How I Buy A Tripod:
- First consider what you want the tripod to support. Add the total
weight of camera and lens assembly to find a maximum.
- Consider what kind of head suits your uses best. Ball heads are best
for speed and positioning flexibility. 3D heads are best for
positioning precision and cost. Ball heads that support a lot of
weight and operate precisely are expensive. Geared 3D heads are the
most precise, cost a bit less for the weight they carry, but take a
penalty in setup speed. Also consider the options in a quick release
camera mounting ... It's often important to be able to get the camera/
lens on and off the head quickly for carrying. (I simplify here: I
only buy heads that I can fit an Arca-Swiss type QR clamp onto.) Look
at various heads in the type and price range that suits your needs,
get their weight. Add that to the maximum weight of camera and lens
above.
- Now you can consider legs. Questions:
How much elevation do you need?
How much weight does it need to be able to support?
(Whatever a set of legs is rated, be sure that it's 20-30% more
than
the maximum weight of camera and lens plus head above.)
How much weight am I willing to carry?
Does it need to be compact for traveling or will it live in the car?
Will it spend most of its time in a studio or tabletop setup, or
does it have to be
quick to use in the field?
How much flexibility in positioning the camera is needed ... swing
column,
leg positioning, low angle etc etc?
How much can I afford?
- Caveats:
We often tend to think of a tripod that addresses ALL our needs, but
then use it for only one or two specific things. That means we tend to
over-buy for elevation, or load carrying capacity, or compactness, or
lightness, etc. Think carefully about what you need/want the tripod
for, and what edge cases you really shouldn't spend disproportionately
on.
---
I currently own three tripods. I tend to prefer ball heads for their
speed and positionability, and nowadays my weight needs are such that
if they can hold a 7 lbs camera and lens steadily, position it
precisely, I'm good. That puts me to the middle class of professional
ball head ($300-400)...
1: Bogen-Manfrotto 3021BN legs fitted with Kirk Photo BH-1 head,
Really Right Stuff lever-action QR clamp
I bought these legs as a remaindered item from Porters for $80 after
they were discontinued, a heckuva deal. They're three section, alloy
legs with lever clamps, very fast to set up, and capable of supporting
15-20 lbs easily. Simple tripod with simple column. Maximum elevation
with full column extension is about 72". The Kirk head I bought when I
was shooting with Hasselblad equipment, so it's a bit of overkill for
my current lighter gear, $450. The tripod is not light, around 8 lbs,
so they get used around my apartment for tabletop and to hold lights,
or when I'm going places where I can drive and/or need a lot of
elevation.
2: Feisol CT3442 Tournament legs fitted with Acratech Ultimate Ball
Head, Really Right Stuff lever-action QR clamp
These legs are very light CF + aircraft aluminum allow construction.
Four section with twist locks means they fold down very compactly for
their elevation, and the column options are diverse but slow to change
from one to another. They support up to 25lbs, way more than I need,
and can achieve 74 inch elevation with full column extension, while
also allowing camera positions down to about a foot. There are options
for cross tube column support, different feet, etc etc. The Acratech
head is one of the lightest precise heads available that can support a
20lb load, and is very nice to work with with good ergonomic controls.
$380 for the legs, $340 for the head. Package in its carry case weighs
4.1 lbs all up, is a bundle 19" long and 5" in diameter.
3: Bogen-Manfrotto 190CXpro3 legs fitted with Markins Q3 Emilie head
This is at one and the same time the most compromised of my tripods
and the most used. They're the lightest ... just shy of 3 lbs
complete ... and hold the least ... rated for 11 lbs (still overkill!)
and are in the middle between the other two on collapsed size (about
4" diameter, 28" long). They achieve about 60" elevation. But the
elevation is what I need 90% of the time, I'm usually using lighter-
than-maximum gear, they are the fastest to set up and take down, and
the cross-tube-column support is the fastest and easiest way to get
low angle and do field macro work setups I've seen. The little Markins
Q3 head is very precise, beautifully made, and has great controls;
supports more than I need easily. Legs cost me $225, head cost me
$269. Since I bought these, I have used them more than 90% of the
time ... They are by default what I grab whenever I'm running out of
the apartment to do a shooting session.
Godfrey
On Mar 12, 2009, at 5:37 AM, Brian Walters wrote:
G'day all
My Velbon CX540 tripod was originally bought as a stop gap measure, a
gap that has now reached something like 20 years. The tripod is just
passably steady if I use a camera and short zoom (and hang a bag of
rocks off the bottom of it) but it's near useless with a telephoto
lens
attached.
Clearly, something has to be done and budget limitations
notwithstanding, the time has come to upgrade.
I'm looking at something like the Slik 500DX which can support about 5
kg and sells here for around $A180 with SH-705E Pan head. With the
head,
it weighs 2.5 kg, which is about 1 kg more than the Velbon. I've also
looked at the Slik
700DX with PRO 700 DX head at around $A225 - it looks good but seems a
bit heavy.
Does anyone have any experience with these tripods or can anyone
suggest
any alternatives. Anyone familiar with the Velbon Sherpa range?
Also, what are the pros and cons of ball heads versus pan heads?
Cheers
Brian
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Brian Walters
Western Sydney Australia
http://members.westnet.com.au/brianwal/SL/
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