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Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:26 pm
by George James
Steve wrote:I just ordered one of these...
Wonderful, thank you!

I think something like that is what I'm looking for.

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:41 pm
by kimo
George James wrote:
Steve wrote:I just ordered one of these...
Wonderful, thank you!

I think something like that is what I'm looking for.
Along those lines...I like ballheads...so this Slik has been on my mind...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... II_GM.html

Weighs 1.72 lb. I have no experience with it but it's on my wishlist.

I have a large carbon fiber tripod with ballhead that weighs around 3 lb but it's tall even with legs retracted and doesn't fit nicely on a daypack. My go to camera support nowadays is a carbon fiber monopod with ballhead that I pretty much carry everywhere. Maybe weighs a lb or two and retracts real nice for carry in the side pocket of my pack. Could a monopod be a viable option for your needs?

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 1:19 pm
by mattpayne11
I got lucky, to be honest.

I purchased a Gitzo G1348 Inter Pro Studex Mk2 Carbon Fiber Tripod with the center column, including a Arca Swiss B1 ballhead. I got it all for $150... brand new it would have cost me like $1200...

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:33 pm
by rking007
mattpayne11 wrote:I got lucky, to be honest.

I purchased a Gitzo G1348 Inter Pro Studex Mk2 Carbon Fiber Tripod with the center column, including a Arca Swiss B1 ballhead. I got it all for $150... brand new it would have cost me like $1200...
:wft: :faint:

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:41 pm
by RoanMtnMan
Nice setup Steve! My e-510 and the same lenses have been kind to me for the price and weight. Ashamed that I have been snobbish enough to leave them at home so much the last few years. It is really an awesome setup for backcountry photography. Though I have to mention, I hear that Olympus is turning their focus away from DSLR equip. Which is sad given their superior glass.

For mid range DSLR stabilization, my Benro A0691TB00 Travel Angel has offered respectable performance to weight to cost ratio (can you have 3 numbers in a ratio?). At less than $200, 2.9lbs, and a 13lbs holding weight I feel it is a good value. It also has a detachable monopod which solves a lot of daylight shooting conundrums perfectly. The gorillapods are still on my dislike list for what I like to shoot. I've been down that road and it is frustrating. Good topic GJ.

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:54 am
by Leigh
I got this one last year for my SLR - so far, I'm pretty happy with it
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... II_GM.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I originally bought it for a 4 day raft trip and needed to make sure it would fit in a dry bag, so size was my main requirement, followed by price being under $100.

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 11:21 am
by George James
kimo wrote:...this Slik has been on my mind...
Thanks! Looks like this one has been recommended twice now. Sifting through the hundreds of tripods offered on sites like B&H seemed a slightly daunting task. These recommendations have helped a lot.
kimo wrote:Could a monopod be a viable option for your needs?
Just based on reading a couple tripod vs. monopod discussions around the interwebs, I don't think a monopod is what I'm looking for.

That shouldn't stop anyone from posting up some of their favorite monopods though, or anything at all related to camera stand use. Never meant for this to be only about what I'm currently interested in.

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 1:47 pm
by Steve Gio
RoanMtnMan wrote:Nice setup Steve! My e-510 and the same lenses have been kind to me for the price and weight. Ashamed that I have been snobbish enough to leave them at home so much the last few years. It is really an awesome setup for backcountry photography. Though I have to mention, I hear that Olympus is turning their focus away from DSLR equip. Which is sad given their superior glass.
.
Yeah, I don't want to start an Olympus thread but that kinda sucks. I wanted to upgrade to the e-620 for the I.S. but no such luck.

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 2:16 pm
by RoanMtnMan
Steve Gio wrote:
RoanMtnMan wrote:Nice setup Steve! My e-510 and the same lenses have been kind to me for the price and weight. Ashamed that I have been snobbish enough to leave them at home so much the last few years. It is really an awesome setup for backcountry photography. Though I have to mention, I hear that Olympus is turning their focus away from DSLR equip. Which is sad given their superior glass.
.
Yeah, I don't want to start an Olympus thread but that kinda sucks. I wanted to upgrade to the e-620 for the I.S. but no such luck.
I have an e-5 and a e-620 as well. The e-620 is by far my favorite for backcountry photos.

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:25 pm
by Steve Gio
This is the thing that kills me. I would like the e-620. The body when available was going for $600. Can't get it now but to replace with a mirrorless of similar capabilities is over a grand. WTF? Or I can get the e-5. Sorry this has nothing to do with tri pods but why put out such a great group of cameras one year then drop the entire line?

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:07 pm
by Mark Curtis
kimo wrote:
Along those lines...I like ballheads...so this Slik has been on my mind...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... II_GM.html

Weighs 1.72 lb. I have no experience with it but it's on my wishlist.
Kimo, I have this tripod (sans the quick release and the foam) and it's awesome! I've had it for years with no issues whatsoever (and I shoot almost exclusively in rugged mountain terrain). It's so compact and easy to get in and out of my Jeep....as well as pack down nicely for hiking. The ballhead is small, but it's tough as nails. I use it for my DSLR's, which are relatively small and light (for DSLR's)......but still heavy enough to test it out.

The only cons are minor nits.....the compact size comes at the expense of full stand up height (but I usually am very low when shooting anyway), and when using a larger camera like a DLSR it will bump into the legs when shooting in portrait. The latter is usually easily rectified by shifting the tripod legs around (they expand or contract besides extend or retract).....I do it almost without thinking about it at this point.

Re: Tripod Thread

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:22 pm
by RoanMtnMan
Steve Gio wrote:This is the thing that kills me. I would like the e-620. The body when available was going for $600. Can't get it now but to replace with a mirrorless of similar capabilities is over a grand. WTF? Or I can get the e-5. Sorry this has nothing to do with tri pods but why put out such a great group of cameras one year then drop the entire line?
You can still get e-620's new on Ebay for around $500. It is all going mirrorless in the future though. If you are only one body and a couple of lenses in on Olympus, I would switch to Canon or Nikon. I selfishly hope Olympus fails on their focus switch to micro 4/3rds. I doubt that will be the case though. I am 3 bodies and 6 lenses deep. Sorry for the hijack GJ.