Talk Me Out of It... (Tripod)

WhiskeyTango · Feb 26, 2012

So I spent the weekend watching a CreativeLive webinar on maternity and baby photography. The instructor was Sandy Puc'.

I have to say I was incredibly impressed, both with the CreativeLive concept and Sandy as an instructor.

Before this weekend, I knew I desparately needed to invest in upgrading my tripod/ballhead. I had been considering Gitzo, Manfrotto, and Giotto for legs, and Arca Swiss, Really Right Stuff, and Kirk Industries for a ball head. But after watching Sandy Puc' shoot all weekend with Manfrotto 058B legs and 222 Pisto Grip Head, I'm lusting hard... (for the equipment, lol)

Here's the quandry: I have not "narrowed" my photographic interests yet. I consider myself an advanced hobbyist with pro interests. I shoot portraiture, product, landscape, sports (kids), and family events. The 058B/222 combo would absolutely rock for portraiture in a controlled environment, but is far from ideal for my other interests...

I'm very interested in your thoughts on pros/cons or suggested alternatives...

baturn · Feb 26, 2012

I can not, in good conscience talk you out of a tool which is and has been part of photography since its very beginning.

480sparky · Feb 26, 2012

baturn said:
I can not, in good conscience talk you out of a tool which is and has been part of photography since its very beginning.

Ditto. Have one, good all-around tri is almost a necessity. Once you have one, you'll want more.

cgipson1 · Feb 26, 2012

If you need to upgrade.. go for it! But pick something that will suit the type of shooting you do, not something you saw someone else using! Don't care for the Pistol Grips myself.. prefer just a standard ballhead!

Timoris · Feb 26, 2012

Obtained a good Manfrotto leg and Head combo, I haven't looked back since. It's a good investment.

jamesbjenkins · Feb 26, 2012

Even a really good pistol grip will drift a few mm. I'd stick with an arca-swiss compatible ball head.

As for the brand and model...go with the absolute best you can afford. If you don't, you'll be upgrading a year or two down the road, and spending more $$ to get what you could have gotten the first time.

Take a good, hard look at Feisol. They're not a big player, but they're extremely well made and about half the price of a comparable Gitzo...

2WheelPhoto · Feb 26, 2012

I enjoy my carbon manfrotto a lot

WhiskeyTango · Feb 27, 2012

baturn said:
I can not, in good conscience talk you out of a tool which is and has been part of photography since its very beginning.

LOL! Ok.. I probably could have been clearer... (note to self: less whiskey, more tango)

I don't want anyone to talk me out of a tripod. I'm in. I'm all the way in. I don't believe in going cheap. I know myself. I'll hate it and chase the upgrade trail. I believe in doing my homework and getting it right on the first go.

What I want is to be talked out of the 058B legs and/or pistol grip.

I am in AWE of just how fast that setup can be repositioned, though. The quick release on the legs lets allows you to go from floor to ceiling in, oh, a second?

I'm currently shooting a lot of babies. That's mostly a coincidence of family and friends all having babies right now, but I find I enjoy it. A lot.

One of the keys to decent shots here, though, has been keeping the kid engaged. I HAVE to make and keep eye contact. I can't be buried behind the viewfinder. The tripod is a huge help, and the speed with which the 058/222 setup moves is the draw for me.

In posting all of this, what I'm hoping for is suggestions to other leg/head combinations that allow that speed/flexibility, but with greater travel-ability. I don't know if that compromise exists. If it doesn't, I'm pretty well sold. If it does, that's what I want to explore.

WhiskeyTango · Feb 27, 2012

jamesbjenkins said:
Take a good, hard look at Feisol. They're not a big player, but they're extremely well made and about half the price of a comparable Gitzo...

Noted! I will look them up.

TheBiles · Feb 27, 2012

Can't go wrong with Manfrotto.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

analog.universe · Feb 27, 2012

You should read this article: Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan

Your initial impulse to shop Gitzo, RRS, and Arcaswiss was a good one. Cheaping out on a tripod I can not recommend. The main job of a tripod is to be absolutely unshakably rock solid. As soon as you start going for pistol grips and super convenient and low cost and whatever else, you sacrifice the one thing you're actually buying the tripod for.

WhiskeyTango · Feb 27, 2012

analog.universe said:
You should read this article: Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan

Your initial impulse to shop Gitzo, RRS, and Arcaswiss was a good one. Cheaping out on a tripod I can not recommend. The main job of a tripod is to be absolutely unshakably rock solid. As soon as you start going for pistol grips and super convenient and low cost and whatever else, you sacrifice the one thing you're actually buying the tripod for.

That is a GREAT article. I read it for the first time a few weeks ago and absolutely agree with it.

Big Mike · Feb 27, 2012

I was going to recommend the article mentioned above.

That article (and others like it) can be a bit of a wake-up call. A really good tripod set-up can easily cost you $1800. That's probably A LOT more that you were figuring on spending...but it is what it is.

A good analogy that we would all understand is digital cameras. On non-photography forums, when most people talk about cameras, they compare the features of point & shoot camera, camera phones and bridge cameras. We sort of laugh at them and talk about DSLR cameras.
Well, most of the tripod discussions here, talk about $300 tripods & heads....but those who know about and use serious tripods, would laugh at our discussions.

Of course, it's plain to see that many of us don't need $1000 tripod and $500 heads, but there are some who do. And as that article points out, if you're going to get to that point eventually, you might as well go there first and save some money.

As for the pistol grip...I always though that they were cool looking and no doubt that they are quick & easy. But if you're trying to achieve maximum image quality, where the camera has to be as still as possible, they aren't a great tool. They don't tend to lock perfectly, and will have a tiny bit of play. But worse, when you need to to a vertical shot, you put the camera way outside the centre of gravity. This would also be bad for taking multiple shots for stitched panos.
But if you're mainly shooting kids, shutter speed probably won't be an issue (it needs to be fast anyway) so the tripod set-up you choose probably won't matter as much.

analog.universe · Feb 27, 2012

If it's relevant to your research, I use a Gitzo GT3531 with a Markins Q10 head, and they're both awesome. I've never felt the need for something "more convenient", that head is so precise and adjusts with a single knob, it's plenty fast for me. Even the weight of this setup is fine all day in the mountains, very impressive relative to it's stability.

I would suggest a set of spikey feet though, the rubber ones it comes with are a bit squishy.

Overread · Feb 27, 2012

The 055series legs are good legs - not the best and not the worst. The only thing I don't like about the newer make of them is that they have the central column set to horizontal whilst at low shooting heights. This sounds really neat till you try it and find that its just too wobbly when extended away from the middle - and if you have it close to the middle you end up with a 4th leg sticking out that you have to fiddle with.
Better are tripods where the middle column removes and a low height head is bolted pretty much right to the base of the legs itself. That works far better for low angle shooting - I think there is a newer 055 series that has this feature. Gitzo also use this feature - furthermore Gitzo are pretty much the top legs you can get. (if costing an arm and a leg).

Tripod head wise I've got a pistol grip and -- I don't like it. It's great for fast repositioning and for prime lenses, but if you've got a zoom or you want any manual focusing control whilst panning (as an example) you're sunk. This is because there is no lock on the grip - if you want pressure off you've got to keep gripping the trigger the whole time.
A lot of what tripod head you get depends on your interests - the Kirk/Arca Swiss type heads are often considered better because you can then use their quick release plate system (which is superior to the likes of manfrottos) - esp for big lenses). Again cost comes into it you can easily spend £300 on a ballhead and then need another £75 just for the plate to mount to it (and plates are designed to fit specific camera bodies or lenses its not totally universal).

In the end I'd say sit down and take a long think about things - esp if you want to be travelling (walking) with the gear. A lightweight and stable tripod will cost you a small fortune but the trade off is you're far more likely to actually use it. Good tripod heads are also very important - and again your interests will start to dictate what they should be.

Ps - http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-acratech-gv2-head/p1019787 is the ballhead I'd go for for a generalist use with a mind for heavier gear needing support (up to around 300mm f2.8 weight).