Help with new Tripod purchase !?!?

D

Daz

Senior Member
So I have been using a Vanguard Espod CX 204AGH tripod with GH-20 Grip Head

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with my D3300 but now I have moved up to Full Frame with the D600 I need to up my Tripod too !!

I am finding the head creeps down when using it in Portrait mode.

I have been looking at getting a 3 Legged Thing Evolution 3 Punks

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Does anyone know if this is a good jump and if this would be sturdy enough with my D600 and something like a 70-200 2.8, up or is there something else I should be looking at ?

I am happy to budget up to £200 (so about $300)

Whats your recommendations guys I am stumped ?!?!
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Daz said:
I have been looking at getting a 3 Legged Thing Evolution 3 Punks

View attachment 189671

Does anyone know if this is a good jump and if this would be sturdy enough with my D600 and something like a 70-200 2.8, up or is there something else I should be looking at?

I am happy to budget up to £200 (so about $300)

Whats your recommendations guys I am stumped ?!?!
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I have a tripod very similar in design to the one pictured and I'll tell you it's a very nice tripod but, as is so often the case, it all depends. I love my similar tripod because it's light and insanely compact. For getting shots where all I really need is something to hold the camera, and my shutter speed will be high, a tripod like this will, probably, be fine. Where tripods like this have failed me, though, is when I'm doing long exposure shots: In my experience they're simply not stable enough for this. Those slender little legs just can't take the weight and buck the wind and what not like their bigger, heavier brethren. For example, take a look at this shot of mine; that was a three-second exposure taken last week. To get that shot I first tried with a tripod that looks strikingly similar to the one you are considering and the results were horrible. You'd have thought I was shooting in the middle of an earth-quake. I was trying to shorten my exposure time by upping the ISO and/or opening my shutter but nothing was working the shots were absolutely terrible.

I finally sucked it up, trudged back to the car (about a quarter mile, mind you) and walked back to the spot with my big, heavy, Manfrotto 055XPROB fitted out with a Three Legged Thing Airhed II ball-head over my shoulder. I set everything up just like before and... Nailed the shot on the first attempt. I shot it four or five more times just to make it feel like the trip to the car was worth it.

So, again... It depends. What do you intend to DO with your new tripod? If want to do things like night shots, HDR, time lapse, etc. I would strongly suggest you save your pennies for a big, heavy-ass Manfrotto 055XPROB or something similar thereto.
 
D

Daz

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
So, again... It depends. What do you intend to DO with your new tripod? If want to do things like night shots, HDR, time lapse, etc. I would strongly suggest you save your pennies for a big, heavy-ass Manfrotto 055XPROB or something similar thereto.
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Thanks for the reply !! I guess I should have added what i intend to use it for !!

It is like you say going to be used for long exposures be that night shots, light painting, astro etc. So I need something pretty heavy duty but I also I need it to be portable. I have seen tripods with the hooks underneath so you can use your bag as a weight and one of those would come in handy.

Im just looking at what others are using and what I could possibly look at before purchasing the wrong one :)

I like the look of the Manfrotto 055XPROB, how heavy is it to carry around ?
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Daz said:
Thanks for the reply !! I guess I should have added what i intend to use it for !!

It is like you say going to be used for long exposures be that night shots, light painting, astro etc. So I need something pretty heavy duty but I also I need it to be portable. I have seen tripods with the hooks underneath so you can use your bag as a weight and one of those would come in handy.

Im just looking at what others are using and what I could possibly look at before purchasing the wrong one :)
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Oh I understand where you're coming from... We all want a tripod that's super-sturdy, totally stable, light as a feather and dirt cheap! I'm totally there with you.

I'll also tell you of all the photography advice I've gotten over the years, most of which I did not bother to listen to, some of the best was to invest in a REALLY GOOD tripod and ball head right from the start; too just suck up the cost and put it behind me, I'd be glad I did. Well, I didn't... And I wound up spending hundreds of dollars, needlessly, on several tripods that were always almost good enough but never quite.

Good luck on your hunt!
 
D

Daz

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
I'll also tell you of all the photography advice I've gotten over the years, most of which I did not bother to listen to, some of the best was to invest in a REALLY GOOD tripod and ball head right from the start

Good luck on your hunt!
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Yup I have had my Vanguard for a while so it has done me well !! But now I need advice on where to go next :)

I like the look of the Manfrotto I can get the legs for around £140, there is then the Pro head for £90, what do you think about this head Paul ?

https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/Manfrotto-X-PRO-3-Way-Head/MNMHXPRO3W

Is there any legs that Manfrotto do that have the rigidity of the 055X that are twist lock instead of the clips ?


EDIT ::

Just been looking and what do you think of this setup ? Is there any way to work out how sturdy the legs would be

Legs : https://www.manfrotto.co.uk/products/supports/tripod-legs/190-go-tripod

Head : https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/Manfrotto-293D3-Q2-Three-Way-Photo-Head/MH293D3Q2
 
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B

Bill16

Senior Member
Gitzo makes some awesome tripods, but they tend to be a higher end brand. But you can find some pretty great Gitzo tripod used on eBay sometimes! I have two right now, and paid $400.00 for one aluminum and $600.00 for the great carbon fiber version of the same tripod! :)
The downside is often they come without a ball head, and a good ball head can be just as important. My ARCA SWISS Z1 ball runs $400.00 all on it's own.

So though I highly recommend buying the best tripod and ball head you can, the Manfrotto brand my buddy HF recommends might be easier on your budget while still getting the job done! Lol :)
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I knew I had some of these shots around here somewhere... Remember how I told you I wasn't getting good shots with my small, compact tripod, how I said my shots were looking like they were taken in during an earthquake? I just had to dig a little bit to find one of those pics.

This is what you can expect from a tripod that is not up to the task:
......
Waterfront.jpg
 
M

Moab Man

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
I knew I had some of these shots around here somewhere... Remember how I told you I wasn't getting good shots with my small, compact tripod, how I said my shots were looking like they were taken in during an earthquake? I just had to dig a little bit to find one of those pics.

This is what you can expect from a tripod that is not up to the task:
......
View attachment 189751
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Makes me want to break out some 3D glasses.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Daz said:
EDIT ::

Just been looking and what do you think of this setup ? Is there any way to work out how sturdy the legs would be

Legs : https://www.manfrotto.co.uk/products/supports/tripod-legs/190-go-tripod

Head : https://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/Manfrotto-293D3-Q2-Three-Way-Photo-Head/MH293D3Q2
Click to expand...
My honest opinion is that the 190go! is Manfrotto's version of the MeFoto Road trip, the Evo 3, et al. and while I think these are dandy little tripods, I think of them much like I do owning a two-seater roadster: Something I take out on a clear, sunny Sunday afternoon for a fun little tool-about-town, not as something I intend to do serious work with.

More to the point... The first thing I look at on a tripod is the bottom leg section. That's literally where the rubber meets the road and is a huge indicator of the degree of overall stability we can expect from a tripod. All of the aforementioned tripods have really, really thin bottom leg sections if you look at them. I'm not saying this Manfrotto isn't a dandy little tripod, I'm sure it is. But from what you're telling me, you need a "Standard Tripod": a basic, no bulls--t "pickup truck" of a tripod. Yes, it will weigh more than these cute little two-seater convertibles you're looking at now but in my opinion, and that's all this is, that's what you need. Yes it sometimes sucks hauling a tripod around but find a good bag for it, one with a decent shoulder strap, and life with a tripod ain't so bad.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
hark said:
But won't a lightweight carbon fiber tripod yield the same results if it isn't weighted down? In fact, any tripod, yes (if not properly stabilized)?
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My overarching point, really, is that small, compact tripods are simply not as stable as their larger, heavier counterparts.

I know you can use the hook and hang something like your camera bag from it to weigh things down but the idea of needing to stabilize my stabilizer seems a tad counter-intuitive to me. And what about those times I don't WANT to lug my whole bag around with me? Do I strap sandbags to my belt? I'm no fashion maven but I think I'd look silly like that. Not too mention how often I shoot without pants on...

Okay, all joking aside, if you're the type to lug say 15 lbs. of gear in your bag so you can stabilize your tripod, then by all means, go to for the cute, two-seater convertible tripod; just be aware of it's limitations (like doing a 3-second exposure from a concrete pier). I have one, and I do use it, but my big, heavy Manfrotto tripod has taken countless 30-sec exposures (and longer) without ever needing any kind of additional stabilization. I guess, really, that's my basic point.
 
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D

Daz

Senior Member
So I thought I updated this thread but I must have forgot !!

I ended up going with the legs I was thinking of ( the Manfrotto 055XPROB Legs) but I ended up upgrading the head to the Manfrotto X-Pro 3-way head my reasoning around this was because of the friction knobs on the side where I can change the tightness of the movement to make it a lot easier, after playing with the normal one it was too wobbly without the friction knobs.

As I said before I have the PD capture clips and as such the plate from Peak Design would not work on this head, I found the best workaround for me was to buy another capture and mount it straight to the head.

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hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Daz said:
So I thought I updated this thread but I must have forgot !!

I ended up going with the legs I was thinking of ( the Manfrotto 055XPROB Legs) but I ended up upgrading the head to the Manfrotto X-Pro 3-way head my reasoning around this was because of the friction knobs on the side where I can change the tightness of the movement to make it a lot easier, after playing with the normal one it was too wobbly without the friction knobs.

As I said before I have the PD capture clips and as such the plate from Peak Design would not work on this head, I found the best workaround for me was to buy another capture and mount it straight to the head.
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I'm not sure if that is the exact Manfrotto head I have, but I had a terrible time switching from horizontal to vertical. The handles got in the way. The store special ordered it in for me so they weren't much help. After searching online, I found the arms extend and retract. Duh! :rolleyes:
 
D

Daz

Senior Member
hark said:
I'm not sure if that is the exact Manfrotto head I have, but I had a terrible time switching from horizontal to vertical. The handles got in the way. The store special ordered it in for me so they weren't much help. After searching online, I found the arms extend and retract. Duh! :rolleyes:
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Haha Hark !! That is funny, I believe both this head and the 804RX2 (which is very similar in design just doesn't have the friction controls) both have retractable levers.

I went to the shop and pushed and pulled the one they had on display so I worked out the levers pretty quickly
 
K

Kevin H

Senior Member
Daz said:
So I thought I updated this thread but I must have forgot !!

I ended up going with the legs I was thinking of ( the Manfrotto 055XPROB Legs) but I ended up upgrading the head to the Manfrotto X-Pro 3-way head my reasoning around this was because of the friction knobs on the side where I can change the tightness of the movement to make it a lot easier, after playing with the normal one it was too wobbly without the friction knobs.

As I said before I have the PD capture clips and as such the plate from Peak Design would not work on this head, I found the best workaround for me was to buy another capture and mount it straight to the head.

View attachment 192009

View attachment 192010
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My new Capture pro fit's my RC2 head no problem with the shipped attachment plates for the sides
 
D

Daz

Senior Member
Kevin H said:
My new Capture pro fit's my RC2 head no problem with the shipped attachment plates for the sides
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No such luck for me :(

On my head it is far too small even with the extra plates on it, I took my capture plate up with me to the shop to try it out before buying it but it was a no go (hence I brought a standard capture to go on my Everyday Messenger bag from Peak Design (as it doesn't need the tripod mount on a bag and I have the Capture pro on the tripod ))

I didn't expect it to work, they say on their website it works with most RC2 heads and even have a yes/no table with model numbers, mine isn't an RC2 head and it said no on the website :)

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