redsnapper tripods

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thesmileyone

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i bought the tripod and head combo yesturday night

http://www.redsnapperuk.com/tripod-RS-324+RSH-1.html

that one.

I was wondering if theres anything I need to know or be concerned of before using it ? It hasnt arrived yet, and not too sure when it will tbh, but im looking forward to getting some perfect long exposures with it.

Are there any accessories you can recommend for long exposure. Camera being a D70, theres no compatible decent remote shutter controls, and im not entirely sure how to use the timer release as I tend to use bulb mode.

Ordering a D90 (or 2nd hand D300s), Tokina 11-16, Tamron 17-50, Nikon 70-300mm VR next month so I can get saving for the 200-400mm VR! :D
 
You should have no issues with those lenses and the head you are using.
If you end up using a heavier combo or its a specially windy stiuation, maybe make use of the tripods multiple leg angles and get a more stable base that way. It might work well with the wide angles and a low camera positions too.
 
Im budgeting one of the big gitzo's into the cost of the nikkor 200-400 which I am currently saving for, should be able to buy one for £2.5k ish second hand so can then afford a £900 gitzo, but for now, it should be decent :) Hoping to go to newquay fistral tonight to get some sunset pics :)

Quick question too, when your doing slight HDR toning sunsets, your supposed to bracket by +3 -3, by this do they mean exposure in seconds, or something else ?
 
Hey it's TBL/TSO!

You don't need that 200-400 yet dude! REFRAIN!!!

They mean +3 and -3 in stops. Personally I wouldn't bother bracketing that far. I'd do a shot at -3 and one at 0. That should be enough for sunsets. Otherwise your in danger of overdoing it.

Enjoy the new kit.

For the record I've used a 300mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4 and 1D on that set-up. (One lens at a time). The 300mm is fine with both legs extended (283). The 500mm could only handle one extended whilst staying rock solid.

So 4ish kg all legs could be extended & 6ish KG was one leg fully extended.
 
I just set it up, im 6ft 8 and i have to literally just bob my head an inch or two to see through the viewfinder with all the legs extended and the centre collum unexdended :) I was worried that, with the cheap tripods i had to kind of bend my knees even with the collum extended, but no, perfect height :)

The only issue is that in the dark it could be quite difficult to get the horizontal aligned, i might get some of that glow in the dark band things from ebay and tape them onto it to enable me to get it level.

Do you use the ballhead ? Do you know what the three twisty knobs do ? The one on the right seems to controll the ball, so what does the one on the left and the shorter one on the bottom do ?

Thanks :)
 
thesmileyone said:
I just set it up, im 6ft 8 and i have to literally just bob my head an inch or two to see through the viewfinder with all the legs extended and the centre collum unexdended :) I was worried that, with the cheap tripods i had to kind of bend my knees even with the collum extended, but no, perfect height :)

The only issue is that in the dark it could be quite difficult to get the horizontal aligned, i might get some of that glow in the dark band things from ebay and tape them onto it to enable me to get it level.

Do you use the ballhead ? Do you know what the three twisty knobs do ? The one on the right seems to controll the ball, so what does the one on the left and the shorter one on the bottom do ?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

I used to use the ballhead. (I only changed because I wanted the same QR as my monopod [Manfrotto]).

Smallest one allows you to rotate the head around. (Panoramas/Portrait orientation).

The other knob is tension. Tighter gives it better grip, but harder to move smooth/at all. Looser means have to hold the kit.

The final knob as you know is the actual lock/unlock mechanism.

The Redsnapper isn't really a cheap tripod!!!
 
Thanks, I might try a panoramic later :) Its pretty much perfect if a little heavy, I think the weight is the only real criticism. Though I do need to take the head off and screw it back on, as at the moment the little slot to let you go portrait is facing me and isnt to the left :)
 
thesmileyone said:
Thanks, I might try a panoramic later :) Its pretty much perfect if a little heavy, I think the weight is the only real criticism. Though I do need to take the head off and screw it back on, as at the moment the little slot to let you go portrait is facing me and isnt to the left :)
Click to expand...

Thats what the small (like the teeny weeny one) is for. Unlock it and you can rotate the base. (see the numbers 0 90 etc. etc.) this bit rotates around.

Heavy. Your 6ft 8!!!!!

Think how I feel lumbering around the 1D (1.5kg - II) -300 2.8 (2.7kg non-is) - Tripod (2kg) -Hide (no idea). I'm 5ft 7ish.

My lens weighs more than the bloomin tripod mate!! Grow a pair!! :p :bonk:
 
Totally happy with the height. Ballhead is a bit fiddly, but then I have never used one before. The only design fault I can see is the logo faces you, so that then the important dials are on left and right. But the slot to make it 90 degrees for portraits is then facing you, meaning you have to undo it, slow it down, do it back up, then turn the whole tripod round so that the camera isnt pointing the wrong way. Or move round it. It would be much easier if everything was moved round the ballhead base slightly!

DSC_0004.JPG
 
^
I'm pretty sure you can do that anyways!!

s6o3630.jpg


Unscrew Red Knob - allows head to move around the tripod base (so you can have everything facing the logo or whatever.

Unscrew green - Tension

Unscrew orange - Lock/Unlock

Undo purple - lock/unlock QR.
 
I'm only just getting used to my redsnapper ballhead, takes a while after being used to a tilt/pan.
 
The other night in Newquay i was at fistral beach trying to get long exposure of the waves (failing, not long enough, need remote release with a switch for bulb mode, non compaible with d70), so i go to undial the head to move it and 10 seconds later the camera slides out of the top and makes its way from 5 feet up down towards the stone beneath me. Luckily i caught it in time, but id managed to unscrew the quick release dial instead of the ballhead one below it.

Expensive mistakes!
 
Update perfectly happy with the tripod, only found one flaw. When its extended to the max including the centre column, its fiddly to set right horizontally, infact the whole thing bends slightly. I had no choice but to do this at the firework display to get a shot, as i had to stand at the back of the crowd, being 6ft 8 or i would get in the way. Virtual horizon on my camera worked great, but the other axis (up and down) the camera was leaning to the right and the centre columm was bending.

You can see where i am in this shot, behind a load of canon users.

159131787-79f4fb23520071ffb333831ec9d92dea.4c8958e0-scaled.jpg
 
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