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Hello,

I'm about to go on a trip and was wondering whether my tripod is ok. It's a few years old but a fairly cheap one. Manfrotto 190 with 141 RC head. Very basic. I bought it a few years ago and it's been a good friend. It has travelled with me quite a lot, but I was wondering whether it's time to upgrade.

I do not use tripod for panning but mostly for landscape work. The heaviest combination I will be mounting on it is D200 with Nikkor 70-200VRI.

I don't know much about tripods at all so two things come to my mind:

1. Would my current tripod suffice?

2. If no to no. 1, what combination of legs/ head would one recommend. I guess I could spend up to about $700 or so may be a bit more.

Thanks

Alex

Alex, I am sure a lot of people will scream YES....but the 190 legs are a good set and if you wanted to save your cash for other bits and peices I would merely upgrade the head unit. A 498RC2 would be a nice replacement on a budget.

mm... maybe just add a nice monopod alongside 680B is awesome strong and sturdy.. and compact !

as for heads... +1 for 498RC2.

I also agree with the 498RC2, I have a 190xprob set of legs and I couldnt be happier can't imagine lugging anything heavier around to shoots ahaha

I suggest you should answer the question yourself.

Test your tripod with the D200 and the 70-200mm at 200mm, perhaps using a focusing target, at varying shutter speeds. Since you're testing the tripod and not the lens, probably use low ISO and f5.6 or f8. This may mean shooting at different times of day or varying the light intensity (if indoors). Also try using the shutter button, electronic release or self-timer, weighting the tripod and using mirror lockup to see what effect those have.

Then if you're concerned, perhaps you can borrow a better tripod to test on that and see what difference it makes. Maybe go into a store with your camera and a focusing target and test their tripods out.

Other people will have opinions but everyone's technique and therefore their results will vary anyway.

Thanks guys. I just ordered a 498RC2. Seems fairly inexpensive to give it a go.

Murray - I will give it a go.

Cheers

Alex

Alex wrote:Thanks guys. I just ordered a 498RC2. Seems fairly inexpensive to give it a go.

Where did you order it from? I am thinking of getting one as well....just waiting for my 322RC2 to break

i get away with a gitzo travel 3 section tripod its really small its not designed to carry a d3 with 70-200 but i use it anyway and i find it sturdy enough if your not extending it to its full length so something in between that and a normal sized tripod would suffice

benro and giottos carbon fibre makes are fine enough

i have a benro carbon fibre stanard 3 section tripod wit fat legs i have no idea what the product number is but its old and it works perfect if you want to buy it off me for microbucks id sell

I came across this today. It seems relevant to this discussion.
It is specifically about wildlife photography, but I think it is relevant to any shooting:

Do I Need a Tripod?
Yes, Yes, Yes. I know it's a hassle to carry a tripod and to set it up in the field. I also know that you are very steady when you shoot and can get a sharp shot at 1/15 of a second at 800mm but you still need a tripod or at the very least a monopod. When you are shooting wildlife you will usually be shooting at the furthest reach of your lens and you will get a higher keeper rate and sharper shots if you use a tripod. You should go for the best tripod you can afford. It's easier to go cheap on the glass than it is for a tripod and head. You can get good shots with cheap glass on a good tripod easier than you could with good glass on a cheap tripod.

from
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/Tutorials/Shooting-Tech-and-Tips/Wildlife-Photography/1958634_Eqmz8
(My italics BTW)

There is also Thom Hogan's excellent article
http://bythom.com/support.htm

As to whether your current system is OK, the simple answer is to look at your photographs. Are you happy with their sharpness? If yes, then it is fine. If no then then answer is probably no, though other factors may be in play.

aim54x wrote:

Alex wrote:Thanks guys. I just ordered a 498RC2. Seems fairly inexpensive to give it a go.

Where did you order it from? I am thinking of getting one as well....just waiting for my 322RC2 to break

Hey. I bought one through ebay through some HK based seller for AUD 139. It said had 8 available still...

Alex

wendellt wrote:i get away with a gitzo travel 3 section tripod its really small its not designed to carry a d3 with 70-200 but i use it anyway and i find it sturdy enough if your not extending it to its full length so something in between that and a normal sized tripod would suffice

benro and giottos carbon fibre makes are fine enough

i have a benro carbon fibre stanard 3 section tripod wit fat legs i have no idea what the product number is but its old and it works perfect if you want to buy it off me for microbucks id sell

Thanks a lot Wendell. Would have bought it but ordered the new head for my Manfrotto already so no need for now.
Thanks

Alex

Mr Darcy wrote:I came across this today. It seems relevant to this discussion.
It is specifically about wildlife photography, but I think it is relevant to any shooting:

Do I Need a Tripod?
Yes, Yes, Yes. I know it's a hassle to carry a tripod and to set it up in the field. I also know that you are very steady when you shoot and can get a sharp shot at 1/15 of a second at 800mm but you still need a tripod or at the very least a monopod. When you are shooting wildlife you will usually be shooting at the furthest reach of your lens and you will get a higher keeper rate and sharper shots if you use a tripod. You should go for the best tripod you can afford. It's easier to go cheap on the glass than it is for a tripod and head. You can get good shots with cheap glass on a good tripod easier than you could with good glass on a cheap tripod.

from
http://dgrin.smugmug.com/Tutorials/Shooting-Tech-and-Tips/Wildlife-Photography/1958634_Eqmz8
(My italics BTW)

There is also Thom Hogan's excellent article
http://bythom.com/support.htm

As to whether your current system is OK, the simple answer is to look at your photographs. Are you happy with their sharpness? If yes, then it is fine. If no then then answer is probably no, though other factors may be in play.

Thanks a lot for the useful links!
Alex

A DEFINITELY YES! YOU SHOULD GET A BETTER TRIPOD..

but we would have a cheaper deal here in aus, instead of ebay in HK..rite? and we can even save the cost of delivery...

I have been rethinking this.
I tend to agree with Cameron. Keep the legs, but upgrade the head.

My suggestion would be to go with the top of the market and get an RRS Ballhead. While this would blow most, if not all of your budget, if you ever decide to upgrade the legs, you will already have the head to suit. You will also need to add plates to all your camera gear.

WHen I first got my RRS head, I had it mounted on a 30 year old Velbon. It improved things a treat. Basically, it meant the difference between using the tripod & leaving it in the car because it was just too difficult to deal with.
I have an LPlate on my camera (D200) and it is so unobtrusive, I forget its there except when I need it. I had played with other plates before (I went down Thom's $1700 route!), but found them a pain, so left them off most of the time. With the RRS system, My tripod gets a lot more use & my photos have improved with it.

I have just ordered my second Gitzo Tripod, and yes, a new RRS head to go with it. I have even ordered a plate for my LX5. Not an L Plate though. They don't make them for it.

Thanks Greg. I may have to buy the RRS head and L-plates. I will see what the manfrotto head that I just ordered does for or to my system.

Thanks again for Thom's link. It was an interesting read.

Alex

Mr Darcy wrote:I have been rethinking this.
I tend to agree with Cameron. Keep the legs, but upgrade the head.

My suggestion would be to go with the top of the market and get an RRS Ballhead. While this would blow most, if not all of your budget, if you ever decide to upgrade the legs, you will already have the head to suit. You will also need to add plates to all your camera gear.

WHen I first got my RRS head, I had it mounted on a 30 year old Velbon. It improved things a treat. Basically, it meant the difference between using the tripod & leaving it in the car because it was just too difficult to deal with.
I have an LPlate on my camera (D200) and it is so unobtrusive, I forget its there except when I need it. I had played with other plates before (I went down Thom's $1700 route!), but found them a pain, so left them off most of the time. With the RRS system, My tripod gets a lot more use & my photos have improved with it.

I have just ordered my second Gitzo Tripod, and yes, a new RRS head to go with it. I have even ordered a plate for my LX5. Not an L Plate though. They don't make them for it.

There are also a few alternatives to the RRS ballhead that should be the same level of quality. The RRS ballhead is $455. I got an =Arca-Swiss Z1 from Adorama. Markins are also equivalent quality. Another option is the Acratech, weird but flexible though not as capable for very large lenses. The Arca-Swiss, Markins and Acratech are all around $400, though Adorama currently has an Arca-Swiss second hand for $250. The prices are for the equivalent top models, models with screw clamps are somewhat cheaper than lever clamps and Markins also has smaller ones from $310. Prices do not include freight and are in $US. Another option that I infer from some posts that appear credible on other Fora is Photo Clam, a Korean manufacturer like Markins. Their ballheads range from $140 to $370 including freight. I would think no risk with RRS, Arca-Swiss, Markins or AcraTech; perhaps some risk with Photo Clam.

All these ballheads use the Arca-Swiss standard which is not compatible with any of the Manfrotto clamp systems (they have about 5!). The Arca Swiss standard is also somewhat of a misnomer because RRS and Kirk mounts are somewhat wider and with a different bevel angle. Acratech is similar to Arca-Swiss and I think Markins to RRS. However, I have found that I can mount an RRS-sized rail on my Arca-Swiss lever head without needing to adjust the gap so the difference probably doesn't matter too much in most circumstances.

You can also pick up third-party plates much more cheaply on EBay and I presume these would be fine. I also picked up some extra clamps from Chinese manufacturer SunwayFoto that seem fine (same size and bevel as Arca-Swiss).

Not all ball heads are worth purchasing, however. Gitzo is a case in point. They make great tripods but deficient ball heads.

Greg, the adjustable Arca Swiss L bracket I am getting would fit your LX5 as well as your DSLRs. (There are two models; the relevant one is the one at the bottom of the page). However, it's much more expensive than a dedicated LX5 one would be and if you have a lever clamp, the mount would be narrower than the RRS ones which might be a problem. I can show you when it finally turns up.

(Phew. My PC crashed but this post was still there on reboot).

On the other hand, Alex, the Manfrotto 392RC2 has a reasonable reputation and you may find it is all you need. (I probably wouldn't have written such a detailed reply if I'd first realised you have it on the way).

That is a very good price for the 498RC2 Alex. I will keep it in mind if I am going to get one of these and am no longer working in the photo channel.

The Markins/RRS are really nice and tempting to me. Thank god that although I seem to be taking the exy route in Thoms description I have been on the receiving end of some real generosity from my workplaces and suppliers.

Of course! U MUST get one

Actually, every DSLR user should have one, it is the basic equipment!

Even though a Manfrotto is on the way, I'll add an endorsement for Markins.

I've got a Markins Q3 on my lightweight tripod. It has been to hell and back, dropped down a waterfall, buried in sand in a sandstorm on top of a dune, been into the sea, on granite sands etc. It has gotten 'crunchy' but it has never stopped working.

Entirely recommended. The M10 and M20 are just as good. Bullet-proof.

Michael

Thanks again for all the help and advice. Can L-plate be fitted with the vertical grip attached to a camera?

Alex

Alex wrote:Thanks again for all the help and advice. Can L-plate be fitted with the vertical grip attached to a camera?

Alex

I have RRS gear. With these, you specify whether you want one for camera with grip or without.
e.g. I have a D200. Without grip I would order BD2-L If I wanted one for use with the grip, I would order BMBD200-L

Not sure how other brands deal with the issue.

photohiker wrote:Even though a Manfrotto is on the way, I'll add an endorsement for Markins.

I've got a Markins Q3 on my lightweight tripod. It has been to hell and back, dropped down a waterfall, buried in sand in a sandstorm on top of a dune, been into the sea, on granite sands etc. It has gotten 'crunchy' but it has never stopped working.

Entirely recommended. The M10 and M20 are just as good. Bullet-proof.

Michael

Michael...just a quick question. Where do you buy your Markins from?

I am also looking at getting a new tripod ... so this is a timely topic

I do not think I can afford carbon fibre legs, and I am looking at something taller, as I am 6'4". What do people think of the Manfrotto 055XPROB legs? I don't really have enough $$$ for any of the plate type heads / fittings either ...

Looking around, I can get Manfrotto 055XPROB legs, the 498RC2 head, and 80cm manfrotto bag for $455 from Quality Camera Sales (in Australia), or around $440 from the USA (BH Photo, Adorama etc - including postage - gee what a killer that is from the States), or $350 on ebay from HK - with no bag.

What do people think of this combo?

Yes! I am a slow learner, but quality and good
design should never to be compromised.

You should have the best tripod you can afford.
Think of the value of the equipment is going to
support.

The best one I’ve ever seen is not even a well
known brand and this photographer was able to
handle it with one hand.

A click of the finger and the thing opened and
spread itself. It was reasonably heavy, but sturdy.
It could be lowered almost to the floor and support
heavy equipment. No, I am sorry I was too stupid
to ask for the brand and this man has not returned
to the club, but he told us he has had the gadget
for many years.

aim54x wrote:

photohiker wrote:Even though a Manfrotto is on the way, I'll add an endorsement for Markins.

I've got a Markins Q3 on my lightweight tripod. It has been to hell and back, dropped down a waterfall, buried in sand in a sandstorm on top of a dune, been into the sea, on granite sands etc. It has gotten 'crunchy' but it has never stopped working.

Entirely recommended. The M10 and M20 are just as good. Bullet-proof.

Michael

Michael...just a quick question. Where do you buy your Markins from?

Hey aim54x, sorry I missed your Q.

I bought mine a couple of years ago direct from Korea via the online shop: http://www.markins.com/2.0/eng/online.html

Good service there.

Oh, and the reason I missed your question? I was burying the Q3 in another sandstorm (youtube)

Michael