Good or bad tripod choice (first time buyer)

[Dogwatch]

Head spinning with amount of choice available in tripods!! I mainly do landscapes with some stitching for panos so has to be reasonably compact/sturdy to strap to side of backpack and not too heavy!! After some consideration I think this one will do the job "MANFROTTO 190XPROB TRIPOD KIT C/W MN486RC2 HEAD" as it seems reasonably priced. Any opinions on this as a choice as I'm a bit aprehensive about forking out for a tripod and finding out I've made a bad choice.Any opinions gratefully recieved.John.

[Jon]

You'll want the 488RC2 head, especially since you stitch landscapes into panoramas. The 488 has a separate pan control so you won't need to readjust the ball head when moving on to the next shot in a series.

[clickcanon40]

That is a great tripod choice. I just recently got the 055xprob for my setup and i have loved it! Manfrotto is excellent in my opinion. (and i agree about using a pan/tilt head)

Just out of curiosity what model of camera are you using?

[SkipD]

Head spinning with amount of choice available in tripods!! I mainly do landscapes with some stitching for panos so has to be reasonably compact/sturdy to strap to side of backpack and not too heavy!! After some consideration I think this one will do the job "MANFROTTO 190XPROB TRIPOD KIT C/W MN486RC2 HEAD" as it seems reasonably priced. Any opinions on this as a choice as I'm a bit aprehensive about forking out for a tripod and finding out I've made a bad choice.Any opinions gratefully recieved.John.You will find that the 486RC2 will slip a little with the heavier lenses like the Canon 24-70 f/2.8L especially when you use the "portrait" position. The 488RC2 has a larger diameter ball and has enough "beef" to avoid slipping with weights on it that exceed the capability of the 486RC2.

In addition, of course, the 488RC2 has the separate pan release lever that you will find extremely handy on a tripod.

How tall are you? I am 5ft 10in tall and find the 190 series tripods (formerly known as the 3001 series in the U.S.) too short for me. I would have to extend the center column virtually every time I used a 190, and that is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Extending the center column reduces the rigidity of a tripod by a very significant amount. While there are situations that will require extending the center column, you really want a tripod that you can use 95% (or more) of the time without extending the center column.

It would be worth the effort to save for another month or two and get the one tripod that will take you for many years rather than spending most of the budget on something that you would be sorry you purchased later on. Many of us have purchased several tripods over the years until we finally found the combination that stops the buying.

For me, the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021BPro topped with a Manfrotto 488RC2 is that tripod for most of my work - including all of my field work. For field use, I carry my 3021BPro using a Manfrotto 3044 "Long Strap" (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5285-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_3044_3044_Long_Tripod_Carrying.htm l) and sling the tripod across my back. I can carry it quite far with comfort that way.

The 3021BPro has been replaced by the 055XProB.

[Dogwatch]

That is a great tripod choice. I just recently got the 055xprob for my setup and i have loved it! Manfrotto is excellent in my opinion. (and i agree about using a pan/tilt head)

Just out of curiosity what model of camera are you using?

Canon 30D :)


Thanks for the input folks,much appreciated.

Have decided on the 488RC2 head but not made my mind up on the legs yet.

Any more thoughts on the Manfrotto 055XPROB legs??

[Jon]

An outstanding choice.

[blackshadow]

I just bought the Manfrotto 055X Pro B + 488RC2 and am very impressed with it. I was considering the MANFROTTO 190XPROB TRIPOD KIT C/W MN486RC2 HEAD kit but when I actually looked at both side by side I knew I wouldn't be happy with the 190XPROB kit.

[RPCrowe]

Whatever head you choose, if it has a RC2 quick release you might benefit from using an accessory 3157NR - QK REL ARCHITECTL PLATE 1/4-20 (http://www.bogenimaging.us/code/bius/3157NR?product_from_search=true&productCode=3157NR&productDescription=3157NR - QK REL ARCHITECTL PLATE 1/4-20&curBrandId=MANFROTTO&product_from_search=true)

This plate has a "lip" at the front end which prevents the camera from rotating due to torque when it is in the portrait position.

The camera rotation, obviously, is no problem when you mount your camera/lens using a tripod ring. That way, the ring stays in one position and the lens is twisted to bring the camera to a portrait position.

However, when you have the camera mounted to the tripod head using the tripod mount female 1/4 20 fitting at the bottom of the camera body; the entire camera/lens will occasionally tend to twist due to the torque placed by the weight of the lens. This is especially noticeable when using a heavy lens such as the 24-70 f/2.8L or when using a 70-200mm f/4 lens without a tripod ring.

When I am shooting with a tripod, I will have the 3157 ANR mounted to the camera body and the standard issue plate mounted to the tripod ring of either my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens or my 400mm f/5.6L.

That way, I can change lenses and not have to replace the camera plate.

If I will be switching back and forth between the 70-200mm and the 400mm, I will have a plate mounted on each tripod ring. I know that I could switch the lenses by simply undoing the tripod ring, but I like having the two lenses each with their own tripod plate.

By the way, the lip on the 3157 ANR plate really works great when the camera is in the portrait position.

[clickcanon40]

The 055xprob is the way to go. I got mine a few days ago and I have no regrets. I am using a 40D and I love the setup!