Camera support time, Tripod and heads

I'm getting a TC/PC lens. Going for the long exposures. I want a Tripod and head combo that will work well for me. I currently have a Opteka(?) gimbal and some cheap old carbon fiber tripod. The tripod is old, hold a ton of weight and is a really great old sunpack. However it is jiggly. The gimbal head cannot lock. These would be bad for long exposures.

Other points:

Was eyeing these RRS BH 50 but that is a lot for a head.

How could I mount my D810 sideways?

Looking for:

-Locking rotational Axis.

-nice if it could hold a Telephoto lens and be used for bird in flight shots (Sigma 150-600mm weight)

Tripod

-sturdy

- light and compact as I hike

- I like macro so it be nice if I could use it for macro as well somehow.

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:

I'm getting a TC/PC lens. Going for the long exposures. I want a Tripod and head combo that will work well for me. I currently have a Opteka(?) gimbal and some cheap old carbon fiber tripod. The tripod is old, hold a ton of weight and is a really great old sunpack. However it is jiggly. The gimbal head cannot lock. These would be bad for long exposures.

Other points:

Was eyeing these RRS BH 50 but that is a lot for a head.

How could I mount my D810 sideways?

Looking for:

-Locking rotational Axis.

-nice if it could hold a Telephoto lens and be used for bird in flight shots (Sigma 150-600mm weight)

Tripod

-sturdy

- light and compact as I hike

- I like macro so it be nice if I could use it for macro as well somehow.

Click to expand...

For long exposures you don't want to go cheap for a head or you will be missing a lot of shots. From your list of requirements it sounds like you want a head that will do everything really well. You're not going to find it. BIF and Macro have completely different requirements for a tripod head.

You're best bet is to go with the RRS, spend the money on a quality head and then spend the money on a quality tripod. If you try and go cheap you will just end up looking for a new tripod or head in a short while and throwing good money after bad.

Bythom tripod and Ball Heads

I have to agree with Cloned... You want a tripod and head that are rock solid, otherwise you'll be frustrated, miss shots, and start looking for a replacement.

RRS makes great heads. Engineering and manufacturing are top notch, and it will serve you well for years. For BIF you can add a 'sidekick' that will turn your ball head into a gimbal.

DPR recently had a look at ballheads.

Yeah found that article today. Not sure why it did not come up on my phones initial google search. RRS is nice but I ponder how well it would work for birding as well.

What is a good Tripod? I know those gitzo or what have you carbon fiber is good but I'm not keen on spending $1000.

is there something almost as nice for $500 or so? Brand wise. RRS seems to be the brand I'll go with for head.

All ball heads the best for multi function aspects?

Three legged things look appealing aside form the god awful color jobs.

Is a Ballhead recommended for multirole or would a geared head be more advisable?

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:

I'm getting a TC/PC lens. Going for the long exposures. I want a Tripod and head combo that will work well for me. I currently have a Opteka(?) gimbal and some cheap old carbon fiber tripod. The tripod is old, hold a ton of weight and is a really great old sunpack. However it is jiggly. The gimbal head cannot lock. These would be bad for long exposures.

Other points:

Was eyeing these RRS BH 50 but that is a lot for a head.

How could I mount my D810 sideways?

Looking for:

-Locking rotational Axis.

-nice if it could hold a Telephoto lens and be used for bird in flight shots (Sigma 150-600mm weight)

Tripod

-sturdy

- light and compact as I hike

- I like macro so it be nice if I could use it for macro as well somehow.

Click to expand...

Looking into your list of requirements as stated above, plus taking into account your statement from your last answer that you are "not keen" to spend $1000 for tripod legs, I dare to state that you either have to lower your expectations regarding features and capabilities of such a setup or to increase your budget!

Rule No. 1: Considering stability, mobility and low cost for a tripod system you can have two of them but not all three of them at the same time!

Rule No. 2: Stability and mobility are "contrary" requirements for a tripod system and will require a compromise. The quality of the compromise is defined by the money you are willing to spend!

Rule No. 3: The first and foremost priority of a tripod system is to hold your gear safe and stable. To compromise this priority means to risk your gear and / or the image you want to take and that way you will render your setup obsolete.

Additionally it could make sense to keep in mind:

- there is not "the one setup" that will cover all shooting requirements! A ball head for example is most likely not the best solution for BIF, even with a Wimberley Sidekick, as the movements with such a setup will not be that smooth as with a high quality designated gimbal head!

- heavy camera setups, long focal lengths, BIF, long exposure, windy conditions, etc... all these conditions are even more demanding for tripod legs and tripod heads and will need even more stability!

- yes, you may find a setup in the $500 range, but more likely than not it will not fulfill all your requirements.

Have a look into brands like Sirui, Benro, Oben, Manfrotto and some other brands if you really want to go for a "midrange" cost solution.

Have a look into Gitzo (legs), RRS or FLM (legs and ball head) if you want to go for an expensive but high quality solution.

My personal recommendation: Either FLM or Gitzo legs combined with a FLM ball head for the standard shooting requirements and a good gimbal head if you really want to do BIF. Yes, such a setup will set you back around $1000, but such a setup is also an investment that will serve you for a long time and will be on par with your other gear where you also don't go for the "cheap" solution!

Saludos Herbert

Is any FLM product good? There are some $500 ones that looks to be a good mix of optimal.

Also, thank you for the write up. I appreciate the serious answer. I suppose I'll try for a RRS BH. Tripod I am still debating.

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:

Is any FLM product good? There are some $500 ones that looks to be a good mix of optimal.

Also, thank you for the write up. I appreciate the serious answer. I suppose I'll try for a RRS BH. Tripod I am still debating.

Click to expand...

With carrying a tripod for hours, I use a G1542T. But when I'm not carrying one far from the car I love using a Manfrotto 055CX . Under $500, very light for its size but rock stable. A BH-50 fits perfectly on it, but I use a BH-40. I've had a few <$300 Gitzo heads, in time they've failed (creep). I'm partial to RSS heads, but Kirk and Markins are also just as recommendable.

--
...Bob, NYC
.
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't." - Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobtullis/
http://www.bobtullis.com
.

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:

Is any FLM product good? There are some $500 ones that looks to be a good mix of optimal.

Also, thank you for the write up. I appreciate the serious answer. I suppose I'll try for a RRS BH. Tripod I am still debating.

Click to expand...

Nope, FLM products mean bad design, bad features, bad quality and they are totally overpriced...!

Seriously, I would not recommend this brand if I would not be convinced about its features and quality and if you read a little, for example in the "Accessories Talk" forum, you will potentially recognize that it's not just me thinking that way.

Personally I owe two FLM setups, means legs with ball head, and they play definitely in another class than for example Manfrotto or Sirui, at least based on my personal comparisons.

Also, you will not go wrong with a RRS ball head, but have a close look into the FLM ball heads before you do your decision. Have a look into these both reviews (the one you already received) and you will potentially recognize that it is not only and always a RRS ball head you can go for when you look for a high quality ball head.



Saludos Herbert

That 90 bar is pretty appealing. Are there others like that? Why gor short trips only?

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:

That 90 bar is pretty appealing. Are there others like that? Why gor short trips only?

Click to expand...

Gitzo offers an articulating column (mountaineer model, IIRC), may well be others.

Why short trips only with that tripod? I don't need that much weight support, not like when I bought it about 7-8 years ago. When carrying a tripod for hours. . . the G1542T is a more appropriate hiking/travel tripod IMO (even though it's 3/4 height). But with less leg sections and full height stability, I do prefer when I can utilize 055.

Here's an example from just the other night - the tripod set up as close to the edge here had the column centered over the coping stone of that platform, and the no parking sign below was clipped by the stone. No great tragedy, but setting the column horizontally I could put the camera just at the edge of that platform to get that f/g element completely depicted. Sure, I could have left the ledge, but wasn't sure about rats, and the ripp-rapp is bone-breaking slippery. Just didn't want to chance that - not while alone, anyway [g].





I don't do a lot of macro work, but the 055's column came in handy getting down low too.



--
...Bob, NYC
.
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't." - Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobtullis/
http://www.bobtullis.com
.

I looked into Gitzo with the 90 center pole. They make them for $800. It looks like i'll get those depending on how much money I have closer to Vacation. Exactly 2 months away now...

Whats up with L brackets?

How can I mount my camera sideways?

I have a D810 now, I suspect I'll need a battery grip. My pinkie hangs off the bottom of the grip which I hate.

The height of the tripod is the most important factor. If you have the center post all the way up it won't matter who made it or what it cost. For the last five years I've been using a very tall Benro aluminum item for about $180. Carbon fiber is available for more money. This with the very beefy Sirui is all the stability and smoothness you could ever want for 180-350 (legs) plus 166 (head.) Spend the rest of the money on a nice 24G.

But isn't carbon fiber the way to go for vibration reduction?

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:

But isn't carbon fiber the way to go for vibration reduction?

Click to expand...

Tripods have hanging hooks for a reason. CF can be made far lighter and does damp well. Wood's great, too, but you'd never hike with it.

If you are looking for max stability in your support one of the secrets for that is to add a heavy 4th leg - i.e., hang something heavy (like your photo pack) off the hanging hook and have it brush the ground. Drilling a hole in a boulder and mounting your ballhead on it is also great for vibration reduction. My point here is if you're mounting big heavy equipment on your support, your support needs to be more massive than the equipment. If you are trying to marry hikeability and stability that comes from using everything at your disposal, including lasheable anchor rocks at the scene.

An L bracket allows you to quickly release and replace the camera in portrait or landscape orientation. The alternative is a function in the tripod head to flip the base plate 90 degrees to the side. This moves the camera from the selected position and may/usually require re-aiming and re-locking in position. It also changes the balance and hangs the load off to the side of the center vertical axis and this can be a problem for some set-ups. For example, it was a massive problem on the old pistol grip squeeze lock head I had, making it almost impossible to use in portrait.

The L brackets are typically sized to be used either without battery grip or with battery grip, so if you swap grips on and off, you may need/want two brackets.

There is a third option but it tends to the bulky and studio applications but there are camera holders and/or flash brackets which have swivel attaching points which allow the camera in the bracket to be turned to the side while maintaining the same position on the stand/tripod.

Lucky me a Gitzo GT2541EX popped up on eBay. so I went and got that why not. I heard Gitzo can take polar bear attacks so. I am sure this is not the ultimate instability but it is a nice mix of everything I've been looking for.

Gitzo is damn well awesome!

Seems dated in age but not look. I guess I'd better perform some overhaul maintain on its leg locks.

Read this article first. It is so true.!!!


To rotate your d810, use an L bracket.

Add Markins to your ballhead list. For big lenses, ball head is no good. You will need Gimbal head. Wemberly is great.

Can't go wrong with Gitzo or RRS legs.

I use a 3 series Gitzo with ballhead (Markins) and Wemberly gimbal for D800e with lenses from 14mm to 600/f4. Expensive, but I do not expect to buy another support system in my life.