Again in for a tripod

Hey guys

I was at a local big electronic market, and was searching a tripod as a gift for the girlfriends sister. Came up with a great deal for a benro and took it. As far as ive looked at it and tried out in the shop i have to say its great for 50$ apart from one plasticky knob but for her old nikon and a small lens it will be more than enough. I almost bought a second one for myself, as im okay with my cheap tripod but i want something better i feel. The head is terrible and while not a big issue im affraid of all that fiddling.

However i was looking further and discovered a manfrotto which felt very good. Its the compact advanced with a 3W head:

http://www.manfrotto.c​h …et%2C_3W-Neiger_%2BTasche

It feels sturdy, is light and seems to hold well a 6D with a 24TSEii.
However i still have spent grands on my equippment and i want good stuff.

What do you guys think of it? For the price it sounds good but i have questions if it is worth it and if it can go low enough. How low can it go? I think its not very big but i prefer anyway shots from lower down and since im fit i have no problems to kneel or even lay on the ground. What do you think?

Thanks in advance

I have to say that, with the very nice gear you have, you haven't yet bought a good tripod and that you would be content with this one. If you buy that little Manfrotto, you will either buy another more expensive one soon or convince yourself that tripods are awful and refuse to use one again.

There are good Manfrottos (the 055 series in either aluminum or CF are solid professional workhorses) but no good Manfrotto ball heads. And the pan-tilt (read 3D) heads are clumsy and slow. Sirui makes good ball heads that are relatively inexpensive. My rig is a Manfrotto 055 PROB with a Sirui K30x ball head. You can buy that for about $300 (less if you can buy used). If you spend less you will get gear that just doesn't work right. Whatever you buy, make sure the head uses an Arca-Swiss compatible quick release.

The center column of the Manfrotto 055 tripods can be removed and mounted horizontally which will allow you to get quite low and in some really unusual positions.

rgs wrote in post #17149128
My rig is a Manfrotto 055 PROB with a Sirui K30x ball head.

Me too. Works well.

Holy the 055 PROB weights 2.5kg!

I need something light because i almost only use tripods while travelling.. Also why do you find the 3D head slow? What does slow mean? I am not a professional photographer and i have enough time to fiddle. I just want to fiddle less than before, i mean you wouldnt believe what a tripod i use now! Dont you think the manfrotto might be enough for soneone using a tripod only ocassionaly? Because it felt built very nice and i somehow liked the head with the two panning levers..

David,
Trust RGS! I am not a pro myself and I have similar gear to yours. After watching people in various situations take extended amounts of time to setup for a shot and miss it, seeing a 5d mkIII and several other camera makes and models come crashing to the ground. I went out and spent the money on a Sirui CF tripod with a Sirui ball head. This setup is light ( at least very manageable), easy to use, and it gives me comfort knowing my gear is safe sitting on that setup.

davidfarina wrote in post #17149562
Holy the 055 PROB weights 2.5kg!

I need something light because i almost only use tripods while travelling.. Also why do you find the 3D head slow? What does slow mean? I am not a professional photographer and i have enough time to fiddle. I just want to fiddle less than before, i mean you wouldnt believe what a tripod i use now! Dont you think the manfrotto might be enough for soneone using a tripod only ocassionaly? Because it felt built very nice and i somehow liked the head with the two panning levers..

Then get a carbon fiber one. It's about $200 more but very light and more vibration resistant than metal. All that good, expensive glass you have deserves a good tripod.

Each to his own, of course, but a good tripod will get used more because it's easier to work with. With a tripod, your work will be sharper, you can choose your apertures for their photographic effect without being concerned with shutter speed, you can slow the shutter down for slow speed effects, and you will no longer need to use higher, nosier ISOs just to get the shutter fast enough. All this will cause a marked improvement in your work. And the tripod enforces a kind of framing discipline that makes your work more careful and thoughtful.

A pan/tilt head only allows you to move one axis at a time so they are slow and fiddly to work with. They are (a good one anyway) quite precise though. A ball head allows you to adjust much like you do hand held. You just take the camera and move it however you want. And most will allow you to adjust the tension on the ball so the camera will stay where you put it but can be easily moved without loosening the ball. And when you want to really lock it down, that's just one adjustment.

David. With a similar camera gear line up like yours, I was looking for a small,light compact travel tripod without sacrificing stability while overseas.
Nothing will be cheap price wise, not with the gear you have.
However a fair priced option that I bought was the MeFoto Globetrotter CF.

http://www.mefoto.com/​products/globetrotter.​aspx

Took this to Paris and Dublin and supported the Mark III Gripped with any lens I chose to use.

Also look into grabbing a cable release as well.

Just another option.

davidfarina wrote in post #17148742
Hey guys

I was at a local big electronic market, and was searching a tripod as a gift for the girlfriends sister. Came up with a great deal for a benro and took it. As far as ive looked at it and tried out in the shop i have to say its great for 50$ apart from one plasticky knob but for her old nikon and a small lens it will be more than enough. I almost bought a second one for myself, as im okay with my cheap tripod but i want something better i feel. The head is terrible and while not a big issue im affraid of all that fiddling.

However i was looking further and discovered a manfrotto which felt very good. Its the compact advanced with a 3W head:

http://www.manfrotto.c​h …et%2C_3W-Neiger_%2BTasche

It feels sturdy, is light and seems to hold well a 6D with a 24TSEii.
However i still have spent grands on my equippment and i want good stuff.

What do you guys think of it? For the price it sounds good but i have questions if it is worth it and if it can go low enough. How low can it go? I think its not very big but i prefer anyway shots from lower down and since im fit i have no problems to kneel or even lay on the ground. What do you think?

Thanks in advance

I own 2 tripods, one manfrotto and one Induro, needless to say the Induro tripod is much much better.
I regret ever buying the manfrotto and refuse to buy any of there equipment in the future.
The manfrotto isn't sturdy, and the RC 2 quick connect is loose.
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=usCPcjgts2M

Farmer

I also have a meFoto traveler, though in aluminum rather than CF, and really like it. My non-travel tripod is a Giottos, which is also a good mid-range brand. They try to look like Gitzo, but don't perform like it (nor do they cost like a Gitzo).

farmer1957 wrote in post #17149823
I own 2 tripods, one manfrotto and one Induro, needless to say the Induro tripod is much much better.
I regret ever buying the manfrotto and refuse to buy any of there equipment in the future.
The manfrotto isn't sturdy, and the RC 2 quick connect is loose.
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=usCPcjgts2M

Farmer

Which Manfrotto? There are MANY models and some are what you described. However, lumping a cheap box store type Manfrotto in with their 055 series (or their heavier dolly mounted studio types) is short sighted. The 055 series are solid tripods that have been made for 40+ years (originally as the the Bogan 3020). They have been the choice of many professionals over the years. Anyone here remember the ads with Lester Bogan sitting on one of them? The Induro, and many other good tripods, are merely variations on the old Bogan independent leg design design. Manfrotto's problem is that they make too many tripods at too many, mostly cheaper, price points. The 055 is NOT what you say. The RC2 QR is though. The only Manfrotto QR that is any good is the one with large hex plate which they don't use much anymore.

Count me among those who are less than thrilled with Manfrotto's RC2 based quick release clamps. I struggled with one for a couple years. Last year, I finally converted to the Arca Swiss type quick release clamps for all my tripod/monopod gear. No more droop or sag when I set up for a shot.

In addition, I spent my whole camera gear budget last year on a RRS tripod and monopod. They are such a joy to use. Costly? Yes.... but well worth the price if you can find a way to afford them.

Phoenixkh wrote in post #17150056
Count me among those who are less than thrilled with Manfrotto's RC2 based quick release clamps. I struggled with one for a couple years. Last year, I finally converted to the Arca Swiss type quick release clamps for all my tripod/monopod gear. No more droop or sag when I set up for a shot.

In addition, I spent my whole camera gear budget last year on a RRS tripod and monopod. They are such a joy to use. Costly? Yes.... but well worth the price if you can find a way to afford them.

So whats the difference between the manfrottos quick release and the arca swiss type?

davidfarina wrote in post #17150108
So whats the difference between the manfrottos quick release and the arca swiss type?

Preference. Personally I am new to the ARCA plates but like them better than the Manfrotto levers.

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17150127
Preference. Personally I am new to the ARCA plates but like them better than the Manfrotto levers.

To me, the biggest advantage is that you can slide them forward and back to get better balance.

archer1960 wrote in post #17150137
To me, the biggest advantage is that you can slide them forward and back to get better balance.

That, and you can slide them off either side. With the Manfrotto system you have to push down on the release, flip the lever and then tip out.