Giottos MM-8990 & MH1001-652?

Thinking about picking up this combo this afternoon...

I'm sold on the carbon fiber, and prefer a ballhead with quick release. Since it's for a monopod, I don't need anything fancy on the ballhead. Looking forward to getting the 1D Mk IIN to replace the current D30 and taking my heaviest lens, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS I reach a total of 6.7lbs (3kg+). Well within the specs of the setup.

Anyone out there have a similar setup? Can maybe share some opinions?

At some point I'll get a new tripod and possibly the Acratech Ultimate, so that's a story for another day... I can live with my Slik U-212 for now (though its weaknesses are showing).

Your camera lens combination is quite light for monopod use and with a shorter focal length and IS I would consider simply upping the ISO to get faster shutter speeds and let it go at that. However if you want a monopod I would consider a Manfrotto 3232 head which swivels in only one direction, which is sufficient for monopod use.
http://www.reallyright​stuff.com/tutorials/mo​nopods/index.html
Add to that a Acra Swiss compatible clamp and Arca Swiss lens collar plate. The Arca Swiss lens plate will allow a lot of forward/backward adjustment of the camera/lens combination (say you add a 1.4x TC) so that it is balanced.
Mike K

Hmm, very true about the IS. I do plan to add (most likely) a 400mm f/5.6L down the road (or thereabouts) so I'll have more need down the line. A 1.4x is also in the cards at some point.

I like to shoot in natural light, so the shorter focal lengths would benefit with slower shutter speeds (and they lack IS). With the D30, higher ISOs are fairly noisy so until I get the 1D2N it's not the best option...

I'll check out the options from Manfrotto... More later.

Thanks, Mike!

EDIT: Ahh yeah, I was looking at that head. I kind of like the idea behind the pistol grips.

I ended up picking up the combo as stated in the subject line from a local Berger Bros. shop. $260 and change total, including NYS tax. Thought about going eBay or mail order, but the savings wouldn't have been that great... This way I could always exchange, etc.

First impression... Wow, nice. What a HUGE step up from Slik. Something about machined and anodized aluminum, rubber coated knobs and carbon fiber...

I'll post pix if anyone's interested.

More impressions... Beautiful! I'm a happy little clam.

Got it home, and as suspected easily replaced the crappy Slik U-212 three-way head... So I can use the ball head on either the monopod or tripod. The QR plate is thin so it can stay on the camera (as it should be) instead of that awkward and proprietary cylinder of the Slik head.

Fit and finish and overall feel/action of the ballhead is wonderful. Fluid, smooth. The adjustable tension is sweet - you can dial it in for your setup and make it practically weightless.

Never one to leave things alone, I immediately customized it. Used the old Canon camera strap and looped that on there and now I can sling it over the shoulder for ready access (as opposed to snapping into Lowe Pro backpack or using supplied bag).

I wanted to keep cost down, and this setup matched my feature needs exactly and at reasonable cost - yet still be on a professional level. Cheap support is no fun as I found out yesterday with the camera/grip and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS mounted on the Slik. Accessing controls was impaired and dealing with several of them just got to be a pain. Some day I'll replace the Slik U-212 legs with a nice Giottos carbon fiber unit.

It's good to have even on a "light" setup since I can shoot in lower light without raising ISO and with non-IS lenses - and since I drink a lot of coffee and not getting any younger... Can steady some shaky hands at times.

Definitely a thumbs up.

Okay, so now that I'm getting into macro some and tired of the ol' U-212...

I decided on (and just picked up) the Giottos MT 8170 carbon fiber tripod. As with the other Giottos stuff, IMO, the materials and workmanship are good - and the features are very nice. Some poo-poo the Giottos stuff but for $100 more and less features I shyed away from the Gitzo Explorer series - though the Gitzo is about a 1/2lb. lighter. Dynatran and Manfrotto didn't quite have the specs I was looking for either.

Even though I'm tall, I decided to get the shorter MT 8170 over the MT 8180 because it has three leg sections rather than four. Stability is key here as well as being less of a pain in the ass to set up and the spring-loaded hook at the bottom of the center section will grab the camera bag nicely. I like that I don't need an additional head, or I can use the ballhead with it and even reduce the weight some by removing the center section (leaving just the head base).

Seems like another win for Giottos to me. I haven't used it yet, but I suspect we'll get along just fine...