In a message dated 1/21/01 10:53:09 PM Pacific Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< If you have a tripod that extends 63" without center column, you've got a
pretty hefty piece of gear. Add to that the weight of the head, camera, and
the lens. You are essentially talking upward of 15 lbs. That should be very
steady tripod. >>
Steady if there is no wind or vibrations* indigenous to the location. One of
my tripods extends to 68", nearly 84" at its full extension. At nearly 7.8
pounds, it is a hefty beast. Retracted, it still stands 34" to the top of the
quick release platform.
I've tested this particular model, again, *this model** for sturdiness. Full
retracted, 500mm aboard, its images are sharper than when the legs are fully
extended but fuzzier still when the center column is extended.
*Shooting on a heavily traveled bridge.
All of my tests came after Pop Photography's Herb Keppler did his own tests
in quest of *his* ideal travel tripod.
**Of course, any tripod is only as steady as the surface it is set up on.
<<Besides, if your lens is failing because of your tripod, you should really
consider a new tripod.>>
My "beast" serves well but the variables of wind and ground conditions, and
the actual geometry of the lens itself can affect the set up and will yield
different result according to whether the legs or center column are extended
[or not].
Even a little thing like platform twist, usually minuscule in relation to
vibrations, plays a part. The lower the tripod, the less the wind can induce
platform twist, especially with long, heavy lenses.
*In a stiff breeze, the World Trade Center in New York sways more than 80"
off plumb dead center.
Mafud
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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