Tripod!! (2pics added)

[aster]

Enjoy!

And don't forget to tell us how you liked it? I does sound robust enough though...

Yildiz

[Birma]

Well done Bossel - I am sure I would have wasted a lot more time worrying about the decision . The 190 is a great set of legs and I think that ball head will be just the ticket. I look forward to hearing your user report when you get it .

At least once you have the legs and a head you can then continue to grow your tripod set up; a new head later, then may be some different legs. (You can often mix and match between manufacturers as well!) Then there are little add-ons like special feet and a bag or strap to carry it all. Anyone would think that people were trying to make money out of us poor photographers . I am ordering a new bag for my tripod since you started this thread and I started looking at tripod websites, gah!

[Javelin]

I have the 190 but it's an older version than what they are caling the 190 now. I like it but it's a bit heavy. I put the pistol grip on it and I have a pan head. I added spikes as well as a sandbag hook. The spikes help a lot on certain surfaces.

[bossel]

Got it! Internaltional shipping in 2 days, that was fast.

Feels well so far, but have no camera for testing nearby. Though I feel it won't struggle with my A700. Will let you know later

[PongoAlpha]

And the winner is .... Manfrotto 190XB with 484RC2 ballhead and 200PL quick release plate. Carries 5Kg, the head 4Kg.


Good choice Bossel I've just upgraded to the same tripod but with a Junior geared head, Tripod great, Junior Geared head seems like a mistake qiute heavy, So I bought myself a Gitzo Ball Head. My old Tripod was a 1970's BENBO (the bent bolt just gave up in the end) the Manfrotto is about half the weight.

[Dr. Harout]

Congratulations Thomas. Enjoy it.

[bossel]

I did some tests yesterdy (pics to follow). A Tripod is something really great!

The 190 is large enough when extended and feels sturdy. I am happy I choose a tripod with only 3 segments per leg! The 484 ballhead looks smaller than expected, but it does the job.

Concerning the load capacity: My heaviest lens is the 28-135, adding two TC brings me to a bit over 1KG. Absolutely no problem. I am confident that adding another 500g (for a 1.5Kg lens like 70-280 or 70-400) will be a non issue.

It's not too big and the height is enough for me. If I extend the mid section to it's max, I can't see through the vw anymore. However then sometimes I noticed a slight shake when pressing the shutter and I could see the difference between using the remote, 2s MLU or pressing the shutter. Anyway, I extend the midsection to about 40% for my size and things are fine.

[Dr. Harout]

There is an old rule for tripods: extend to the maximum and push it back by 3 fingers (or 2 )

[peterottaway]

Congratulations Bossel on your new purchase. I own both the Manfrotto 484RC2 and 488RC4 heads and the little 484 looks so tiny in comparison,but it quite capable of doing a good job with light/medium weight lenses in anything like normal conditions.

But under any conditions you have yourself identified the 3 most important things, use the MLU, use the MLU and use the MLU !

[bossel]

Two quickies from yesterday. I made exposures from 6-30 seconds These pictures are full of detail when watched at 100%!! Beercan, F6.3, ISO200.

n1.jpg (145.04 KiB) Viewed 5005 times

The castle is a bit blown out. I later switched to center-weighted metering and EC-1 but don't have the pics here...

n3.jpg (205.55 KiB) Viewed 5005 times

[aster]

Congratulations Bossel!

Very impressive photos. Now we have good reason to expect many good low-available-light photos of beautiful scenes!
And you are out of all excuses now equipmentwise..

Thanks for sharing the phases of your tripod purchase.

Yildiz

[Birma]

Glad that you're pleased with the new tripod Your camera and lenses deserve nothing less!

[Greg Beetham]

You need some sort of support for extended exposures like those night shots, also telephoto or panoramics that's for sure, so a good tripod will definitely come in handy..
BTW I was having a snoop through the Manfrotto site to see what's new and I found a long lens steady...looks interesting..
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/man ... 08&idx=113

I was originally looking for some sort of attachment/adapter for my superclamp I bought years ago http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/man ... =53&idx=54
(it's good for 2" rails) to mount a ballhead onto, my original idea was to use a short 195 adapter/spigot from the lighting side of things, a none too elegant solution, but it works.
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/man ... =39&idx=39

Greg

[Greg Beetham]

Looks like this one would be the ticket for attaching a ballhead to a superclamp.
Greg
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/man ... 08&idx=110

[HFnotts]

When buying a tripod it is essential to see and try a good selection. Most dealers don't carry a big range, especially of heads. You need to handle the way the legs extend because some are very awkward to operate quickly and, especially with cold hands!
Carbon fibre is lighter than conventional materials and to be considered if you will be carrying the tripod any distance. Some yuse tripod bags or slings to carry, I prefer to carry mine in the hand BUT have some foam wrapped around the carrying leg for cold weather.
Carbon fibre is more expensive but worth the investment.
Try the tripod for rigidity and bear in mind that wind can afect stability, expecially of lighter ones, so a hook on the centre column is good for adding a weight (camera bag).
Heads seem to be a personal preference - I use a pistol grip style one which can be operated one-handed very quickly and easily and does not creep.
If you can get to a show (like Focus on Imaging in the UK) there are several stands with many tripods which allow for a sensible assessment and judgement on the best to buy.