Camera Tripod options

The ballheads allow full freedom of movement so you can easily orient the camera and lock in position. The RRS BH-55 has the added bonus of a tension adjustment so you can maintain the ball in an adjustable state that can be still moved to a different position without loosening anything (hmmm, I hope that makes sense).

A pan/tilt head lets you move in one plan at a time, lock position and then move in the other plan.

Quality and (as Steve mentioned) load capacity is very important with a ballhead.

The other item that is well worth using with a tripod clamp is an L-bracket on the camera as this makes shifting the camera from portrait to landscape mode very simple.

The Really Right Stuff site has a lot of useful information. Naturally they reference their products but a lot of it is applicable to much more when selecting and using photographic equipment.

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Originally Posted by stooge

I would of thought pan-tilt gives you more control over pitch etc, ball ones being to free.

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I have a pan-tilt head at the moment, and I don't really have a problem with it. Bang for buck, its very very good. It takes a little longer to compose a shot, and there are some limitations about how you can position it, but it works very well.

The ball heads are faster and easier to set, and a lot lighter. I will buy an Arca Swiss one day when i find a good one second hand, but for me it isn't worth it now.

Had a bit of a walk around camera shops today, and frankly im still confused. I have looked at the 'cheaper' Velbon Sherpa series, the 600r and 750r actually look very good and solid. The only draw back is that the legs/head are a single unit. But for $240ish, why would I spend another $160 for a 'frotto' equivalent?

I also gotta consider that I have limitted budget, so prefer the spend the extra on filters, for example. Thoughts?

That one drawback is the key to the whole thing. Being able to replace the head means you can update the equipment if required.

There's nothing wrong with Velbon tripods and you can find the equivalent in Manfrotto's range to what you looked at. The 600R would be the better as a geared centre column isn't going to offer anything except a handle to get in the road. You should try and avoid using the centre column to gain extra height anyway.

At the end of the day though the best advice is still: If you can't afford a suitable tripod, don't buy one. You'll only end up buying something to replace it later on.

Early on I made the mistake of buying a tripod with a geared column and fixed head and it was a pain. I replaced this with a bargain priced Manfrotto without considering that it too had a fixed head. The 055MF3 that I now have has been fantastic and I really can't see me buying something to replace it for a long while, my only regret is I should have bought this in the first place and not wasted the other money on two cheap options.

Another good brand which are pretty much a Chinese clone of the Gitzo range are the Benro tripods.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stooge

Had a bit of a walk around camera shops today, and frankly im still confused. I have looked at the 'cheaper' Velbon Sherpa series, the 600r and 750r actually look very good and solid. The only draw back is that the legs/head are a single unit. But for $240ish, why would I spend another $160 for a 'frotto' equivalent?

I also gotta consider that I have limitted budget, so prefer the spend the extra on filters, for example. Thoughts?

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I bought a cheaper tripod when I first got my D70.. I thought that there was something wrong with it as the pictures were never sharp. It wasn't until I got my 455 that I realised there was so much more clarity the camera!

Go the shop and ask for a big DSLR with a nice long heavy lens (don't cheat and use a tripod collar ;) set it up on the tripod.. look through the eye piece and tap the end of the lens.

If you have movement in the image, the tripod won't work properly. You would be really surprised how many tripods will smudge the image just by the pressure of your finger on the shutter. (even my 455proB and monster 029 head does this a little when its not mounted on firm ground). A remote / 2 sec timer will allow you to minimize this - but the shutter movement will blur it a little too.

For $240ish you should be able to pick up a good second hand frotto 055 or 455 (that is what I paid for mine) second hand on ebay or in the photographic trader.

On Ball Heads, check out the Markins Q3. Direct import from Korea for just over $300. Its so incredibility smooth and will take almost any lens. I have it on a Gitzo GM5561 Monopod also purchased directly from Korea. They were excellent to deal with.
Its often rated better than all other ball heads available, but no so common in Australia. Have a look if your up this end of the state.
Greg

Thanks again... I agree with the fixed head not being a good idea. Ill check for the second hand market too. Damn its so tricky, I certainly DONT want to be buying twice!

So what is the Berno equivalent to the 055?

Would it be an A-650EX+BH-2 for example? They look the goods for the price.