My First Tripod

[meyer0095]

Hi,
I have recently been doing a lot of research on tripods and think I am almost set on what I will be getting.

For legs I think I am pretty set on either the 055XB or 055XPROB. I can't figure out the specific differences besides for the price, could anyone explain that to me please?

For heads, I really am undecided. I keep thinking I want this one and then learn about another one, there are just so many I can't really decided. I have narrowed it down to the 496RC2 and the 498 RC2.

What are the differences between those two and what are the differences between them and their former models: the 486RC2 and the 488RC2?

Do you have any other heads to recommend? It seems like these are the most popular for my price range. I am pretty set on a ball head with quick release which all of them have.

I have also read that some say the quick release isn't secure enough. Does anyone have any experiences with that?

I am shooting with a D5000 at the moment with a kit lens (18mm-55mm), my next purchase after this tripod will probably be a 55mm-200mm. It probably weighs 5 pounds at most all together or so.

I will be using this to shoot landscape photography, so I need a pretty balanced level of mobility vs stability. I will possibly be doing some portraits, but very rarely.

So to recap:

Legs:
055XB - $115
055XPROB - $160
Head:
496RC2 - $85
498RC2 $110

My budget for combined is $200 - $250 ish.

If you read through all of this thank you very much. Any help is greatly appreciated. I would be so lost without any of your help.

 

[tirediron]

These are all good choices. I would go for the PRO legs; the difference is the ability to set the centre column at 90 degrees to the leg axis for macro and close-up work. With the heads, definitely go with the 498; the differnce is that it has an adustable friction control which will allow you control how easily the ball moves when unlocked. This is very useful for preventing a camera, especially with a longer lens from taking a nose-dive when you unlock the ball to make an adjustment.

As far as the QR, I'm NOT a fan of the RC2 system. It's just a little too small and fiddly for my tastes. I use the RC6 system for all of my heads. It's larger, sturdier, easier to work with cold hands or gloves on (I find), it will go on any way (as opposed to having to get the RC2 plates exactly right - tough when it's dark) and also has the benefit of being solid enough for my MF gear.

 

[KmH]

I'm a real Giottos tripod fan. I feel they offer a bit better value.

All 3 legs have padded grips, they come with a padded carry case and a tool kit.

Have a look at the MT line, like the MT-9361 or MT-9371. GIOTTO'S-Professional Photographic Equipment

I'm a 3-way pan/tilt fan myself.

 

[Vinny]

I too am looking at tripods, I did look at the Manfrotto 055XPROB. The 055XPROB has an articulating center column where the other looks like it has a center column that can reversed. IMO the articulating arm is probably more useful.

As for heads - I have an old, cheap tripod with a pan head on it and it works good enough. It certainly isn't a high quality head like what's out there today, although at a lower price I don't know how good any head is. I was tempted to get another better quality pan head but I will be going for a ball head when I do get the tripod. I'm thinking that with an articulating arm the pan head may not have it's full range at certain angles of the arm. I would get a head that can handle a lot more weight then the camera/lens combo is. The heads I'm looking at are rated for 40 lbs ... they're most likely over rated but a 6 lb camera/lens should be within it's limits.