Buying tripod and looking for head advice

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rosswalker

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Ross
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Hi Folks,

Never bought a tripod before; pretty settled on a Manfrotto 055XPROB but know very little about the pro's and con's of the different heads. Can anyone suggest some practical advice and suggest any heads to look at?

Thanks in advance,
Ross
 
What photography are you doing that you need your tripod to achieve? Macro, architecture, products, landscape. using what lenses... 600mm beast or 10.5mm fisheye for example etc etc. your head choice is dependant on this 100%
 
Landscape, night shots and some light painting. I've just been using the 18-55mm kit lens; I haven't decided on what other glass I want/need at the moment but I wouldn't imagine going over a 200mm lens.
 
i have used pan and tilt...and ball and socket and found the ball and socket faster and less amounts of adjusting knobs
it was a gitzo and quite robust
cheers
geof
 
Try to get one with friction control and a Q/R plate, Manfrotto 494 or 496 are decent enough as are the Giottos 1311 or 1312.
 
My preference is for a Pan & Tilt head when it comes to landscapes; take a look at the 804RC2 - I have it paired with an 055XPROB and it does a great job.

Much comes down to personal preference though and what you get used to.
 
Ok, for landscapes many people pref a pan and tilt head over a ball head. It allows you to isolate each axis so that once you have the setup nice and level you can then concentrate on composition without loosing your level or you can adjust your vertical adjustment without loosing your horizontal composition. Particularly useful for architectural work.
Some prefer the speed of all adjustment in one hit that a ball head Or trigger gives you... I use a ball head but my next purchase will be a pan and tilt with micro adjust.
If you haven't already, go and try out a few in a store to get a feel. Then you can make an informed view on manufacturer and cost
 
I didn't mention budget available either.... which is a big one of course
Click to expand...

Just seen this, so why not look ar RRS, Kirk or Markins ball heads

Or did you not mean the budget was big :)
 
Regarding ball heads, I've just bought a Manfrotto 496RC2 which is excellent. If you are into paronamic shots the 498RC2 would probably be better. I found Amazon had the best prices BTW.

Al
 
I use a manfrotto 498rc2 head with the manfrotto 055proxb, it's a great head.i brought it as a dual function head,most of my photography is wildlife so the ball head is very suited to this.the pan function is useful for landscape photography until I've saved up for a junior geared head or a 460mg pan and tilt head.

I would suggest going to a shop to test each type before making your decision, to see which type suits you. If you are going to use the camera and a lens mounted to the tripod an extra quick release plate would be very useful.manfrotto also do a shorter centre column, if you get a second head it's ideal for quick changes so you don't have to unscrew the three mounting screws every time to change between heads.
 
Thanks folks, I didn't add a budget because I don't know enough to sensibly set a budget. Decent kit but I'm not made of money :o)

I was swaying towards a ball head (Manfrotto 498rc2) but now with the point about panning I'm back to stage 1. I think I need to go into a camera shop and have a play.

I will let you know how I get on.
 
It really doesn't matter what head you've got as long as it's stable.
 
Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod and 496RC2 Compact Ball Head... sorted. Now I've just got to wait until its delivered so I can play with it.

Thanks for your help guys.

Ross
 
Just got this month's Digital Camera edition and there's a few pages on tripod and head packages and then heads on their own.

Worth a read for a budget of a maximum of £300.00
 
i've got a compact manfrotto 3 way, and really wish i had ball head. the 3 ways offer more control, but would much prefer the speed of a ball head.
 
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460MG 3 way head is a fantastic option.

I've used one for years, mainly for landscape but it'll turn it's hand to anything. I've got mine attached to an 055XPROB and its rock solid although not the lightest combo
 
Quoth said:
My preference is for a Pan & Tilt head when it comes to landscapes; take a look at the 804RC2 - I have it paired with an 055XPROB and it does a great job.

Much comes down to personal preference though and what you get used to.
Click to expand...

+1 - untill you know you need something different I don't believe you can go wrong with this one.
 
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