claudermilk
Jul-06-2007, 06:56 AM
No, not a "what tripod to buy" thread, but a review thread. :): Now that I finally have my whole tripod setup in hand, I thought I'd post my thoughts.
The head needs no introduction, much less a review. I am using the wonderful RRS BH-40 (found at Andy-bay, thanks Andy! :andy ). All I really have to say is the reality matches reputation. I don't anticipate ever buying another ball head in this size class. I am also using matching RRS QR plates and L-bracket for the gear, works like a charm.
Now for the bit I think more people will want to hear about. I had researched legsets to death like most of us, and had been planning on buying the Feisol 3341 legs. However, I ran across some Giottos legs at the local pro shop and liked what I saw--and liked the lower-even-than-Feisol price, so I placed a set of MT-7261 legs on order. These are their "Lava" series, similar to the Gitzo Basalt--midway between CF and Aluminum. They are 3-section twist-lock legs, basically a Chinese Gitzo knockoff.
The good is it's fairly light (at least to me--keep in mind I happily drag a 20D+grip+24-70L around all day and don't worry too much when swapping to a 70-200/2.8L), and rigid. The center colum lock looks & works much like the Feisol or Gitzo; the column itself has a security lock ring at the bottom to prevent accidental removal--could be a very nice feature when using it inverted--and a spring-loaded retracting weight hook. The legs have an anti-twist feature, so you can unlock all sections at once, I have found setting up and taking down extremely quick; with this I am finding the switch from the flip-locks I'm used to quite painless. The twist locks themselves are large, rubberized grips, and are supposed to be sealed against the kind of grunge we will subject them to. The leg angle locks are fairly hefty pieces that work in compression (AFAIK this is in reverse of Feisols?), they look like they will be extremely hard to break. Included with the tripod is a nice, padded carry strap, a tool kit, and a carry bag large enough to leave the ballhead mounted.
The bad is there is no option for just having a mount plate with no column, and the column that comes with the tripod is one piece and a bit long. There is a shorter one available. There is also no leveling column option, you will have to buy a 3-rd party one like one of Manfrotto's or Acratech's.
So far I've only had one outing, shooting fireworks at the beach on the 4th. The tripod worked admirably. It even kept everything stable when my remote release didn't work (DOH! Not plugged in securely enough), and I resorted to using the regular shutter button. I'll post more as I take it out again.
The head needs no introduction, much less a review. I am using the wonderful RRS BH-40 (found at Andy-bay, thanks Andy! :andy ). All I really have to say is the reality matches reputation. I don't anticipate ever buying another ball head in this size class. I am also using matching RRS QR plates and L-bracket for the gear, works like a charm.
Now for the bit I think more people will want to hear about. I had researched legsets to death like most of us, and had been planning on buying the Feisol 3341 legs. However, I ran across some Giottos legs at the local pro shop and liked what I saw--and liked the lower-even-than-Feisol price, so I placed a set of MT-7261 legs on order. These are their "Lava" series, similar to the Gitzo Basalt--midway between CF and Aluminum. They are 3-section twist-lock legs, basically a Chinese Gitzo knockoff.
The good is it's fairly light (at least to me--keep in mind I happily drag a 20D+grip+24-70L around all day and don't worry too much when swapping to a 70-200/2.8L), and rigid. The center colum lock looks & works much like the Feisol or Gitzo; the column itself has a security lock ring at the bottom to prevent accidental removal--could be a very nice feature when using it inverted--and a spring-loaded retracting weight hook. The legs have an anti-twist feature, so you can unlock all sections at once, I have found setting up and taking down extremely quick; with this I am finding the switch from the flip-locks I'm used to quite painless. The twist locks themselves are large, rubberized grips, and are supposed to be sealed against the kind of grunge we will subject them to. The leg angle locks are fairly hefty pieces that work in compression (AFAIK this is in reverse of Feisols?), they look like they will be extremely hard to break. Included with the tripod is a nice, padded carry strap, a tool kit, and a carry bag large enough to leave the ballhead mounted.
The bad is there is no option for just having a mount plate with no column, and the column that comes with the tripod is one piece and a bit long. There is a shorter one available. There is also no leveling column option, you will have to buy a 3-rd party one like one of Manfrotto's or Acratech's.
So far I've only had one outing, shooting fireworks at the beach on the 4th. The tripod worked admirably. It even kept everything stable when my remote release didn't work (DOH! Not plugged in securely enough), and I resorted to using the regular shutter button. I'll post more as I take it out again.