Heavy tripod and head

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timbo2410

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Hi all, I've been using the Manfrotto 057 for a while now with a CB Gimbal. I'm looking for another tripod and head now and was wondering what people are using? I've trolled the internet and found various comments (good and bad) about all types of setups. I was interested in the RRS ballheads ... some say they are the best thing since sliced bread for bird photography .. others say the reverse .. so what are people using for a heavy lens out there? I'm not interested in portability so much but certainly carbon fibre .. and certainly tall enough so i don't have to stoop .. perhaps another 057 ??? comments welcome
 
I have the Wimberley mk2 on my monopod .. I agree they are fantastic and a lot lighter than the CB that's for sure. Reading more and more about the Manfrotto 057 (that I have now) .. they still say that they are great .. I was really wondering about the ballhead and a heavy lens though .. the only ballhead I have is the Gorillapod that I use with my IR sensors .. not quite in the same league as the RRS BH-55 though
 
that's what I was thinking .. the heavy ball heads intrigued me though ..
 
6 months back gitzo were selling off their previous models so I picked a half price GT3542XLS. I use it with the Uniqball UBH-45. The combination comes in just under 3 kg, can go up to 2m in height, quite portable considering and is very stable with a 200-400 on it. It's going to last me many years.

The big question is budget. What kind of budget are you thinking of?
 
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I use gitzo gt3530 s and a wimberley head mk1. together are amazing. I bought all used for 650euro. I use their on mud, snow and in all climatic situation, never problem
 
Dave Semmens said:
For wildlife the gimbal is superb
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+1

I use 2 Gitzos series 5 (GT5542LS) both with Canadian made
JOBU Black Widow Pro II Gimbals. Nec plus ultra.
 
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I've recently bought a Feisol tripod and an FLM ballhead. I'm happy with both.
I think for a long heavy lens for bird photography, a gimbal is the way to go.
 
Same Benro ( I think ) as Dave with a Lensmaster RH2 head..
 
Wimberley + Feisol 3472 = excellent.
For ballhead I have a Sunwayfoto, also extremely good but I don't use it for my 500 f4.
 
just a question without trolling the net .. is the Benro a copy of the Wimberley? They look very similar in design .. Also everybody with the Feisol tripods .. have you had any problems with them ? Found a few complaints about them but don't know if they were isolated cases or not .. I think I might just detach the Wimberley mk2 from my monopod and use that instead of buying another head .. that will save quite a few £
So now it's just a decision for the tripod :-)
 
I'm just a cheap skate as I use a Meike Gimbal from the Bay, nothing as exotic as the above but for the amount of times it will be used it does me ;)
 
timbo2410 said:
Also everybody with the Feisol tripods .. have you had any problems with them ?
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Feisol Products may be divided in 2 categories: the
CNC‘ed and the casted.

The CNC'ed are the better choice like the 3372 (my
personal recommendation) and the 3472 both being
at the top of the Feisol lines. Their 37mm ∅ is quite beefy
and justifies the general stability of these 2 tripods.

Light, sturdy and reliable, they have only one weakness
that made me jump to Gitzo: low resistance to torsion
forces which, in my case, are difficult to compensate when
using my long lenses.
 
wow thanks for that .. are you talking about the torsion on the joint between leg and head? I have also read reviews on the Gitzo tripods snapping at the joint of the leg and head .. are the gitzo range cast or machined? What are you using for long lenses? I am wanting to get into the 800mm range of lenses soon and need something well built.
 
timbo2410 said:
are you talking about the torsion on the joint between leg and head?
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When torsion is exerted on the plateau, all Feisol tripods
will give to the movement. The CNC'ed will not brake as
easily as the casted.
timbo2410 said:
read reviews on the Gitzo tripods snapping at the joint of the leg and head
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I am not aware of that.
timbo2410 said:
are the gitzo range cast or machined?
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I don't know that all are but I know the series 5 is.
timbo2410 said:
What are you using for long lenses?
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400mm and up.
timbo2410 said:
I am wanting to get into the 800mm range of lenses soon and need something well built.
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Both Feisol and Gitzo will perform very well with any load
but for my needs, the Gitzo has the edge tripod wise.

When using a gimbal, a levelling base is wise to get.
The Feisol solution is definitely inadequate — as the number
of threads per inch is far too low— and that killed it for me.
 
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I'm using 300mm, 150-600 and 600 at the moment .. 800 down the track. For me leveling is not too hard to achieve and is not a priority at the moment. Take that out of the equation and what would you pick?
 
timbo2410 said:
For me leveling is not too hard to achieve and is not a priority at the moment. Take that out of the equation and what would you pick?
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Considering your answer,
anything will do… good luck!
 
Gitzo uses pressure cast magnesium parts, but "cast" isn't necessarily inferior to CNC'd.

For long lenses/wildlife you have two good choices for a head... either a gimbal or a pan-tilt. Gimbals are the most commonly preferred, but at the high end (true) fluid pan tilt heads are often preferred. I've run the gamut from pan-tilts/fluid heads to Gimbal heads, and I'm back to using pan-tilts (UniqBall). A ballhead is a very poor choice for a lens which needs to be rapidly repositioned (although there are ballheads which convert to pan tilt).

The tripod choice depends on how it's going to be used... if you are going to be using it with a gimbal head that is (affectively) unlocked and the camera/lens in motion, then you really only need something that can support the weight without failing. The more resistance you are likely to use (locked head/friction) the more rigidity/vibration absorption you need with a minimum recommendation being a useful load capacity 2x your max.
I would also recommend a tripod that extends to a height higher than you intend to use it at. This allows adaptation to uneven terrain while maintaining the required height. But more importantly it allows you to not extend all of the leg sections to the max which greatly increases stability.
 
thanks for that .. I quite like the Feisol range .. will have to look more closely to the specs :-)
 
Well I bought the Feisol 3732 and it arrived yesterday. I swapped heads (CB Gimbal) and immediately there is no vibration or shake when releasing the shutter. What a difference .. I then changed over to the Wimberley mkii
with exactly the same stability. Wow .. cannot believe it .. the Manfrotto has so much shake .. even though I thought it was so solid .. cannot believe it .. very tempted to get another Feisol and sell the Manfrotto ..
 
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