Alternatives to the Manfrotto 055XPROB?

Ah I see. It doesn't seem that BH carries that one.

Hi again,

I managed to have a play with the 055XPROB and Giottos MTL9351B, now the Giottos looks more flexible with its arm, but the PROB legs go literally to the floor (well maybe a cm or two over but close enough).

The Ran, does the angle you're working at cause any issues because it looks higher than I would imagine the prob is.

BTW I almost got the Giottos today but misjudged the weight of my kit and they didn't have the 9361B in stock

I've not had a problem with it. It probably is a little higher than the PROB with the centre column horizontal, however that is it's limit where as the Giottos can go even lower as long as you don't need the camera completely level (I never had when that down low) and if you really must do that turning it upside down is always an option. It's also handy for going above horizontal which I didn't show in the photos, for example it allows you to adjust the height without fiddling with the legs whilst still moving the camera closer to the subject.

EDIT: Here's an example of what I mean if it wasn't clear. The subject to be photographed is the purple flannel on the kitchen side.

This is a representation of using one of the Mannys, you can only have the centre column horizontal. Because of this I had to extend the legs, however at full extension it's a little high so I would need to play about with them to get the height right.

John_N wrote in post #13014949
I was just looking for alternatives - not ruling it out - as it turns out I may well go for the Giottos MTL9361B from what I have seen, just trying to see if there is any particular head that would go well for birds in flight now.

look here at Jacobs its reduced, not as cheap as it was before xmas but still a saving
http://www.jacobsdigit​al.co.uk …2dcf309e2e1f069​68ce4a5384

also calumet have the 55prob & head on offer of £135 then £20 cashback

Ah, thanks for the update The Ran, skiwhiz - I'll probably jut get the legs as I've a couple of RedSnapper heads and they seem okay (although I've not really tried out any other makes).

All I need to do now is get a second hand one cheap (I've a wanted up at the moment), or wait a few days and just buy it new, knowing me I'll order it tomorrow!

haha, even less patient!!

My wife kindly gave me a £10 voucher for Amazon and I spotted the Giottos MTL9351B for £80, so got it for £70, not a bad deal I thought.

I was holding out for the Giottos MTL9361B, but had a quick look at lens weights and I only would have to worry if i got a 400mm IS 2.8 or 600mm or some such and a over £8000 I really wont care if I have to get a new tripod!!

Thank you all for your help

Sounds like a good deal to me, I hope you enjoy it You could also stick a photo in here when it comes: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=147450

A little tip for quick and precise positioning when doing macros, undo both centre column control knobs, centre column rotation lock, as well as the ballhead release and just grab the camera and position it where needed, you'll basically have unrestricted movement. I then prefer to do the tilt knob up first so I'm not completely supporting the weight, then the rise, and finally the ballhead when you have positioned it precisely. I never actually do up the rotation lock all the way, just enough so there's friction so it won't swing if anything is unbalanced, plus it's easier for panning than unlocking the ballhead as mine doesn't have a separate pan lock.