a shoe that can rotate 360? and can be locked facing in any direction.
I had a chance to use it on the beach in Kerry in wind and rain and it performed very well. Obviously I will need to try it out some more, but I don?t think I would have gotten that good a value for money with another tripod.
Thanks Sheldon.
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