Manfrotto confusion

Deleted

Senior Member
I am looking for a tripod & am considering the Manfrotto range. Unfortunately the range looks large & confusing with no useful comparison or advice on their website.

Usage: Close-up & macro work both indoors & on location. Occasional landscape use.

Weight: D610 + 105mm f2.8 micro + flash (1600kg+flash) or D610 + 16-35mm f4 (1530kg)

Budget: £200-£300

I checked the models 055 & 190 on their website & can't really see any difference between the two ranges. Within those two models, I like the horizontal column feature, which I think would be useful with macro work.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
The point is that the 055 is a little more sturdy, with legs and column diameters slightly larger (3 to 5 mm larger, all leg sections and center column).

The 190 is less so, not as sturdy or capable.

I cannot find where Manfrotto shows these specs now, but here is another chart that shows their numbers

Tripod Manfrotto Pro 055 XPROB vs Manfrotto 190 XPROB tripods - oldshutterhand.com

Manfrotto does say, at 055 Series - Tripods - Photo | Manfrotto

the 055 is the best option for size, weight and stability

The 055 range is designed to offer the best performance not only to the keen amateur and pro users, but also to make available Manfrotto’s top quality and precision to advanced hobbyists particularly the aluminium version.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
... the 055 is the best option for size, weight and stability

The 055 range is designed to offer the best performance not only to the keen amateur and pro users, but also to make available Manfrotto’s top quality and precision to advanced hobbyists particularly the aluminium version.
Based on my experience I would have to agree. The Manfrotto 055XPROB is the best tripod I've owned and worth every penny.

As for heads, I'm currently using an 3-Legged Thing AirHed 2, but the AirHed 1 would probably serve just as well and costs less. I've been seeing some Oben BE-117 ballheads on campus lately, and they're quite nice as well; I can suggest them easily based on my limited exposure to them. Both of these are Arca Swiss-compatible ballheads and, having used Manfrotto ballheads in the past, I now prefer the Arca Swiss type.

....
 

WayneF

Senior Member
So ball heads, rather than a 3-way?

Ball heads are a popular choice, but a good ball head is pricy. A cheap ball head is no fun at all (sticky, jerky, slips, etc).

I'm not sure this is suitable beginners advice, but my notion is this. If the camera is in normal horizontal landscape orientation, either a pan head (3 way) or a ball head can be aimed. Pan head has a longer lever, which sometimes can be a plus, where ball head, you just aim the camera (using its lens and viewfinder). At one time, I thought a pan head was perfectly fine, I had used one for decades, and I could not imagine any real advantage of the ball head. And certainly, the pan head is greatly better for a video camera, but ball heads can sort of pan (a tilted pan is a problem).

Either one seems fine for normal horizontal landscape use. For rotated vertical camera portrait orientation, the camera is hanging over the side of the mount. With a heavy lens (24-70mm is what did me in, and greatly changed my needs and opinion), on the friction plate, the camera tends to slip around its own tripod screw, and so the lens droops down, and you cannot keep it aimed at the subject. Its friction surface slips from the weight of the lens. The mount needs more than a friction mount, it needs a mount with blocking ridges which actually bind and hold the camera.

A macro lens is probably not normally in this heavy lens class. And like a 70-200 mm lens has its mounting foot (it rotates to stay on top), not a problem. But the 24-70, with no foot, was a really big problem for me.

Or... ideally, either head needs a L-bracket, mounting either horizontal or vertical - either way - where you simply quickly rotate and remount the camera on its other edge, but always still directly over the tripod mount. Not hanging over the side to slip and droop. Then down is the one direction it cannot slip.

(there may be a few exceptions, but) the good L-brackets have Arca Swiss mounts (sort of a universal dovetail V slot mount, cannot slip). Ball heads do accept Arca Swiss plates. Pan heads typically don't, they are either friction or proprietary (Manfrotto does have one new ball version that does use Arca Swiss plates, but most of theirs don't).

So my 24-70 in portrait orientation made a L-plate, and thus Arca Swiss, and thus a ball head, mandatory. And, it turns out that a good ball head is a pleasure.
 
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Felisek

Senior Member
I have an old Manfrotto Carbon One 443. It is very similar to 055 and I believe it was its predecessor. I've been using this for almost 20 years and it has never failed me. Tells you something how robust these things are.
 

Vixen

Senior Member
I've got the 190XPROB with an 804RC2 head. OK...it's fairly large and being metal not as light as the carbon. I'm small and not exactly strong and I do not find it any problem to carry in one hand while clambering over rocks, tree stumps etc. I've also used it in a howling wind with no problems. It gets to stand in both salt and fresh water and is continually on the beach. I just pull it all apart every so often and give it a good clean and lubrication.

Macro work......I don't use my tripod for anything living that moves. By the time I got set up anything living would be well gone. You might want to invest in a macro slide for your tripod if you are going to use it in the field. Minute adjustments are not something I can do with tripod alone and with macro, you need minute adjustment capability :D
 
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