Post your latest purchases.

[hark]

I learned using a pistol grip that had a Bogen quick release plate. I had a huge 3 axis head, but I never got used to it. I really liked the Bogen plate because I could easily and quickly put my camera on it and remove it. They still make the plate, so I am considering getting something and adding that plate to it. I just need to make a decision, which is difficult when I can't see the darned things in person.

Was it the 6 or 8 sided plate? I liked those. Initially the kind I mentioned used cork. But eventually Bogen replaced the cork with rubber.

 

[Dawg Pics]

Was it the 6 or 8 sided plate? I liked those. Initially the kind I mentioned used cork. But eventually Bogen replaced the cork with rubber.

The 3 axis had a hex plate with cork. It was pretty easy to use.

 

[hark]

The 3 axis had a hex plate with cork. It was pretty easy to use.

This is the kind with the rubber grip on the plate. These held up really well!

 

[Dawg Pics]

Yeah, those plates are well make with good metal too. I don't care for the aluminum alloy plates too much. These were heavy.

 

[Ijustwant1]

Ordered a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2 weeks ago. Adorama was sold out of the pro kit that had all the accessories in one package so I had to piece it together which came out to be almost $100 more than the pro kit. Shipping was slow, despite paying an extra 15 bucks, ground was the only option for some reason. It arrived last Friday, the day we left to go on our camping trip so I tossed all the boxes in my bag and left. No practice, no reading pesky owners manuals, just the videos I watched on youtube to rely on out in the middle of nowhere in the dark. There is a ton more to learn with this thing, but I am happy with the results and very happy with this purchase.

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Hey that’s a great shot I’m thinking of getting one do you still like it?

 

[Blue439]

iFootage monopod

Amazon.co.uk

www.amazon.co.uk

Patrick, that monopod looks nice! iFootage seems to be a good brand. I know of a UK pro photographer who uses one of their tripods and he’ happy with it. I did buy a monopod a couple of years ago, not because I was planning on using it regularly but because I needed a trick to “beat the system” and use it in some Italian churches where I anticipated tripods would be prohibited —and it worked! Because I am adverse to those lever things that pinch fingers and prefer rotating rings, I got a Neewer T222C (see here) on which I attached a small Neewer ball head (see here). Both are of impeccable quality, as is usually the case with Neewer products:

That said, the new Cobra 3 looks fun... maybe a bit complicated but it sure does seem to do a lot of things, if you need them!

 

[Blue439]

I am more concerned with the folded length of the pod than weight. Having said that, being in my 70s, I don't want to increase the weight of my backpack by too much (it's already up to 20+ lbs), but even a 5 lb pod would be OK. The biggest issue for me is that a tripod that starts getting too much more than 14" folded becomes too cumbersome to fit properly on my backpack.

Clovis, the tripod I use as a “travel” one is the Gitzo GT0545T. It is a very sturdy and stable little guy, but of course I understand that “very sturdy” is a subjective assessment in the light of my own experience and standards. On it is a Gitzo ball head with an impossibly moronic name: GH1382TQD. It is an impeccable head in all respects, but you will be able to find a smaller and lighter model, like for example the Neewer I pictured above. For your information, the tripod weighs 1175g with that ball head, and once folded, it measures 36,5 centimeters long. That measurement would not change with a smaller ball head as the tripod folds “head over heels” with its legs reversed.

 

[Clovishound]

Looks like a nice tripod. That's more than I'd be comfortable spending on an occasional use piece of gear.

 

[Blue439]

Looks like a nice tripod. That's more than I'd be comfortable spending on an occasional use piece of gear.

Understood. Still, if what you get fails you whenever you “occasionally” use it, you will not be happy...

 

[Blue439]

All right. I have been struck again by a violent bout of NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrom, as you know). This time, it concerns a truly lovely piece of glass, the Nikkor Z 135mm, ƒ/1.8 S Plena. I have had three 135s before, first the older Nikon Nikkor 135mm f/2 D with “Defocus Control” which I used on my DSLRs, then a Zeiss Apo-Sonnar that got stolen, and finally a Sigma Art which I sold shortly after I moved to mirrorless. I have sort of been wanting to fill that gap again but never set my mind to it, really.

Now, I have seen or read several trusty reviews and I feel the attack of NAS coming on strongly... Not sure yet what I should do... Well, no, I’m quite sure what I should do, just not sure what I will do... Mama, I do so love gorgeous glass...!

 

[Patrick M]

Patrick, that monopod looks nice! iFootage seems to be a good brand. I know of a UK pro photographer who uses one of their tripods and he’ happy with it. I did buy a monopod a couple of years ago, not because I was planning on using it regularly but because I needed a trick to “beat the system” and use it in some Italian churches where I anticipated tripods would be prohibited —and it worked! Because I am adverse to those lever things that pinch fingers and prefer rotating rings, I got a Neewer T222C (see here) on which I attached a small Neewer ball head (see here). Both are of impeccable quality, as is usually the case with Neewer products:

View attachment 411838

View attachment 411839

That said, the new Cobra 3 looks fun... maybe a bit complicated but it sure does seem to do a lot of things, if you need them!

The latest version has a new mechanism to extend it …the Cobra Strike!

 

[Blue439]

Darn...! I succumbed.

 

[bluzman]

My new truck. Ok, ok...it's not camera gear per se but, hey, it can carry a lot of it.

 

[Clovishound]

Just think of how much Nikon equipment you could have bought with what you paid for something that just gets you from point A to point B.

 

[bluzman]

Just think of how much Nikon equipment you could have bought with what you paid for something that just gets you from point A to point B.

I already own lots of Nikon gear (6 cameras, 20+ lenses). Besides that, in Texas, buying a new truck is always an acceptable expenditure.

 

[Clovishound]

I'm still driving my 25 yr old car so I can afford to have some Nikon equipment.

My camera bag contents is worth several times more than my car. It's all about priorities.

 

[Peter7100]

My new truck. Ok, ok...it's not camera gear per se but, hey, it can carry a lot of it.

View attachment 412221

Congratulations on your new purchase and hope you have many happy miles of driving.

 

[blackstar]

Congratulations on your new purchase and hope you have many happy miles of driving.

+ one!

 

[Blue439]

To complement the recently acquired Plena (of which I hope I can find the time to take a portrait shot soon), and upon weighing the beast in real life, I immediately bought this lens collar on Amazon. Should be delivered on Friday, it’s coming from England. It will fit the 105 macro, too. I already have iShoot products; despite being Chinese, they are good quality (and not particularly affordable, besides!). It has an Arca-Swiss foot so it will fit all my tripods, and the Plena is so heavy that I will be relieved not to have to impose that stress on the bayonet mount whenever I install it for any length of time on a tripod.

EDIT: arrived today, one day early. Amazon is the best!

 

[Blue439]

And here we go, hot off the press...

I took the opportunity to test the lens collar on the 105 macro, it indeed worked a charm.

Nikon Z7 II, Micro-Nikkor Z MC 105mm, ƒ/2.8 S macro lens. Gitzo tripod, Arca-Swiss Cube C1 geared head. Flash lighting (3 lights). Composite made of 6 focus-stacked exposures, set using the built-in function on the camera. Stack processed with Helicon Focus.