ian408
Dec-02-2004, 09:44 PM
I have a need for equipment that's easily packed on the motorcycle. And in
such a way that it's not visible from the outside. One piece of equipment I
didn't have is a small tripod.
The tripod arrived today and after putting it together, I thought I'd post a
quick review.
I settled on a Gitzo G1126MK2. The key feature is size. It collapses down to
just a tad over 16" (without the head) and will easily fit in either of the side
cases. Extended, it's 42" tall (with the head and w/o extending the column).
The legs are 4 sections and the tripod is claimed to support 10lbs.
The head is a Acratech Ultimate Ballhead. The head is a nice piece of
engineering. It will support a lot more than the tripod. There are two
adjustment screws. One allows pan type adjustment at the base and the
other clamps the ball--very little force is required to keep the camera
from moving. Using a combination of pan and tilt, it's possible to move
the camera almost any way you can think of. The head is available with
a quick release (which I chose). The plate is manufactured by a company
called Novoflex and slides easily into the quick release which is then
tightened using a thumbscrew.
The quality of the head and tripod is excellent and I would recommend either
item with no qualms.
The plate is machined from aluminum and of the three items, is the most
disappointing. It works properly. However, it's slotted and the mounting
screw slides freely as you'd expect. But! The screw is held in place by what
amounts to a foam earplug. Lose the plug and you'll likely hunt for the screw
in the bottom of the bag. You must also use a dime or similar driver to
tighten the screw making it inconvenient to move from lens to camera or
vice versa.
Usually, a screw like this would be kept in place by a small clip that is larger
than the opening the screw goes through. Difficult to remove the clip but
keeps the screw and plate together.
I haven't used the setup yet but just playing around this evening, it seems
pretty solid given its light weight and size. It's not going to be rock
solid in a gale but I think it's going to work out fine for its intended
purpose.
Ian
such a way that it's not visible from the outside. One piece of equipment I
didn't have is a small tripod.
The tripod arrived today and after putting it together, I thought I'd post a
quick review.
I settled on a Gitzo G1126MK2. The key feature is size. It collapses down to
just a tad over 16" (without the head) and will easily fit in either of the side
cases. Extended, it's 42" tall (with the head and w/o extending the column).
The legs are 4 sections and the tripod is claimed to support 10lbs.
The head is a Acratech Ultimate Ballhead. The head is a nice piece of
engineering. It will support a lot more than the tripod. There are two
adjustment screws. One allows pan type adjustment at the base and the
other clamps the ball--very little force is required to keep the camera
from moving. Using a combination of pan and tilt, it's possible to move
the camera almost any way you can think of. The head is available with
a quick release (which I chose). The plate is manufactured by a company
called Novoflex and slides easily into the quick release which is then
tightened using a thumbscrew.
The quality of the head and tripod is excellent and I would recommend either
item with no qualms.
The plate is machined from aluminum and of the three items, is the most
disappointing. It works properly. However, it's slotted and the mounting
screw slides freely as you'd expect. But! The screw is held in place by what
amounts to a foam earplug. Lose the plug and you'll likely hunt for the screw
in the bottom of the bag. You must also use a dime or similar driver to
tighten the screw making it inconvenient to move from lens to camera or
vice versa.
Usually, a screw like this would be kept in place by a small clip that is larger
than the opening the screw goes through. Difficult to remove the clip but
keeps the screw and plate together.
I haven't used the setup yet but just playing around this evening, it seems
pretty solid given its light weight and size. It's not going to be rock
solid in a gale but I think it's going to work out fine for its intended
purpose.
Ian