Moving on to Tripods (attention Scott Merryfield) (1 Viewer)

[Bobby Henderson]

If I had it to do over again, with the products available today as opposed to 4 years ago, I might have gone with an all Really Right Stuff setup -legs & ball head. But RRS wasn't making nearly as much in the way of tripod legs a few years ago. Their newest catalog has even more products, including the new "GoPro Cage" for GoPro video cameras.

It's too bad RRS stuff is as pricey as it is. But the stuff is very well made. I recently bought a flash bracket to go with the L-plate for my 5D Mark II camera. It's pretty slick. Not junky in the slightest.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I read that link which give advice on features to consider. To sum up:
1) 3 leg sections instead of 4, unless you really need the tripod to shrink for travel.
2) Carbon Fiber or aluminum. CF is half the weight and twice the cost. CF also doesn't feel as cold as aluminum in chilly weather.
3) Height-if you want to take pics at eye level, choose a tripod that extends to 6" below that. I presume this does not include the center post. Ground level shots? Than a tripod with no center post.

Carbon fiber is just too expensive for me. I think all these tripods have 3 leg sections. The Vanguard has a "minimum" extended height of 52 1/8". There's maximum height which I presume is with the center post extended. That 52" is plenty for me and that's without the ball head.

After seriously considering your recommendations and mixing in my needs, the Vanguard is going to be the one on my xmas list. I'll keep you posted on how I like it.

I almost talked myself into the Manfrotto, but I won't even use the tripod every month. I've gotten by on an extremely cheep tripod. The Vanguard will seem like I'm moving up to a luxury brand.

 

[Sam Posten]

Sounds like you are making an informed decision, that's all anyone can hope for. Good luck with it!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Enjoy your new tripod, Johnny, and let us know how you like it.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I should point out its only on my Xmas list. I've got a kindle paper white on the list. Don't know if I'll get both. If not for Xmas, it'll be in my birthday list. I will let you know the results. BTW, I did look at some YouTube videos of the tripod too.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Curses, foiled again. I did not get the tripod for Xmas. I did get a paper white 2 and a jump starter. S the tripod goes on my birthday list for later this year. I think my wife sees that I've got a tripod that stands and thinks its good enough. I did have the tripod number 2 on my list behind the pw2.

 

[Citizen87645]

This seems interesting "The 3Pod P5CRH Tripod - A Review - Digital Photography School" http://feedly.com/k/1hgfZVa

 

[Scott Merryfield]

This seems interesting "The 3Pod P5CRH Tripod - A Review - Digital Photography School" http://feedly.com/k/1hgfZVa

Since it is made by Flashpoint (Adorama's house brand), I would be concerned about build quality. I think I mentioned earlier in this thread that I had a Flashpoint CF tripod where one of the legs came loose. I could still use it, but the leg would pull out of the housing quite often when I was setting up.

 

[Sam Posten]

At $250 don't even stop to think, order fast while you still can!http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/584476-REG/Manfrotto_055CXPRO3_055CXPRO3_3_Section_Carbon_Fiber.htmlAmazon is $364 for reference, not prime:http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-055CXPRO3-Section-Magnesium-Castings/dp/B001GIPR5S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393006023&sr=8-2&keywords=manfrotto+carbon+fiber+tripod

 

[Scott Merryfield]

At $250 don't even stop to think, order fast while you still can!http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/584476-REG/Manfrotto_055CXPRO3_055CXPRO3_3_Section_Carbon_Fiber.htmlAmazon is $364 for reference, not prime:http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-055CXPRO3-Section-Magnesium-Castings/dp/B001GIPR5S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393006023&sr=8-2&keywords=manfrotto+carbon+fiber+tripod

Nice price. Too bad I'm not in the market for a CF tripod.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

What I could really use these days is another head for shooting video... Any good ones for say

 

[Sam Posten]

Nope, fluid heads are expensive but worth it so you dont get bounces on pans.$293:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T3IJC0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=34319NDF893HG&coliid=I35J670HW08I2Q$435:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FGWKH2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=34319NDF893HG&coliid=I26U78QSS408M4

 

[Sam Posten]

I got this tripod and the BH-30 Lightweight RRS Ballhead. KILLER lightweight combo!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

You cannot go wrong with a RRS ballhead, Sam! They make a quality product... enjoy.

One of these days I may upgrade to RRS. For now, the PhotoClam I bought has been serving my needs quite well.

 

[Sam Posten]

Oh this is my 3rd RRS head. I have the BH-55 big boy and their monopod head too. I wanted a lightweight combo and this was an easy choice. Still load rated for 15 pounds!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

How do you like their monopod head? I bought a Manfrotto monopod head with a Kirk Arca Swiss quick release clamp, but always wondered if the RRS was worth the cost for a monopod -- if I recall, it was quite pricey.

 

[Sam Posten]

It was pricy but I believe the value in ease of use, build quality and design excellence make it well worth the premium. I winced when I bought it but as soon as it was in my hands with VERY valuable and heavy lenses on the D4 I knew I had made the right choice. When you are essentially carrying $8k on a stick you want that stick to be as reliable and as easy to use as possible.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Thanks for the feedback, Sam. My monopod doesn't get a lot of use -- mostly at the zoo with my 5D3 + 100-400L -- so what I have has met my needs. My tripod gets a lot more use. If I ever make the leap to RRS heads, though, it's good feedback to have.

 

[Sam Posten]

I use a monopod a TON for Eagles, Football and Baseball.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Nope, fluid heads are expensive but worth it so you dont get bounces on pans.$293:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T3IJC0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=34319NDF893HG&coliid=I35J670HW08I2Q$435:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FGWKH2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=34319NDF893HG&coliid=I26U78QSS408M4

Thanks for the suggestions, but wondering how this one would do for my modest (non-pro) needs...
http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-128RC-Micro-Fluid-Connector/dp/B000JLO6RS/ref=pd_cp_p_2

Probably won't ever shoot longer than 300mm on DX crop body... though the problem w/ using the Nikon 70-300VR will be lack of dedicated lens collar mount -- that plus the tight zoom and focus rings if I need to adjust while shooting... which maybe won't ever be ok anyway I suppose. Decided to whip out the old Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 recently because of that -- a bit of a pain though to have to dig into the cheapy D5100's menus to force MF in order to lock focus (and then not being able to switch back to AF quickly on occasion). :-p

BTW, got around to trying Adobe Premiere Elements' image stabilization function. Seems alright enough for upto 720p quality output (from 1080p source), which is probably all I really need... although will need to shoot w/ some extra safety border to accommodate the processing that effectively zooms into the original frame some.

_Man_