Tripod and head advice

ShawWellPete

ShawWellPete

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Pete
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Hello guys,

It's time I invested in a decent tripod. For some reason I can't seem to get my head around what the various heads are for, probably because I am not the sharpest tool in the box.

I want something mainly for landscapes but also occasionally for studio work.

I would like something very light weight, very secure (clumsy idiot proof) and easy to adjust.

Happy to pay up if there is a clear benefit.

Thanks,

Pete
 
Well I'm sure they'll be a shed load of people who will disagree with me, but here's my opinion.
If you want a tripod to take out and about, you want it as light as possible, so that means Carbon Fibre. From that point you can take your pic from the manufacturers, I chose Gitzo because I had the money and it is just soooooo nice to use :)

As for heads, you'll just have to play around and see what you prefer, ball and socket or pan and tilt. I've got both, but I prefer B/S for most of my work, but use the P/T for panoramic shots, and now I've just got a D3s with video, it will be useful for that too.

Good luck:)
 
treeman said:
Well I'm sure they'll be a shed load of people who will disagree with me, but here's my opinion.
If you want a tripod to take out and about, you want it as light as possible, so that means Carbon Fibre. From that point you can take your pic from the manufacturers, I chose Gitzo because I had the money and it is just soooooo nice to use :)

As for heads, you'll just have to play around and see what you prefer, ball and socket or pan and tilt. I've got both, but I prefer B/S for most of my work, but use the P/T for panoramic shots, and now I've just got a D3s with video, it will be useful for that too.

Good luck:)
Click to expand...


Thanks, has anybody got the time to explain the difference and relative benefits of B/S and P/T?
 
B/S are really quick to set up but small tweaks are a right PITA - for example if the horizon is not quite level releasing the ball frees all axis and the whole image loses composition. This is especially tricky with a long lens which are not only more sensitive but may be off balance to start with.

P/T is slightly slower to get pointed in the general direction but much easier to make fine adjustments as each axis can be tweaked independently.

There are a few hybrid options like the infamous Manfrotto 322 Grip Head. Because you don't have to fully release the head and because you are holding a nice long lever while it is released; the result is that it is a lot more precise.

For landscape work I've now got a Manfrotto 410 Geared Head which is like a P/T except that it locks with gears rather than friction. This means it cannot creep under load and fine adjustments can be made while the load is still on the head meaning it is ultra precise. Not everybody gets on with them but I borrowed one for a day then went straight out and bought one.
 
Thanks Duncan,

I have just been reading an article by Scott Bourne here and he is singing the praises of Induro tripods.

I have priced up the following

Induro 4-Section Carbonflex Tripod Series 2


Induro 3DL34 3-Way Panhead


Induro DM01 - Ballhead with Manual Drag Control

In that kind of budget, should I be looking elsewhere or is that a pretty good system? I am thinking about buying both the heads so I then get the option to play with either.

If anyone feels that somebody who doesn't know know a ball head from a balloon knot shouldn't be spending so much on a tripod and clearly has more money than sense then I get your point and you are probably right.
 
Pete

If that sort of thing is not to your liking and you would like some serious control for landscaping.

Have a look at the Manfrotto 410 geared head it the mutt's mate....

Fine control is great and it is all geared for micro adjustments but you pay for that in the weight.

Another option is a light 460 head.

Regards

Nigel
 
If you're looking for an all round tripod Pete, then an offset rotating centre column would be a must for me as would legs which splay so you can get right down to ground level. Both shortcomings of the otherwise excellent tripod I know you have. ;)

My preference would be a ball head - you only need to slacken one knob to release all three axis.The only problem with many ball heads is they suffer from ball droop. :D Basically you line up your subject, tighten the head and the camera/lens droops slightly from the point you aligned on. Maddening -particularly with macro as you can no doubt imagine.

Ball heads like Kirk, and reallyrightstuff are expensive but tend to be free of the droop factor.

I don't know anything about the make you've posted the link to Pete, but far from spending too much, you might want to think about spending a little more . Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger! ;)

Getting a real top end ball head might work out cheaper in the long run if you didn't have to buy a three way head too?
 
That Induro tripod looks very good.
I know Steve Lewis is a strong advocate of twist locks instead of lever locks on the basis that as the tripod wears with use the twist locks will simply carry on working but the lever locks will need adjusting.

I went for a similar spec Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 which I'm loving. The Manfrotto 055 series is an equipment benchmark - they are all robust, versatile and sensibly priced. It was a safe choice, but that review might have tempted me...
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
There are a few hybrid options like the infamous Manfrotto 322 Grip Head. Because you don't have to fully release the head and because you are holding a nice long lever while it is released; the result is that it is a lot more precise.
Click to expand...

Personally I prefer them vertically oriented like this one. Taking my hand off the camera to adjust with the horizontal grip just never made any sense to me. If I want to reposition the camera with a device designed to speed up the whole recomposing process, I probably want to be looking through the viewfinder at the same time. It would make far more sense to me to have the grip on the left rather than the right, so that I don't have to take my right hand off the shutter button.
 
There's a long and a short answer. I won't go into the longer version bceause a lot of that is subjective and conflciting. For example, the Manfrotto 322 Action Grip head mentioned above is the least precise and hard to accurately adjust head I have ever used, it has other virtues though. And I have also used some jerky 3-way pan/tilt heads, and even more naff ball heads. Everyone seems to agree that the Frotto 410 geared head is excellent though - lovely thing to use, and almost unqiue I think, but very heavy for carting about.

Tripods - carbon is usefully lighter, but much more expensive. Three or four section legs? Reversible columns? Lever locks or flip locks? You choose. Just buy one that is tall enough without using the centre column - they really make the whole thing very unstable if you use more than an inch or two.

All I will say is that those that have been around and tried most things usually end up with a carbon Gitzo with collar locks and a high end ball head like a Markins, Arca, RRS etc, usually £200-300 for the head alone, maybe double that for the legs - light, strong, works superbly, but not cheap.

On the other hand, quite a few people here are getting Benro tripods and heads, including me. They are Chinese made copies of Gitzo legs and Arca heads, and not only have they copied the designs exactly, they have also copied the quality. They are not cheap, but you get a superbly made product for less than half the price of the real thing - miles better than Manfrotto, Giottos, Slik etc.

I took a long time researching a Benro C-257 M8 with J-2 ball head. It's the best tripod/head I've ever used, and sits at the top of a long and quite distinguished list :D Bought from these people (nothing else to pay :) )
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-BENRO-C-257...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a57740b5e
 
It's worth pointing out the obvious - just in case.....
There are only two thread sizes used to secure the tripod head to the legs and you can get adapters between the two sizes - hence you can pick and choose your manufacturers, they do not have to be the same....
 
Shutterman said:
Pete

Another option is a manfotto grip head, they are great in studio as they are fast for adjust, bullet proof build as well.

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-manfrotto-322rc2-horizontal-grip-action-ball-head/p10912

Plus added bonus of only having to squeeze the grip to move instead of adjusting three different levers.


(I have on sitting in cupboard that is not being used)

Nigel
Click to expand...

I looked at that, I guess that work similar to a ball head?

Shutterman said:
Pete

If that sort of thing is not to your liking and you would like some serious control for landscaping.

Have a look at the Manfrotto 410 geared head it the mutt's mate....

Fine control is great and it is all geared for micro adjustments but you pay for that in the weight.

Another option is a light 460 head.

Regards

Nigel
Click to expand...

Thanks I'll take a look

CT said:
If you're looking for an all round tripod Pete, then an offset rotating centre column would be a must for me as would legs which splay so you can get right down to ground level. Both shortcomings of the otherwise excellent tripod I know you have. ;)

My preference would be a ball head - you only need to slacken one knob to release all three axis.The only problem with many ball heads is they suffer from ball droop. :D Basically you line up your subject, tighten the head and the camera/lens droops slightly from the point you aligned on. Maddening -particularly with macro as you can no doubt imagine.

Ball heads like Kirk, and reallyrightstuff are expensive but tend to be free of the droop factor.

I don't know anything about the make you've posted the link to Pete, but far from spending too much, you might want to think about spending a little more . Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger! ;)

Getting a real top end ball head might work out cheaper in the long run if you didn't have to buy a three way head too?
Click to expand...

Thanks CT, the tripod I bought from you is built like a tank but is nearly as heavy. I want something light, easy to control and secure. I have never used a ball head, one of the problems is that I am trying to purchase online where I should really go into a shop and play with a ball head and see if I prefer it.

DuncanDisorderly said:
That Induro tripod looks very good.
I know Steve Lewis is a strong advocate of twist locks instead of lever locks on the basis that as the tripod wears with use the twist locks will simply carry on working but the lever locks will need adjusting.

I went for a similar spec Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 which I'm loving. The Manfrotto 055 series is an equipment benchmark - they are all robust, versatile and sensibly priced. It was a safe choice, but that review might have tempted me...
Click to expand...

That was the Manfrotto I was considering, I guess that or the Induro will both be a good choice from what Scott Bourne says.

CT I assume that is what you mean by a offset rotating centre column?
 
Kaouthia said:
Personally I prefer them vertically oriented like this one. Taking my hand off the camera to adjust with the horizontal grip just never made any sense to me. If I want to reposition the camera with a device designed to speed up the whole recomposing process, I probably want to be looking through the viewfinder at the same time. It would make far more sense to me to have the grip on the left rather than the right, so that I don't have to take my right hand off the shutter button.
Click to expand...

Something else to consider, thanks.

HoppyUK said:
There's a long and a short answer. I won't go into the longer version bceause a lot of that is subjective and conflciting. For example, the Manfrotto 322 Action Grip head mentioned above is the least precise and hard to accurately adjust head I have ever used, it has other virtues though. And I have also used some jerky 3-way pan/tilt heads, and even more naff ball heads. Everyone seems to agree that the Frotto 410 geared head is excellent though - lovely thing to use, and almost unqiue I think, but very heavy for carting about.

Tripods - carbon is usefully lighter, but much more expensive. Three or four section legs? Reversible columns? Lever locks or flip locks? You choose. Just buy one that is tall enough without using the centre column - they really make the whole thing very unstable if you use more than an inch or two.

All I will say is that those that have been around and tried most things usually end up with a carbon Gitzo with collar locks and a high end ball head like a Markins, Arca, RRS etc, usually £200-300 for the head alone, maybe double that for the legs - light, strong, works superbly, but not cheap.

On the other hand, quite a few people here are getting Benro tripods and heads, including me. They are Chinese made copies of Gitzo legs and Arca heads, and not only have they copied the designs exactly, they have also copied the quality. They are not cheap, but you get a superbly made product for less than half the price of the real thing - miles better than Manfrotto, Giottos, Slik etc.

I took a long time researching a Benro C-257 M8 with J-2 ball head. It's the best tripod/head I've ever used, and sits at the top of a long and quite distinguished list :D Bought from these people (nothing else to pay :) )
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-BENRO-C-257...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a57740b5e
Click to expand...

I appreciate the advice, I'll take a look.

DuncanDisorderly said:
It's worth pointing out the obvious - just in case.....
There are only two thread sizes used to secure the tripod head to the legs and you can get adapters between the two sizes - hence you can pick and choose your manufacturers, they do not have to be the same....
Click to expand...

Noted :thumbs:
 
ShawWellPete said:
Thanks CT, the tripod I bought from you is built like a tank but is nearly as heavy. I want something light, easy to control and secure. I have never used a ball head, one of the problems is that I am trying to purchase online where I should really go into a shop and play with a ball head and see if I prefer it.
Click to expand...

That tripod is one I used for weddings for years. It was great for just plonking down and taking your typical wedding shots and groups - but adaptable it isn't!

CT I assume that is what you mean by a offset rotating centre column?
Click to expand...
Yes - that Induro has one, as do most of the better tripods today. The original idea came from the Benbo and most manufacturers have copied it for good reason -it's very adaptable. You can for instance have the tripod firmly on the floor, but with the camera over a table for table-top photography, or a similar situation photographing a car engine bay. You can get virtually anywhere and any angle with that type of centre column.
 
Just while we're on the topic of Benro (sorry, don't mean to hijack), have any of you guys tried out their monopods?

This one looks pretty decent for the price.
 
The offset centre column coupled with the ablity to splay the legs right down means you can do stuff like this...

2489275102_c6bda4ee83_o.jpg
 
ShawWellPete said:
So I could go for...

this and this

or

this and this

Or spend another £400 and get Gitzo legs with an expensive head? any suggestions?
Click to expand...

The only thing I'd say is I'd go for twist lock legs every time - very fast and quiet in operation and they'll never work loose.

That ball head loooks very similar to one I have - I've no doubt it will be good quality.

If I was buying one from scratch today it would be a reallyrightstuff one I think - superbly engineered and just looks waaay sexy!
 
Kaouthia said:
Just while we're on the topic of Benro (sorry, don't mean to hijack), have any of you guys tried out their monopods?

This one looks pretty decent for the price.
Click to expand...

Well it's Benro so I wouldn't doubt the quality of it, but that's a lot of clips to keep messing around with when you want to alter the height. It's not cheap and getting pretty close to the price of the Gitzo automatic 685B. Squeeze the trigger and pull it up or drop it down. Very fast in use.
 
Have a look at the Giotto's range www.giottos-tripods.co.uk I think the quality and value for money will impress you - i've certainly been impressed with it when ive seen it at shows and they really know what they're talking about. You can buy from UK retailers supported by a UK distibutor (same as Lowepro I think) which to me seems a 'safer' bet than dealing with an ebay retailer in HongKong
There's also some useful videos on the website to guide you through features, even one that talks about the difference between ball head and 3-way head.
 
Apparently Induro is the export/usa version of the Benro, with a much higher price tag! I have a Benro C168 and it's nice...not had a proper tripod though so not got anything to compare to, will whack up a review in a few weeks.
 
CT said:
Yep - we have two of these and they're wonderful.
Click to expand...

What sort of head do you use with these. I was originally thinking of going for a tripod with the Manfrotto 222 vertical pistol grip, but with this pod, that's not going to be so easy. :)
 
Striictly speaking you could get by without a head on this pod - you'd just lean the pod from the vertical if you wanted to shoot downwards. You don't need any pan facility as the three sections of the pod leg turn freely inside each other any way.

In the end though I got the Manfrotto #234 monopod head which is just a basic tilt head and pretty cheap, as it's more stable than leaning the pod past a certain point iof you want to shoot downwards. This head also adds virtually no weight or bulk to the monopod.

There's no reason why you can't put any head on it though - it has a screw for both head sizes. I've had the Manfrotto 393 gimbal on it with the 500mm although it's a bit dodgy getting it mounted on there. :D
 
It was more so the ability to front/back tilt and rotate the camera rather than pan, as you said, it's a monopod, it pans by its very nature. :)

I guess if I were using a longer lens like the 70-200VR or 300mm f/4 AF-S, I only really need front/back tilt as I can rotate with the tripod collar.

Thanks for the info CT :)
 
Manfrotto #234

I went for the 14 quid version without the QR plate. It's cast metal - good quality.

If you get the pod - when it comes tighten up the screw which holds the folding foot plate on the bottom. They're buggers for sending them out a bit loose.
 
ShawWellPete said:
So I could go for...

this and this

or

this and this

Or spend another £400 and get Gitzo legs with an expensive head? any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Well, as you know I've got the Benro C-257. I chose that one over the 4-section version as it's one less set of collars to fiddle with, but of course a bit longer when folded. Very nice balance of size/sturdiness and height, and very low weight. You can also get a limited range of Benro from this UK supplier http://www.photopal.co.uk/ Bit more expensive though.

Have a look at the B-2 head too, although they all seem quite similar. J-series are the top Benro heads, or at least the most expensive. Good review of ball heads here - in German, but you can make sense of it if you run a translation through babelfish.yahoo http://www.traumflieger.de/desktop/ballhead/ballheads.php

When funds allow, I plan to get a spare centre column and pop a Manfrotto 410 geared head on it, just to slot in for studio work. I actually get on very well with the J-2 ball head in just about every situation, but that geared jobbie is just so nice to use :)

While on the subject of geared heads, I got an email from the boss at Acratech who told me that they are planning to release a geared head of their own sometime this year, which sounds rather wonderful. All I know is that it will be lighter than the Manfrotto, and cheaper than the Arca Cube (not hard - that's $1,800 :lol: ).


CT said:
The offset centre column coupled with the ablity to splay the legs right down means you can do stuff like this...

2489275102_c6bda4ee83_o.jpg
Click to expand...

In all honesty, does anybody actually use a tripod like in that pic, apart from in advertisments? I can see the benefit of having legs that splay wide and low, but that angled column has got to be so unstable and makes the whole thing quite a lot heavier.
 
CT said:
The only thing I'd say is I'd go for twist lock legs every time - very fast and quiet in operation and they'll never work loose.

That ball head loooks very similar to one I have - I've no doubt it will be good quality.

If I was buying one from scratch today it would be a reallyrightstuff one I think - superbly engineered and just looks waaay sexy!
Click to expand...

Have you got a link? I can't find a supplier of really right stuff anywhere!
Do you mean their tripods or heads?

bostin said:
Have a look at the Giotto's range www.giottos-tripods.co.uk I think the quality and value for money will impress you - i've certainly been impressed with it when ive seen it at shows and they really know what they're talking about. You can buy from UK retailers supported by a UK distibutor (same as Lowepro I think) which to me seems a 'safer' bet than dealing with an ebay retailer in HongKong
There's also some useful videos on the website to guide you through features, even one that talks about the difference between ball head and 3-way head.
Click to expand...

That's a really useful link, thanks. How does Giottos compare in quality with the likes of Manfrotto, Gitzo , Induro or even the Chinese Benro?
 
That's a really useful link, thanks. How does Giottos compare in quality with the likes of Manfrotto, Gitzo , Induro or even the Chinese Benro?

In my opinion, they rate well - certainly on a par with Manfrotto and from what I saw a couple of years ago at the Photokina show in Cologne slightly up from Induro and Benro. Giotto's are a chinese manufactured brand like Benro and Induro - they just seem to me to be just a step ahead of the other chinese brands in terms of build quality.

I keep looking just can't decide which of the legs to go for, mind made up on the head though - the series 2 ball head that will hld 10kg is so smooth to use. I'll be back at Focus this year trying to decide which legs to go for.
 
ShawWellPete said:
Have you got a link? I can't find a supplier of really right stuff anywhere!
Do you mean their tripods or heads?
Click to expand...

RRS head is on the review link I posted earlier. I think it comes out top (but is heavy). The RRS tripod is new, not yet available I don't think, and very expensive.

That's a really useful link, thanks. How does Giottos compare in quality with the likes of Manfrotto, Gitzo , Induro or even the Chinese Benro?
Click to expand...

I've compared directly Gitzo, Benro, Manfrotto and Giottos. Induro = Benro.

Gitzo and Benro are in a class of their own. You can read and compare the specs for yourself but doing Hoppy's Secret Wobble Test side by side, these two are just more rigid with less flex in the platform particularly, and also the legs.

Manfrotto (who also own Gitzo) and Giottos are very good mind, no doubt about that. But they're not so well engineered.
 
HoppyUK said:
In all honesty, does anybody actually use a tripod like in that pic, apart from in advertisments?
Click to expand...
Perhaps not often, but yes.
 
HoppyUK said:
In all honesty, does anybody actually use a tripod like in that pic, apart from in advertisments? I can see the benefit of having legs that splay wide and low, but that angled column has got to be so unstable and makes the whole thing quite a lot heavier.
Click to expand...
I do Hoppy. That shot was just taken ages ago for demo purposes. If I was going to use it in anger I'd drop that centre column lower so that it was resting on the nearest leg- stable as you like.
 
I've compared directly Gitzo, Benro, Manfrotto and Giottos. Induro = Benro.

Gitzo and Benro are in a class of their own. You can read and compare the specs for yourself but doing Hoppy's Secret Wobble Test side by side, these two are just more rigid with less flex in the platform particularly, and also the legs.
Click to expand...

So it looks like I could do a lot worse than buying a Benro Carbon fibre tripod and ball head for less than £200... and maybe buy a panhead seperately.

I'm assuming the Benro has an offset rotating centre column?
 
Kaouthia said:
The Toyota & Lexus of the tripod world? :)
Click to expand...


Absolutely, Manfrotto = Toyota - number of rubber feet that fell off and clips that broke off my Manfrotto 190. At least Toyota got round to doing a recall to sort their problems.

Gitzo = Lexus - on the whole good kit.
 
HoppyUK said:
I've compared directly Gitzo, Benro, Manfrotto and Giottos. Induro = Benro.

Gitzo and Benro are in a class of their own. You can read and compare the specs for yourself but doing Hoppy's Secret Wobble Test side by side, these two are just more rigid with less flex in the platform particularly, and also the legs.

Manfrotto (who also own Gitzo) and Giottos are very good mind, no doubt about that. But they're not so well engineered.
Click to expand...


I had originally had similar views to you Hoppy on Benro, but this review put me off a bit, i know its a few years old but I wonder?

http://www.tomwebsterphoto.com/Essays/Benro/benroks2.htm
 
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