The 3 legs of a photographer

chrisB

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I'm talking about tripods!

My trusty Cullman 532 magnesit gave up its spirit.

The locking lever that holds one of the legs in a certain angle position broke so I am for a new tripod.

The Cullman as good as it is (cause I think it can be repaired) has a maximum safety load of 8 kgs and while I've never exceeded that, I tend to put lots of (expensive) load on it, especially during night shots (5 kgs+ with long tele lenses).

I am thinking on going for a hi end one like the Really Right Stuff TVC-34L.

It's a carbon fiber (which means less weight but more importantly for me fewer vibrations) one that can hold up to 23 kgs and has many other advantages.

What do you think guys?

Does investing in such a tripod make sense in IQ or is it all an advertisement bait to get your hard earned?

What to you use?

 

tkimages

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They get very good write ups and seem to be trusted by a lot of photographers.

For the kind of photography you do, I think a good tripod is essential and the consensus of opinion is that a good tripod = improved IQ.

 

mikehit

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a grand for a tripod? Bloody hell!!!

With a 23kg load capacity I am sure that is overkill unless you have monster kit - there comes a point that no matter how much it can hold, the limit is the fact that it vibrates in the wind and having a sturdy tripod with a hook for hanging your camera bag from to anchor it down will be far better. It is not for nothing that the Manfrotto 055 is one of the benchmarks for professionals and they now do a carbon fibre version.

Induro is a make that has very good write ups from people in the know.

http://www.indurogear.com/

I have a sort of love-hate relationship with the twist-lock legs on my Velbon 'pod where the knurling on the locking ring starts to get to my hands after a few fasten/release cycles and if I want small adjustments I find it more of a hassle than lock-levers to get it 'just so' - with a lever I can hold the camera with one hand and flick the lever while looking through the eyepiece, but I need two hands to adjust the twist-lock.

 

fordy

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I read on the DPR ballheads review yesterday that there is no standard for the max weight rating that is used on tripods and its a bit of a duckshoot as to how models really compare between brands.

 

rabski

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If I could, I would.

I have an elderly Velbon. Good though it is, it's actually near useless. The whole point of a tripod is to hold the camera absolutely 100% stable and free of any movement. Mine doesn't. You need to use mirror lockup and remote trigger to even start to think about no shake, and even that isn't any guarantee.

Nothing against Velbon per se. Mine is old and probably knackered. The point is that a £10,000 camera with a £20,000 digital back on a wobbly tripod will produce shit IQ.

 

moggy58

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I have an old Slik, aluminum, tripod with lock leavers, retailed for about £100. 20 yrs ago,

maybe a bit on the heavy side if you wanted to use outside but, has served me well for many years.

 

rabski

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I never really thought about 'pods. But a few years ago I was in a situation of being interviewed for a TV news thing. Of course, the interview bit was nowhere near as interesting as looking at and discussing the equipment. They had a camera tripod with a silicon fluid damped thing at the top, which enabled smooth panning and tilting during filming. The actual tripod though was the most stable and wonderful thing I have ever seen. No idea who made it, but apparently it cost about as much as the camera screwed to the top of it. The cameraman said that it was categorically far more important than the actual camera, and that a firm foundation was a guarantee of reasonable quality, even if the camera was crap. Whereas, a wobbly support would make even the best camera produce unusable rubbish.

Makes sense if you think about it. Especially if, as Chris does, you are taking long exposures.

 

chrisB

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Thank you very much for your wisdom my good friends!

I thought it was justified to spend a good amount of money for a proper tripod, but I needed a reality check so your opinion was needed!

I placed an order for the TVC-34L RRS tripod and for a leveling base.

After I'll recieve it and use it I'll post my opinion/review on it!

Once again, thank you all! :)

 

rockmeister

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you won't regret really right stuff....their tripods are good but many pro's think their ball heads are THE best regardless. It should last you a lifetime!

 
G

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Guest
Thank you very much for your wisdom my good friends!I thought it was justified to spend a good amount of money for a proper tripod, but I needed a reality check so your opinion was needed!

I placed an order for the TVC-34L RRS tripod and for a leveling base.

After I'll recieve it and use it I'll post my opinion/review on it!

Once again, thank you all! :)
Good to see the Greek economy has picked up :shock:

Use a Manfrotto carbon fibre myself.

Nice & light for travelling.

Its a basic model but can be dropped extra low for increased stability.

Let us know how yours shapes up.

Καλά Χριστούγεννα!

 

jkbmusic

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  1. Yes
They get very good write ups and seem to be trusted by a lot of photographers.For the kind of photography you do, I think a good tripod is essential and the consensus of opinion is that a good tripod = improved IQ.
I would think something like this would be more appropriate ;-) .

1207-giant-telescope.jpg_full_600.jpg


:D

 

chrisB

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:love:

Seriously Jeff, if I could I would...

...and NO! It is not OTT!

:D

 

greybeard

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I have an old Slik, aluminum, tripod with lock leavers, retailed for about £100. 20 yrs ago, maybe a bit on the heavy side if you wanted to use outside but, has served me well for many years.
I have a couple of Slik 88's, great tripods. Still use mine too, even took one to the beach the other day :)

 

MrSmith

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Gitzo. bit more expensive but they last ages, had a few manfrottos both alloy and carbon and they dont seem to fare too well, the carbon swelled on mine and got very creaky.

been impressed with the induro ones i have seen in a dealer but not tried them out in the field.

 

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