LuvMyTSX

Hey guys. I'm looking for a tripod and would like your opinions on these setups from B&H:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Pro_Photo.html

or

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...gs_Black_.html

or

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...lack_with.html

or

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...gs_Black_.html


What do you think? Anything you would recommend getting instead? And is there anything from the accessories list that I should definitely get (aside from the bag which I'll need)? I'm not real familiar with tripods, this is my first. I want it to be fairly lightweight and easy to use. I'm basically getting overwhelmed with all the choices and don't really know the differences between them all. Help

Also let me know if you see any better options on B&H or if you think I should buy the parts separately instead of one of these kits.

LuvMyTSX

Now I'm looking at some carbon fiber legs....those will be lightweight.

Does anyone know if any of the kits on B&H include carbon fiber legs, or would I have to buy those separately?

Jebus, I am so overwhelmed with choices.

jupitersolo

For the b&h setups, I don't like the pan and scan heads, they take up too much room. The other two choices look good.


For lightweight you might want to look at Feisol, I'm very happy with what I got from them. Very nice at half of the price as Gitzo. www.feisol.com Their in Taiwan but very quick shipping. They offer full setups, but I just got the CT-3342 and the head from Acratech together about $700.

This is the place that Dan got his from, then I followed.

LuvMyTSX

Thanks Jup, I'll look at that, also.

LuvMyTSX

Can anyone tell me the difference between 3 and 4 section tripod legs?

jupitersolo

They're are talking about the amount of sections that pull out to get the height of the tripod legs. I've been told that four sections are not as sturdy as the three section. But the four section are shorter when closed, makes for easier travel.

Dan Martin

It's just the number of segments each leg has. A 3-section leg has 2 locks, a 4-section needs 3 locks. 4-section legs usually pack a little smaller, but the compromise is they take longer to set up and they also have smaller diameter tubes for the last section than the 3-section legs. Having owned both, I prefer the 3-section tripods.

LuvMyTSX

^^ Thanks, guys.

Now onto the plates. I'm noticing that some are 1/4"-20 or 3/8"-16. Do I need to pay attention to these? What does it refer to?

LuvMyTSX

Alright. How's this:

Legs: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ro_Carbon.html

+

Head: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ith_Quick.html

+ both the universal plate with cork top as well as the lens plate listed in the accessories list for the ballhead.


And for reference, I have a Rebel XT. Just want to make sure it's compatible with all this equipment.

Please tell me I'm done.

Dan Martin

I much prefer the V2 version of the Acratech head over the first version, so you might want to change that part. The Manfrotto legs are nice.

LuvMyTSX

Hmm...this one? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ith_Quick.html

Dan Martin

That's the one.

Dan Martin

Don't get the universal cork plate though, get the proper plate for the XT.

LuvMyTSX

Can I find that on B&H? Same opinion on the lens plate as well, or is that ok?

LuvMyTSX

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Plate_for.html

This says it's for the Digital Rebel....does that include the XT?

Dan Martin

The proper plate is listed as 2159-B, but all I can find on B&H is the 2159: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Plate_for.html

I don't know if it's the same one or not, so it might be good to get in touch with Acratech or B&H to be sure. The lens plate would be fine though.

LuvMyTSX

Thanks, Dan.

jupitersolo

This is the one you want...

http://acratech.net/miva/merchant.mv...e=Canon+Plates

LuvMyTSX

Thank you!

badboy

Congrats on the purchase!!

Very nice choice indeed.

itrhybrid

iTrader: (1)

What kind of camera are you using on top? I picked up that most of those heads can support up to 25lbs. That's some serious camera.

CorvettePoor

In MY opinion.....For a first tripod, you're looking at spending WAY too much money. I'd buy something a lot cheaper until I knew what I liked and disliked. But, it's your money, not mine.

jupitersolo

With the information that has been giving to her, she'll be just fine. She's getting good quality gear, that she'll have for a long time.

LuvMyTSX

A Rebel XT

LuvMyTSX

Precisely. I absolutely HATE buying cheap crap to start off, then figure out I should have gotten something else that would have been a better fit. Quality and durability are important.

stogie1020

Don't , mean to hijack, but anyone know of an online vendor or two with a good selection of Benro legs and heads? B+H has a limited selection, an I have found some unknown quality EBay vendors...

Thoughts? I am looking for legs and ball head in the $250 range, CF if I can . I am 5'9". 3 or 4 section less important to me. It is for a 40d, no long lenses yet.

itrhybrid

iTrader: (1)

With grip, or without? What lenses do you own?

You can buy a quality head, but one that does not need to support as much weight and will be a bit less.

I have this grip head, but with my 5D w/ battery grip and 70-200 2.8is, it's not the most stable while I have it tilted on it's side. It's super easy to manipulate though. Now that I look at it, it's pretty much maxed out at weight with that head. Time for an upgrade I guess.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Ballhead.html

LuvMyTSX

Thanks, I already ordered everything, though.

Rebel XT w/o grip

Lenses:
28-105mm
85mm
70-200 mm f/2.8L IS

jupitersolo

That's what scares me, the fear of seeing a few thousand dollars worth are gear going down.

Dan Martin

You don't want to buy based on weight specs alone, because they are very misleading. There are no standards for testing weight load, so I could release a head tomorrow that claims to hold 150lbs and that would be just as legitimate as what some of the other manufacturers quote.

It comes down to user experience, and heads that are supposed to be in the same class may vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Essentially, there are 3 classes of ballheads:
1) lightweight heads that hold a short lens and body (Markins Q3, RRS BH-25, etc.)
2) middleweight heads that hold a body, and up to a 400 f/5.6 or maybe 300 f/2.8 (Acratech V2, RRS BH-40, Markins M10)
3) heavyweight heads for super-teles and large format gear (RRS-55, Arca-Swiss Z1, etc.)

You never want to use too small of a head, but going to too large of a head isn't very good either. You'd be spending more and carrying a lot of extra weight for little gain. Heads that are too light for the job will tend to slip and also be very imprecise for small movements. Being able to slightly tweak the camera position is a key function of the head and this is where you can separate the good heads from the bad.

Matching the head to the legs is also very important. It doesn't make sense to use an oversized head on an undersized set of legs, and vice-versa.

The Acratech V2 is a great middleweight head and the Manfrotto 055 Magfiber legs are a good match. Not many manufacturers use flip-locks on their high-end legs, so if you prefer that style over the twist locks, Manfrotto does a good job.

itrhybrid

iTrader: (1)

Oh trust me, with it locked down, it's not going anywhere. It's just keeping it trained on my focus point that I want.

LuvMyTSX

I just took a couple quick pics with the camera on the new tripod....




Thanks guys!

moeronn

How quickly we forget the rule:

Pics first, post second.

I forget that rule all the time.

LuvMyTSX

^

Actually, they're not all that interesting. Just a couple around the house and one of my dad in front of the computer.

But, depending on how the weather is tomorrow, I may go out and take some pics of houses with xmas lights in my neighborhood. We're supposed to get about 1-3 inches of snow though, so it depends on when that ends.

That actually reminds me of a question I wanted to ask a while ago. How much snow/moisture can a camera/lens take? Obviously I wouldn't go out in pouring rain, but is a little snow ok? I know my camera didn't like ~28-30 degree weather 2 weekends ago when I was out taking my snow pics at the canal - it kept freezing and I had to turn it off and back on again several times.

moeronn

I probably shouldn't have, but I was shooting in London when there was a light rain and it was in the high 30's low 40's. You're probably better off shooting in the snow, if the snow is fairly light and doesn't "stick" to your camera. Just be careful going from warm to cold and cold to warm - you'll get condensation inside the lens/body.

LuvMyTSX

Thanks, Moe. That's what I figured. I also read somewhere about putting your equipment in a plastic bag (until it equalizes the temp) when you go out into the cold so you don't get condensation, but I haven't really seen anything about shooting in snow.

jupitersolo

^^ I've read where people going to indoor gardens and having to wait like 30 minutes or so for the camera to adjust to the temp and humidity.

moeronn

FWIW, just going from inside our airconditioned room in Jamaica to the balcony where it was ~82 degrees with 90+% humidity caused my lenses to fog up. Took about 15 minutes to clear up. Another reason I didn't shoot too much with the 30D.

LuvMyTSX

Wow, needs a good amount of time to adjust I guess.

Billiam

As Moe's example illustrates, condensation forms on cold objects when they are taken into someplace warmer. You generally can take warm objects into colder temperatures without any concern for condensation.