tombest

I assume you understand that your current camera is not a full-frame camera and that when/if you move to a full frame you will lose reach on your lenses. It might be helpful to know what lenses you have and what you typically shoot. If you are a birder or wildlife shooter, you should stay with a crop sensor camera. if you do mostly landscapes and family events, the full-frame is probably the better choice. You are currently experiencing the 1.5 crop effect on all your lenses and will gain width at the expense of reach if you go full-frame. I recently bought a D500 since wildlife is my primary target but I will NOT sell my D7200. It's that good of a camera. However... if you are accustomed to the hand room your camera gives you, you will find the D7200 pretty compact and much less roomy. Might be an issue if you have large hands. Tom

I chose to upload a newer pic. I recently got my hands on a D500 and a 200-500 f5.6. and have been having a lot of fun with it. Here is a little Basilisk I see frequently at a park I spend some of my lunch break at. Exceptionally colored little fellow and somewhat rarer than the brown versions. I think this guy is part dinosaur. Missed attaching the pic to the post. Pic below. Sorry.

<p>I'm coming to the party late but would like to offer a few observational experiences. I have owned four tripods throughout the years of my hobby... an aluminum Bogen 3021, an Induro CT214, an Induro C413 and now a Gitzo GT3542. I, like you, wanted light weight and stability. The Bogen was heavy and noisy but pretty stable. The Induro C413 was a beast. 6 pounds of stiffness but quite a bit to lug around. The Induro CT214 was almost perfect but a shade less stiff than I thought I wanted. The Gitzo is pretty much everything I wanted in a tripod. Very light for its weight rating @ 4ish pounds, Very stiff and made very well. Not as light as the Induro CT214 but stiffer.</p> <p>Would I buy the Gitzo again. Nope. Way too much money with absolutely no after-purchase support. I have tried three times to make contact with the company (2 towards Gitzo and once toward Manfrotto) with zero response other than the computer generated response, "Thank you for contacting..." If you need anything and your local supplier can't get it for you, you're out of luck. (B&H could not offer the part I was looking for.) It's a very nice tripod but too expensive to recommend in your situation.</p> <p>If the Induro CT214 was a shade stiffer, it would have been perfect. Very light and compact. And I learned a lesson from moving away from that tripod that I wish I had learned earlier. The tripod is only one part of the stability equation. I had two seemingly unrelated issues that I blamed the tripod for that had nothing to do with it.</p> <p>#1) I had battery grips attached to my cameras (D7000 & D7200) and neither provided rock solid stability due to a perceptible instability between the grip and the camera. I loved the feel of the camera with the grip but I was unable to consistently get vibration-free photos with the grips attached.</p> <p>#2) The mounting place attached to the camera makes a difference. I had been using mounting plates with a rubberized surface between the plate and the camera bottom (or grip bottom). The rubberized surface of the plate was also contributing to the movement I was experiencing. I settled on a Kirk metal mounting plate that can be converted to an 'L' bracket and got an immediate increase in stability. </p> <p>Now I know this doesn't address the issues you may have with your Neewer but the information might be helpful anyway. If the legs of your Neewer are pencil thin at the bottom, there is no way it can provide adequate wind resistance outdoors. Adding weight might help, but I suspect you purchased a tripod that isn't really stiff enough for what you wanted it for. </p> <p>Since you either live or frequent NYC, I recommend you stop in to B&H or Adorama and play with what they have on the floor. It will be a fun field trip and it might help guide you into a decision about what might best serve your needs going forward. And don't rule out a used tripod. People (like me) sell their old stuff as they buy new and you might find a deal.</p> <p>One last thing (if you're still tuned into the thread)... what camera and lenses are you supporting with your tripod? It might be helpful to find out how much support you actually need. A tripod's rated capacity and its ability to hold it <em>well</em> are two different animals.</p> <p>Tom</p>

<p>Jack, I have the D7200 and the 1st generation 70-200 f2.8. I agree with the others who recommend the combination. It has remarkable resolution and the complaint about being soft in the corners won't be an issue for you with DX. Good luck with your search.<br> Tom</p>

<p>Finally had a chance this weekend to wander out to the popular local wetland, Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach County. The rookeries are in full swing with the Great Egrets, Great Blues, Anhingas and Wood Storks all busy building nests or tending to their young. This Great Egret got up off it's nest for a moment to stretch its legs and look around before sitting back on the nest. They really are beautiful birds. with the delicate plumage and green band at their beak.</p> <p>Tom</p><div></div>

<p>oops</p><div></div>

<p>Edward, this worked out as well as I could have hoped for. The head sort of dwarfs the column but the lock-up is very good and there is zero movement. This GT3542 has a bit of a unique column grip. It tightens normally but when you go to loosen it, there is a moment when the collar lock nut feels as if it releases. A definitive change in the loosening tension that tells me that once locked, the column is very secure. And I find it odd that the 2-series Induro column fits the 3-series Gitzo. I'm not complaining but I would have thought it would have been marginally bigger in diameter. I included an iPhone shot of the column with my Nest gimbal head attached.</p> <p>Tom</p>

<p>News flash... I still have my short carbon column from my Induro CT214. Guess what? Same diameter, fits perfectly. Problem solved. Who knew? I'll have to invest in another spring-loaded hook for short column since the threads are different between the two but I can get 10 of them for the price of the Gitzo short column and B&H has them in stock.</p> <p>Thanks for the push to look in another direction.</p> <p>Tom</p>

<p>Thanks for the tip Edward(s). I suppose if I don't hear back from them soon and can't find a venue for the parts I want, I'll knuckle under and get the stem. Had I known any of this I would have looked elsewhere for a tripod. But the planets aligned for me to get the GT3542 with the Christmastime rebate and a standing credit at B&H. I cleared out two Induros to get this, a CT214 and a C413. The Gitzo seemed to be in the sweet spot for strength & weight and with the stem being removable from the head, I thought it a simple task to ready my gimbal for a swap-n-go. Not quite buyers remorse, but almost. I can GET things in two days from Amazon, but can't get a response from Gitzo in a week. Very sad.</p> <p>Tom</p>

<p>Thanks Edward, but that's not the issue. On this generation of Gitzos, the column is separate from the head mount and is removable by twisting a silver collar (in the pic is has teeth). The whole metal mount removes from the column (or the column removes from the mount) and typically you would do that to get to ground level. To the best of my knowledge there is no short column available and if there was it would still need to mate with the part I'm trying to get my hands on. This could be a quick-interchangeable system if the mount were available as an assembly. As it is, Gitzo lists three parts to get what I want.</p> <p>Tom</p>

<p>Yes. That's where I went to make my request. It's basically a general email to them letting them know what you want (parts, service, information...). There is no order form or anything. I listed the parts I needed by part number (from their parts breakdown) and there was an automated reply informing me that they would get back to me soon in response. They haven't. Hence the shout out.</p> <p>Tom</p>

<p>Does anyone know where or how to obtain Gitzo parts? I bought a GT3542 for Christmas and would like to purchase an additional head mount so that I don't have to remove my ball head from the column top in order to install my gimbal head. The way the head attaches to the center column is pretty neat and makes for a really quick change as long as you can get your hands on the mount. B&H couldn't help me and now days after not hearing back from Gitzo, I'm open to suggestion. Gitzo acknowledged the receipt of my initial inquiry but that was it. I'm NOT impressed. The tripod is nice but I had heard of their dismal customer service and can relate. Is there another place I can look? I'm in the US so I'd rather eliminate the overseas component if possible. Thanks for any help you can offer.</p> <p>Tom</p><div></div>