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04/16/2008 06:27:52 AM · #1 |
Update:
Well I finally decided on the Manfrotto 055XPROB with 3-way pan tilt head and found it locally for the same price as B&H counting shipping. I didn't figure the rebate into it since I hate dealing with mail-ins. I purchased the head and legs separately. I have to say after about twenty minutes of playing in the store with the display model, and now almost an hour of playing at home, I love it.
It is bigger than I expected, the camera is eye-height without the extension extended, so it can tower two feet above me with the legs at the first angle. I love the multi-angle legs and the horizontal flip though it is a bit unstable, needs a counter-weight for sure.
The head is alright, I wish it was able to aim straight up but I guess I can always turn the camera around on the socket. The leg locks seem a little random between feeling loose and feeling tight when flipped and the legs seem to stick a little at random. Some normal use might iron those bugs out though and they don't hamper the use of the tripod really.
It is heavier than my old tripod by a good deal, however this seems to make it more solid. The feet while not featuring spikes for outdoor use and not having the option, don't slip on my tile floor, unlike my old plastic footed tripod.
I have seven days to give it a work out and see how it handles me but it looks very promising so far.
I plan to buy a ball-head and a geared-head for it in the future.
I also purchased an MC-30 Remote Cord for it which I also like however I am torn between this one which was $72, about $12 over B&H, and a nice electronic timer remote cord for $130.
Thanks to everyone who gave advice and insights towards my dilemma, DPC is truly the best place to be. :)
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I recently jumped into the D300 boat from using a G2. While the camera is remarkable... my tripod is not. It is a $12 tripod that I got from Wal-mart over six years ago, one leg sticks, it doesn't lock up too well, and as I found while trying to take a macro at 200mm (not for the current challenge) just breathing on the camera causes so much shake that anything below 1/250 causes blur.
The feet slide around and the legs bow and well... I feel I have greatly dishonored my D300 by even mounting it on such a piece of, erm... I worry that a strong breeze will go FLIP and I will be looking at chunks of black metal and broken glass across the pavement. x_x
So I am looking for a tripod, however my budget is not good. There are so many other things for the camera to buy and other bills that it will probably take me years to afford everything. :)
I have tried looking for tripods on google but after my 100th page of no-name brand no specifications tripods for $10 to $300, I am turning to you guys.
The main two things I need from a tripod is; 1) that it is stable enough for a D300 and 200-300mm lens, which is about 3.5 lbs and 2) has a smooth pan side to side. So many I have tried locally stick and jerk even when fully loosened.
We only had/have three camera stores withing 100 miles of here, one only sells used stuff which is quite worn, one only sells off-brand tripods like sakar or procam, the third closed recently and had the tripods that cost $200 and stuck trying to pan them.
So going somewhere to test out different models is probably out of the question. :(
I would love to spend under $200 for it, $100 would be better, I am expecting people to tell me I'm an idiot for picking anything under $500 to go with a D300. If that is what is required then that is what is required but I'm hoping it isn't.
I am unsure about a mounting method, quick mounts make the camera more bulky and need a foot for each camera / heavy lens used. While turn style mounts are much slower to mount and dismount.
Soft rubber feet with texture would be nice to prevent sliding. My footing varies between carpet, mud, sand, rocks, tile, hard wood flooring, and slippery linoleum. Would be nice if I could wipe the feet off and set it on the trunk of my car without if sliding off or scratching the paint. I wonder about taping rubber surgical gloves onto each foot would help.
Anyway, it would be nice to have a website for hardware like this like dpreview, but I know of no such place.
Sorry for this being so long heh and thanks in advance for any advice.
Message edited by author 2008-05-24 16:37:36. |
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04/16/2008 07:03:18 AM · #2 |
| manfrotto 055XPROB with 3-way pan tilt head @ US$ 236. Center bar is tiltable to horizontal. Great buy. |
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04/16/2008 08:57:07 AM · #3 |
| Manfrotto has GREAT student discounts if you can get a student to purchase one for you. Also, they have a configurator on their website that helps you pick out the perfect tripod/head. |
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04/16/2008 09:06:18 AM · #4 |
| Don't underestimate the value (both in use and financial expense) of a good tripod head! |
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04/16/2008 09:25:10 AM · #5 |
Got a 25 buck rebate too! |
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04/16/2008 09:36:42 AM · #6 |
| My suggestion- a little higher than your target price, but you won't be back here next year asking for more suggestions. ;-) |
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04/16/2008 09:42:40 AM · #7 |
Here is the one that I have with my 30d and it has worked wonderfully. It is only US$ 80
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04/16/2008 10:05:38 AM · #8 |
Wait until you can afford a good tripod and head. Otherwise you are just wasting your money and not getting the most out of that expensive camera.
Thom Hogan's definitive guide:
//www.bythom.com/support.htm |
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04/16/2008 10:11:23 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
My suggestion- a little higher than your target price, but you won't be back here next year asking for more suggestions. ;-) |
That's my choice, too.
I've got that head and use it for both my tripod and monopod. Sturdy and easy to use. |
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04/16/2008 11:21:37 AM · #10 |
Check the weight capacities of the one you're interested in.
I have two Bogen-Manfrotto tripods, a carbon fibre with a ball head. My favorite is a metal one with a quick-adjust head (405 Series). It's quick to go to different angles, then fine-adjusts easily. The Hydrostatic's are excellent for quick/secure angle changes. I have a Hydrostatic arm attacched to a Super-clamp, that's great for low-angles, attaches to anything.
Importantly, with my D200, 2-battery-pack, and the 80-200mm lens, the adjustments are precise/secure, the weight doesn't make it droop after adjusting.
For panning, I'm sure their pan heads are good, too.
It's heavier then the 4-section-carbon fibre, but strong, and the legs slide out faster/smoother.
The RC4 quick mounts are bigger, stronger and can be used with any size, even video cameras. |
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04/16/2008 11:35:58 AM · #11 |
| Slik 700DX is great (and on special). It's pretty hefty but any time you get a decent head on any of these things is gonna be heavy. Check out the reviews from others on this thing if you're interested. |
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04/16/2008 12:23:44 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
My suggestion- a little higher than your target price, but you won't be back here next year asking for more suggestions. ;-) |
I have to agree with  scalvert here, I have that setup and it is very sweet :)
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04/16/2008 12:31:06 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by Tom:
Manfrotto has GREAT student discounts if you can get a student to purchase one for you. Also, they have a configurator on their website that helps you pick out the perfect tripod/head. |
Looking for the student discount... not finding....
ETA... found it... no qualify :(
Message edited by author 2008-04-16 12:39:58.
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04/16/2008 12:54:13 PM · #14 |
Definately save up and buy a good one, Don't fall victim to one of those wobbley elcheapo Walmart specials.
You can't go wrong with Manfrotto, And if you are not planning on using huge lenses, The set up Scalvert linked to is a nice deal.
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04/16/2008 01:56:24 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by Sunniee:
Originally posted by Tom:
Manfrotto has GREAT student discounts if you can get a student to purchase one for you. Also, they have a configurator on their website that helps you pick out the perfect tripod/head. |
Looking for the student discount... not finding....
ETA... found it... no qualify :( |
I can't find this either...where did you find it?? |
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04/16/2008 01:58:55 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
My suggestion- a little higher than your target price, but you won't be back here next year asking for more suggestions. ;-) |
I can't comment on the legs, but I have that head and love it. I would certainly recommend it.
Originally posted by Sunniee:
Originally posted by Tom:
Manfrotto has GREAT student discounts if you can get a student to purchase one for you. Also, they have a configurator on their website that helps you pick out the perfect tripod/head. |
Looking for the student discount... not finding....
ETA... found it... no qualify :( |
There's a camera store here called Samy's (in Santa Barbara, CA) which offers great discounts. If it's not illegal, I'd be happy to buy them on my student card and mail it to you. I can check on the exact discounts if anyone's interested. Just send me the set-up you're looking for. If it is against the law...sorry, no can do! :)
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04/16/2008 02:13:15 PM · #17 |
my wife uses this setup ... $115 ... works great
or you could go the route i did and just wait for B&H used stuff ... i have the 3001Bpro legs and 486 ballhead for cheap ... but you have to check B&H every day and just wait for something good.
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04/16/2008 04:07:21 PM · #18 |
| My current entry is doing horribly but I am still overjoyed because of all this advice! :) I now know the brands to look into and the price range I will need to aim for. I really like the idea of that "center column flip" on some of the Bogen / Manfrotto's. Quick question about that though, I assume the camera then points straight down in between two of the legs to keep it stable, is it able to extend past the two front legs? I imagine that would make the tripod unstable without a counter-weight so probably not. |
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04/16/2008 04:15:58 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by togtog:
I assume the camera then points straight down in between two of the legs to keep it stable, is it able to extend past the two front legs? I imagine that would make the tripod unstable without a counter-weight so probably not. |
It will, and yes, it does make the tripod unstable if you go too far. A sandbag or other weight works wonders. ;-) |
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04/16/2008 04:28:36 PM · #20 |
| Awesome, if the tripod is fully extended and a line is drawn between the two feet how far past that line can the column be extended? :) |
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04/16/2008 04:41:42 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
Originally posted by togtog:
I assume the camera then points straight down in between two of the legs to keep it stable, is it able to extend past the two front legs? I imagine that would make the tripod unstable without a counter-weight so probably not. |
It will, and yes, it does make the tripod unstable if you go too far. A sandbag or other weight works wonders. ;-) |
I have a cheep climbers hook on my tripod and just hang my camera bag off of it and it works like a dam :)
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04/16/2008 04:58:32 PM · #22 |
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04/16/2008 05:18:35 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
My suggestion- a little higher than your target price, but you won't be back here next year asking for more suggestions. ;-) |
That one's got a 25 buck rebate too! Better quality than the first one too. |
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04/16/2008 05:32:02 PM · #24 |
Heres my suggestion
//www.calumetphoto.com/item/CK7500/
But you will need to buy a head also.
Kevin |
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04/17/2008 10:14:35 AM · #25 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
My suggestion- a little higher than your target price, but you won't be back here next year asking for more suggestions. ;-) |
Hi Scott,
I went through the same decision about a year ago and got a similar setup to what Scalvert suggested above but with the Manfrotto 055XPROB legs and the 488RC4 Midi Ballhead, (The RC4 is slightly larger than the RC2, and the 055X legs can get about 30cm taller than the 190X but they're both good)
I've been really happy with the setup and have taken the tripod travelling, it's been great for long exposures and the ballhead is good for making a quick pan then locking on to the position that you want.
Cheers,
JJ |
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