Post your Best Tripod and Head Combination

For a general purpose, light, and stable setup, I would recommend a 2 series Gitzo CF tripod with Markins M10, Markins tripod base, and RRS lever clamp.

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you should update this post and add
4. cost for your setup

that way someone can do research and price setups based on user reviews. just my 2 cents

c2thew wrote in post #7779533
you should update this post and add
4. cost for your setup

that way someone can do research and price setups based on user reviews. just my 2 cents

That is very good suggestion. I will make a list of entries in Excel sheet in this format.

1. Legs
2. Head
3. Weight of Legs/ Head
4. Cost of Legs/ Head
5. Max Load set up can take
6. Tripod + Ball Head Weight
7. Best Suited for, Eg:- Travel

Anything else that you want to suggest.

tvphotog wrote in post #7775046
Light weight, travel tripod:

Look at the warranties of similar tripods. Gitzo has a lifetime warranty.

Similar but cheaper tripods have a 3 year guarantee. To my mind, that means the company expects them to last 3 years.

Caveat emptor.

To my mind that means that some manufacturers build the price of future repairs into the selling price (Gitzo) and others do not. Considering the premium for a Gitzo they must be assuming that all their tripods will break

bohdank wrote in post #7781721
To my mind that means that some manufacturers build the price of future repairs into the selling price (Gitzo) and others do not. Considering the premium for a Gitzo they must be assuming that all their tripods will break

So you don't believe Gitzo has better materials, better construction, more R&D and a belief that as a result, they will not have to make repairs over the life of the product.

You believe it's essentially marketing? That's why their decades-long reputation is so strong?

Legs: Gitzo GT3530 Carbon Fiber tripod (it has a new name AGAIN! I can't keep up ... )
AND: Gitzo 1321 Leveling base (now called GS5121LVL? Why Gitzo?, Why keep changing all the names!?)

Head: Markins M-20 Ballhead
AND: Wimberly Sidekick

Cost: too much

This is my birding set up for the 500mm f/4L IS and 1 series bodies.
You can get away with less, and more affordable rigs, but this or on with a full Wimberly Head is the literal "end of the road" .. I've gone down that road and indeed it took me a while to come to it's end, but I am VERY happy I finally finished that journey.
If at all possible, I would highly recommend to any Big Gun shooter that you skip most of the journey, don;t try to make do with less costly heavier solutions and go straight to the Gitzo.

A Key aspect to this set up is the linked Gitzo 1321 leveling base.
For any Gimbal shooter, (referring to the Sidekick or full Wimberly etc..) ..starting off level is important and getting there quickly in an action oriented situation like the birding I do is a must. The need for the leveling base dictates what legs you can use. You need the Gitzo models that do not provide an integral center column, but instead have the plate system once associated with the "systematic" line, (I don't know if there is currently a word to identify these unique tripods anymore in the current naming scheme.)

I do use this same tripod, since it is light weight despite it's amazing strength, for most studio work I do, and any other applications. Thus the Markins head and Sidekick.
If I were using two tripods, I'd have a full Wimberly (or equivalent) on this same set of legs and 1321 Leveling base,. and have a smaller Ballhead like the Markins M10 on a slightly smaller set of CF legs.

The most annoying thing about Gitzo is every time we have a discussion our info is old news and the names we use are useless and they change them every week or so.
As far as I am concerned my Tripod is a 1325 systematic CF, but when I bought it was suddenly called a 3530, ... then it was called a GT3530LSV a few weeks later, ...
... now today I find it is the new GT3530LS 6x

It makes these forum discussions very confusing

tvphotog wrote in post #7781831
So you don't believe Gitzo has better materials, better construction, more R&D and a belief that as a result, they will not have to make repairs over the life of the product.

You believe it's essentially marketing? That's why their decades-long reputation is so strong?

Not at all. I was addressing only your remark and conclusion. Do I believe that Gitzo's prices include an amount to cover future (free) repairs... of course. All manufacturers do. What portion of that is part of the final price, I don't know but, as good as they are, they are not worth (in design and fabrication) twice the price of their closest competition.

If you look at warranties and disclaimers, there is very little on a tripod, other than locking mechanism(s) that would fail due to a manufacturing defect. A defect in the production of the carbon tubes would show itself far earlier than three years, imo. If a tripod works without failing for 3 years I would put money down that it will probably not fail in the future, based on material or production defects.

Giving lifetime warranties give some/many people a warm and fuzzy feeling like buying (they're not free) extended warranties, which are very popular. It's a big selling point to some people and they are willing to pay the premium, whether buried in the price or in an extended warranty. They have little to do with determining whether a product is more or less reliable than any other, imo. It's more of a "pay me now or pay me later". I would rather "pay later", and "have", saving a lot of money in useless unpurchased warranties. I have been around the block more than once

I think Kia gives the longest car warranties in the industry ? I rest my case

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #7782023
As far as I am concerned my Tripod is a 1325 systematic CF, but when I bought it was suddenly called a 3530, ... then it was called a GT3530LSV a few weeks later, ...
... now today I find it is the new GT3530LS 6x

It probably never was called "GT3530LSV", since that would indicate a Video bowl AFAIK
And it's either a 3530S or a 3530LS: Their different tripods.

Naming changed once, from 1325 to 3530 numbering scheme. Actually it got a bit easier IMO:
3: 3 Series
5: Carbon (Aluminium =3; Basalt = 9)
3: 3 leg sections
0: previous generation (we're now at "1")
L: Long
S: Systematic

The problem is that the new and the old (2006) line aren't exactly the same... The 2006 1325 is about the same as the 2009 3530LS. The "regular" 3530S (now 3531S) is shorter. There was no such tripod in 2006. Then again, the 1348 of 2006 has no comparable tripod in 2009. If there were, it would probably be placed between 3441LS and 3441XLS so another naming scheme would have to be invented

Wow, thanks for the explanation Rene,. I've never seen that before.

Any insight on the 1321 vs. the 5121?

**EDIT**
Ahh, I see, the newer 5121 does the same job, looks about the same, but has the Carbon Fiber (as indicated by the "5" ) as opposed to Aluminum ( "3" ) and magnesium,. and thus weighs 1/3 what the 1321 does!!!!
That's a big weight savings, and far more than you usually see in a Carbon fiber vs aluminum product. It must have many more weight saving changes that are simply not visible.

1. Feisol 3441s Carbon Fiber Travel Tripd
2. Markins Q3 Traveller Emile Midi Ballhead
3. Light and compact - most of my photography is on-the-go
4. ~$600

tvphotog wrote in post #7775046
Light weight, travel tripod:

Gitzo 1541t CF
Markins Q3t head with standard Markins QR.

I like the idea of securing the camera with a screw thread rather than a lever.

Look at the warranties of similar tripods. Gitzo has a lifetime warranty.

Similar but cheaper tripods have a 3 year guarantee. To my mind, that means the company expects them to last 3 years.

Gitzo also has anti-rotation and G-lock features to stabilize the legs, which is very important in these light-weight travel tripods.

Caveat emptor.

Now I am by no means knocking the Giztos and I will concede that they are likely superior to the Feisols. However, the warranty issue just reminds me of a scene from the movie "Tommy Boy."

BTW, I have no doubts that the Feisol will last WELL beyond it's 3 warranty period.

Just got this last week... Love it.
1. Bogen - Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber Tripod, with Q90 Column System
2. Bogen - Manfrotto 468MGRC5 Hydrostatic Ball Head with RC5
3. Bogen - Manfrotto 454 Micrometric Positioning Sliding Plate-Macro Focusing Rails

Note: Also purchased two additional (501) quick release plates.

OP, your question format is TOO GENERAL since we all have different set up for different shooting purpose (landscape, travel, hiking, wildlife, big lens, small lens etc)

This will be for bird with long lens

Tripod: Gitzo GT3541LS
Ballhead: Photo Clam PC-74NS (beat the crap out of RRS BH-55 in term of price/quality/size/pur​pose shooting) or Wimberley WH-200

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That's one mother of a head. They seem to be based on Markin's designs.

I'm in the market for a head but haven't heard anything but this line.

I'm nuerotic about getting a head that has zero creep or droop once locked.

bohdank wrote in post #7784212
I'm in the market for a head but haven't heard anything but this line.

I'm nuerotic about getting a head that has zero creep or droop once locked.

http://www.prweb.com …/2008/06/prweb1​049004.htm

i use this for Canon 600IS and Nikon 600VR without any problem. You tell me.

1. Walmart MX2000
2.
3. It works, and it's stable, and it cost me $20. Other tripods have NOTHING on this when your just putting a 350D and 85mm on it.