Tripod for a tall bloke, Manfrotto 190?

[Paul Deavall]

Would a Manfrotto 190 suit a 6'2 bloke?

 

[DuncanDisorderly]

I don't think so.....
I'm 6'3 and a lot of time I use my 055CXPRO3 with fully extended legs.
I don't extend the centre column, partly because they significantly reduce the effectiveness of the tripod stability, and also because I swapped it for the short centre column to make it easier getting low-down with the TSE.

Checking on the Manfrotto website, my 055 with extended legs is 140cm and the equivalent 190 is 122cm.
That's a huge difference!
If I had a 190 then I'd either be crouching or needing to raise the centre column.

In summary, get an 055...

 

[TheNissanMan]

I'm 6'2 and also have the 055 and would definately recommend it.

 

[markmullen]

It depends how you use it.

I'm 6'3 and swapped from a 190 to an 055 as I found I was stooping to use the 190 whereas the 055 was much closer to eye level.

As my style has developed I've found more often than not I am shooting low down rather than high up, I use a Gitzo Explorer now and rarely extend the legs.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

I am fairly tall, but to be honest I rarely shoot at full extension. The composition of the shot takes priority. Many are taken from ~50cm height, some (interiors) around 1.20m, some at full extension.

 

[JohnnyJ]

I'm 6'1" and use a 190 with no problems.

Isn't it the subject that determines how high you want your tripod, not how tall you are?

 

[DuncanDisorderly]

Isn't it the subject that determines how high you want your tripod, not how tall you are?

With landscapes there isn't usually any subject close enough to demand precise positioning.
The exception being when you deliberately get down low to include foreground objects - (see majority of Joe Cornish images for good examples).
So unless getting low, you might as well be comfortable.

There are occasions where you can be waiting for the light and comfort becomes important!
Here's a set which Daugirdas was present, where there was no foreground interest at the sunset location and we were there for several hours (hence the messing around that took place). Our tripods were all set for best comfort.
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=407296

 

[hollis_f]

Isn't it the subject that determines how high you want your tripod, not how tall you are?

Sometimes the composition of the image determines the best height for the tripod. If that height is 75cm then virtually any tripod will do. If that height is 175cm then your 190 is useless. A too-tall tripod can be lowered, a too-short tripod can't be raised.

But a lot of the time the height is irrelevant to the composition. In those situations I'd much rather have a tripod that meant I didn't have to bend over to use it.

So, for a tall person a tall tripod has many advantages over a short tripod. Indeed, I found the 055 too short for me (I'm 195cm - 6'5"), so I got an Induro CT313.

 

[Paul Deavall]

What about a Brian?