Anyone heard or used these

[dullbird]

Fancier FT-6663H Pro Fluid Drag Ball head for bogen - eBay Heads Legs, Tripods, Tripods Supports, Cameras Photo. (end time 09-Jan-09 11:07:51 AEDST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fancier-FT-6663H-Pro-Fluid-Drag-Ball-head-for-bogen_W0QQitemZ190251194964QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3009 5QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l126 2)


Only reason I ask is I'm intending on getting a tripod very soon which will be a leg and head package with a 3 way pan head


but i was just looking over ebay and found this ball head....i thought when looking at the pics futher down that the unit looked quite well built so was wondering whether anyone has heard of them or even used one that could contribute to this thread:)....

my first thought was ewwww its a bit cheap in proce maybe its crap.
but then I looked and thought it looks reasonably well built.. and I looked again and noticed its coming from korea and though maybe thats why its cheap in price

[dullbird]

he also does these which I think look like a nice and tidy idea

Camera/Grip/Lens stand for Manfrotto/Gitzo tripod head - eBay, Accessories, Tripods Supports, Cameras Photo. (end time 08-Jan-09 01:27:05 AEDST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Camera-Grip-Lens-stand-for-Manfrotto-Gitzo-tripod-head_W0QQitemZ190277266313QQcmdZViewItemQQptZTripo ds_Monopods?hash=item190277266313&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177)

[discofred]

Any good tripod is a must of course, but a small sand bag "bean bag" is often handy to rest camera on almost anything, bonnet, post, rock etc.

[dmdigital]

As for the stand look at Cam-pod - bean bag is much more versatile and this one can be washed, go through quarantine etc. Cam-Pod? - The versatile camera bean bag (http://www.cam-pod.com)

Be careful with the fluid head if they fail they can be costly to repair. Don't know anything of this one. Have you looked at RRS yet:twisted:

[dullbird]

derek I cant afford that sort of stuff......i'm just looking for cost effective.

the idea was to just have another head on the sidelines like this one.

whats your ball head if not fluid?

As for the bean bag I'm just not sure seems alot of bloody money for a rectangular bag with some beans/beads in it feels like your getting ripped off..........I would of thought anyone could make one if they had a sewing machine

[dmdigital]

derek I cant afford that sort of stuff......i'm just looking for cost effective.

the idea was to just have another head on the sidelines like this one.

whats your ball head if not fluid?

As for the bean bag I'm just not sure seems alot of bloody money for a rectangular bag with some beans/beads in it feels like your getting ripped off..........I would of thought anyone could make one if they had a sewing machine
RRS :angel::angel::angel:

My ball head is the RRS BH-55 and it is a ball in a neoprene lined cup. Whist you may not want to spend the $'s on any RRS gear I do suggest visiting their site and downloading their catalogue as both have a lot of useful information that applies to all similar equipment. I'll dig out some more info from when I went through all this and post it up.

For the bean bag, yes, you could easily make one. I can even send you pic's of mine. But that is definitely the way to go over that other stand, way more options in setting the camera up and also useful for transporting gear as extra padding. I also suggested it because its made in Sydney.

[dullbird]

I never intended o by the stand I just posted it up because I thought it looked quite neat and tidy.....the guy that sells this stuff on ebay is in the states I think and he has got some quite interesting stuff...to note: he looks like he sells a fiar bit of professional equipment.

thats why I wondered whether or not that head was any good

[dmdigital]

Like I said, haven't heard of Fancier, but that's not to say they aren't any good, just I don't know. It does seem a very cheap price for a descent BH though also the 6663 model only has a load capacity of 4kg's - that's about the sum of D80 + 70-200+SB-800. The 6664 model would be better with a 6kg capacity. My RRS has a load capacity of 23kg's (hmmm maybe a little overkill) but you should always work well over the equipment weight as the limit.

If it was me I'd look for a better one as looking at the pic's it doesn't look that greater quality. It also looks like a cheap copy of a Kirk BH and it has a load capacity of 6kg's in the smaller version and 23kg's for the larger one. Even more so than the tripod the mounting system you choose can last a life time. If you look through the RRS site about brackets and options you'll see how things fit together. Also all the top brands will often align the mounting systems to work with each others.

Powers gone off so I'll have to go :eek:

[dmdigital]

Ooooo :) post got through before power went out. Strange cause the UPS caught everything but the internet went down, so I suspect the exchange didn't switch over to backup power immediately.

Anyway back up now and generator is off until the next time. Hope the info helps Lou.

[matbor]

I have manfrotto legs with a Gitzo ball head, that seems to work. The Gitzo legs where tooooo expensive, but the ball head is fantastic, not as good as the RRS ones, but it is small and light for travel, carried it all over Cambodia and Thailand.

I would highly recommend getting longer legs on a tripod, like eye level size, it is more stable ! That is the thing I'll do next time.

[dmdigital]

I would highly recommend getting longer legs on a tripod, like eye level size, it is more stable ! That is the thing I'll do next time.

DB's going to need one the height of the Eiffel Tower :eek: :wasntme:


Seriously though good point, don't even think about using the centre column seriously to raise the camera higher.

[matbor]

DB's going to need one the height of the Eiffel Tower :eek: :wasntme:


Seriously though good point, don't even think about using the centre column seriously to raise the camera higher.


LOL

I learnt that the hard way! or is it the expensive way!

[dullbird]

then I guess I will just have to bend down........I use my centre column now on my **** tripod (only with my short lense on mind) and is fairly stable not something I would do with my big lense but I wouldn't hesitate to use the column with my small one.....it would be a hell of a lot more stable than the one I have.

saying that though I dont leave the tripod when I use it

the cost of the 055xprob is my limit...I cant afford anything else!! so bad back it is

[dmdigital]

Lou, the 055 series are are very reasonable tripods. Mine's an 055MF3 and I'm more than happy with it. I don't know if you saw the tripod bag, I have the genuine Manfrotto and its very good. From memory it was about $45.

One thing make sure you get a 3 piece leg tripod as this is significantly more stable than the 4 piece ones.