Photography Thailand Forum

[agitlits]

Hi. I was wondering if the knowldgeble members of this forum could give me some advice.

I've been using a fairly cheap but good tripod - Manfrotto 190 with 141RC head. I've taken it on a few trips to Thailand and I use tripod mostly for landscapes, not panning.

My next trip to Thailand is coming up in less than 2 months and taking advantage of strong Australian $ I was thinking to may be upgrade to a better tripod. Should I or should I not? Also I have poor knowledge of tripod and heads so if someone can recommend me a model, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Alex

[David Salmanowitz]

Alex--A good tripod and ball head can be invaluable. One can buy a cheap one but then when you end up replacing it as it seems to have done more harm than good to your photos better and cheaper to have gotten a good one in the 1st place. Gitzos have always been the gold standard in tripods (sure there are other ones as well), now Really Right Stuff is also making tripods that perhaps are even better. The lightest and most expensive are the ones made from carbon fiber. Buy a good one of these and you will have it forever. http://reallyrightstuff.com/tripods/index.html  I have had a RRS ball head for a few years now and it is superb.
David

[agitlits]

Thank David,

Looks like an interesting website. I agree with the 'buy once buy right' philosphy. Is there any particular model your could recommend? Thanks
Alex

[agitlits]

Perhaps I should add that the heaviest body lens combination I will be mounting is Nikon D200 with the 70-200 F2.8. Is my current tripod steady enough for this combination? Or is the model I use considered complete rubbish and I should get a gitzo?

Thanks

[David Salmanowitz]

Alex--See your current tripod has a weight limit of 5 kg. The camera and lens you mention probably have a weight in the vicinity of under 3 kg, so by specs you are ok. Then again with some companies specs are always beefed up. Not sure what the weight limit is with your ball head. Different factors come into play as in what you like to shoot. If you are into hiking long distance w/your gear then carbon fiber is great as it is much lighter. If you are just parking the car and not going far it is not needed. If it is for a home/studio go for a good heavy one, as it won't be going far. Never hear photographers complain "My tripod is too sturdy for the lenses I use". Rather too sturdy than not sturdy enough. One thing that will make a big difference with the lens you mentioned is a good lens support plate. This mounts on the bottom of the lens so you do not need to mount the camera on the tripod with a long lens, the lens goes on the tripod and balances the weight much better. Really Right Stuff makes very fine ones, and other companies sell them as well. BTW, I have no kickback from RRS, just think they make well engineered stuff.

[agitlits]

Thanks again David.
I will check out the link you posted.
Regards,
Alex

[Marc Schultz]

Alex, I always think heavy rather than light is good when it comes to tripods. There is of course a point where it can become too heavy to carry around all day though. So there is a comfort point you have to look for as well and everyone is different when it comes to dealing with weight on their shoulders.

But I have seen and heard many stories of cameras ending up on the ground from a short gust of wind with lightweight and carbon tripods. So it also depends if you are shooting outdoors, on top of mountains, etc. For landscapes, I would go for something heavier.

I was recently at B&H in NYC where they have the biggest selection of tripods on display I have ever seen and I was amazed how light some of the new carbon ones are from Gitzo. They are big and strong, and cost a ton, but the probably is they don't weigh a ton and that is not a good sign to me.

Some have hooks at the bottom of the center pole where you can hang your camera bag to add weight to the tripod once you have it setup. Those are great. It prevents you from having to put your camera bag on the ground and makes use of the weight of your bag at the same time. Also, I prefer something with quick release legs.

I have both a Gitzo and a Manfrotto and I have been using the Manfrotto 458B for a while because of its quick release legs. I am sure though they have a newer model already to replace the 458B as mine is 5 years old, but still looks brand new despite how much I have used it.

I also use this Manfrotto gear head and I love it. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I have been using it for about 5 years so I am quite fast and used to it now.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/124665-REG/Manfrotto_410_410_Junior_Geared_Head.html

They used to have a slightly smaller and less expensive model/version similar to this, but I don't see it listed anymore. Maybe its been discontinued.

I hope that helps...

[agitlits]

Thanks a lot, Mark. That's very useful info. I might upgrade my Manfrotto head.

Cheers

Alex

[Marc Schultz]

Sounds good Alex. I thought you were thinking more about getting a new tripod though?

By the way, I forgot to mention, I once caused myself tendentious in my forearm when I used to use my Gitzo tripod regularly. The locks sometimes get so tight that when unscrewing them it takes so much effort and I injured my forearm tendon. The injury went away after a few months, but I am not sure if they have improved yet on the screw locks or not. The key is not to tighten them so much to avoid having to use too much effort to loosen them again. Easier said than done though. Worth considering I guess.

[agitlits]

Hi Marc. Thanks for more info. Indeed initially I wanted to get a new tripod, a gitzo carbonfibre for lightweight travel and better stability than after reading your posts I realised that may be Manfrotto is not so bad. My 190 aluminium is quite stable. The head is a bit user unfriendly and worn out. I am tossing up between the 498RC2 head and the whole system you recommended. The 190 are good legs although I did have an episode when the lower section of one of the legs fell off due to a lose screw. It is ok now though.

Alex

[Marc Schultz]

Your welcome Alex. I do prefer Manfrotto tripods for some reason in general. All my light stands are Manfrotto too. Heads are just as important though. You need a good one that you are in tune with (or you could miss a fleeting moment) and if the one you have is user unfriendly, then I agree, you should replace it. Anyway, I think you have your eye on some good equipment there and hope you are happy with whatever you decide to buy. 

[David Salmanowitz]

Marc--I agree about having a heavy tripod for landscapes but if one is hiking a long distance still think carbon fiber is the way to go. Still around 4 maybe 5 pounds for a good strong carbon fiber one and that is w/o a ball head. The weight of all the camera gear and everything else adds up real quickly. I do agree Gitzo and others have some model carbon fiber tripods where the legs look like pencils, and those to me are just not stable enough.

Tendinitis in your forearm? You really must have tightened that CENSORED WORD. :-)

As far as the locking mechanisms on the Gitzo and other similar ones I guess I am just used to it and have no problem, but I do know one friend who hated the locking mechanisms and bought a tripod with quick release locks. I sort of recall reading Gitzo improved the locks in the last few years, but I could be wrong. I know they did go a few years back to a carbon fiber "weave" that was 6 times stronger I think.

Like you say, a good head that the user is comfortable with is just as important as the tripod.

[Marc Schultz]

Maybe part of the problem David is that my Gitzo is about 10 years old already. It is still solid as a rock, but as you said they might have improved on the twist locks by now so that people don't end up with tendinitis from it anymore :)

Mine is the old 1220 model. The one nice thing about it though is the removable rubber foot caps which reveal steel pointed tips that are great for digging into soft ground to secure a sturdy position when shooting outdoors. At this point though it has become my permanent studio stand for shooting objects from above and I in fact have a Manftotto horizontal 90 degree arm mounted to it. The Gitzo is heavier than the Manfrotto and, as a result, much better for cantilevering a camera from it for those shots of object below the camera. Another situation where a heavier tripod is also helpful to have.