see inline.
well, i am mostly shooting small birds right now more or less because that's what is handy to try and haven't had much opportunity to shoot anything very large except with tame ones. last weekend was the first time i could really try to take some of red-winged black birds, but i had all of 45 minutes to spend doing it, so i didn't have a chance to sit for a while and let them get used me so i could move in closer. OTOH, i did see a male/female pair sitting next to each other, enough to identify in binoculars, but not enough to photograph.
The real challenge is to get close enough. With small warblers etc you have to get within 20 feet or so, which can be a real challenge. Around here, even the egrets and sandhill cranes are too skittish to let you get close - and since they are big birds, you don't have to get all that close. It makes one realize how lucky birders in Florida have it, where a lot of waterfowl are pretty habituated to humans.
i can't find that tripod, just the 3046, in my Bogen catalog. i assume they are similar.
I think the model numbers changed (or the model was updated) in the past. I've used this tripod for a few years now.
the 13lbs total is only a little bit more than my setup. the Gitzo 1325 is rated to 26 lbs and weighs 4.5lbs. the leveling base weighs 1.5lbs and then the Wimberley head weighs 4lbs with the quick release. the head is rated to a lot more than 26 lbs. it's designed for 600 f4 lenses and has notes on using an 800 f5.6 on it.
the lighter weight sounds nice, if it really is steady. I'm partial to the weight - especially when shooting in gales etc along the lake. Even then, the 13 lb Bogen sometimes blows over when I'm reaching in the bag to pull out the camera. I don't mind carrying the extra weight - and figure that the best way for me, personally, to carry less weight would be to go on diet :-0
do you use any special backpack for carrying the lens? the custom case is out of the question for normal use.
I drop the lens, TC, and camera into a Domke long lens bag, which provides a minimal level of padding. That bag I drop into a regular backpack. The backpack is from the army surplus store - it's huge, rugged, and has a belt strap as well as the shoulder straps. I do have a bit of foam padding on the left shoulder, where I rest the tripod.
do you use a beam focuser on your flash? it's something i haven't yet started doing, but i recognize that i will have to fairly soon. yeah, once at my location, i put everything together and leave it that way until i have to move a substantial distance.
So far, I have not needed a beam focuser with either the AF500FTZ (with film) or with the 360 flash and the *ist. I really think that fill flash is essential when birding.
When I go out shooting, I just set up in the field and leave things set up. If I'm going through a lot of brambles etc, I remove the flash and bracket since they are the most prone to getting snagged. I don;t use a cable release, but if I did I'd probably remove that as well.
i have the lens strap attached and am wearing it oer my head when i mount the lens on the tripod. don't want any accidents.
I do the same thing - though I usually think that if I did drop the lens, it would probably break my neck. Once on the ball head, I lock the quick release plate in place, so the lens won't fall off.
the nice thing about the Gitzo leveling base on the tripod is that it makes it easy to change heads, if you need to. you thread the head on moderately tight with just fingers and then there is a lever to turn the thread itself an extra quarter turn to lock down the head. the base fits only Gitzo Systematic tripods, so you would have to switch brands. i don't know of anyone else's addon to a tripod that does the same thing. the Wimberley locks down with some easy-to-turn large knobs and doesn't budge under normal loads.
The heavy duty Bogen that I use is fairly slow to change heads - you have to undo three locking screws and then unscrew the head itself. The lighterweigh Bogens have removable center posts, so with my lightweight tripod I can just pull out the center post and pop in a new one. But I prefer the heavier tripod for the 6x7 and for windy conditions.
that's what i have found, and a larger aperture helps because of the higher possible shutter speed. FWIW, Canon has a 1200/5.6L IS lens that weighs almost 37 lbs. the A* 1200/8 has two 3/8" and four 1/4" mounting holes in the base. from what i can see. you want to use at least 3 of the holes on a long Arca Swiss plate. i use the Arca Swiss plates on all of my bodies and long lenses. especially on the Wimberley, i can balance the lens so that it moves freely and remains in position when i let go. the plates let me slide the lens to position it on the balance point as i add or remove things like extenders and the flash.
Yes - those gimble heads are really nice. If I let go of my lens, it falls over (though I crank down on the tension on the ball head, so it is dampened enough to prevent any quick falls.) I use the Bogen hexoganal plate - I don't use anything but the main mounting screw, but I mounted it on the lens once and haven't removed it since.
- MCC
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Mark Cassino Photography
Kalamazoo, MI
http://www.markcassino.com
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