Rock solid tripods

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I have a Manfrotto 055 aluminium tripod which is reasonably sturdy. If I mount my Sigma 150-600 C onto the tripod using the tripod mount on the lens and a ball head, it takes a little while to settle down but when it does the results are good using a remote release.

Is this to be expected or would a better tripod be "rock solid" without any need to settle down?
 
I have the same tripod and I find only extending the first leg extension helps the stability quite a bit.
Hanging a weight (like a camera bag?) from the centre column can also help, but the centre column on my 055 doesn't seem to have any means of attaching a suitable hook.

I don't think there is such a thing as a "rock solid" tripod.
 
Carbon fibre dampens vibration better than aluminium.
Gimbal heads are a better choice than ball heads for that size of lens imo.
 
Brian G said:
Hanging a weight (like a camera bag?) from the centre column can also help, but the centre column on my 055 doesn't seem to have any means of attaching a suitable hook.

I don't think there is such a thing as a "rock solid" tripod.
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You can fit a caribener through the little plastic hook thing on that tripod and hang your bag from that. That’s at least what I do.
 
If you want a "Rock Solid" tripod, or at least something reasonably close, then the bad news is lots of weight and/or lots of money - sorry!

Firstly forget the weight of your lens - it is light but it is still a 600mm so it will need similar support to a 600mm F4 if you want stability. Naturally I would suggest a 4 series Gitzo (love mine!) but they are hideously expensive, so unless you have lots of pennies then there have to be compromises.

A used Gitzo 3 series Systematic would be a great choice but they are fetching quite a lot at the moment, keep an eye on E Bay, but patience will be required! Benro, Induro, Jobu and Feisol (there may be others) have some nice alternatives - but they are still not cheap. A nice big used studio tripod would be the cheapest option but you won't be carrying it far - they are heavy.

Additionally Ball heads are not great for this sort of focal length. If you want cheap and cheerful (but still very functional and well made) then have a look at the Lensmaster RH1 and RH2.

Just some food for thought.
 
I used a heavy aluminium tripod up a mountain with strong wind and can report that it did me no good, the wind catches the camera and lens and there is nothing can stop it except digging it into the ground or keeping hold of it.
 
Gitzo Systematic is what you need, series 3 should be just the job
 
The rock solidest tripod I've ever come across was a Gandolfi one. Designed and built to hold a large format camera (10x8) for long exposures. I could sit on top of it without it wobbling. I wouldn't want to carry it far though - it was made of hardwood and weighed a ton!

As a general rule, the less you extend the legs of a tripod and the wider you spread them, the more stable it is. 1/2 extending more sections will be more stable than fully extending one and raising the centre column will introduce more wobble too.
 
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