Tripod and ball head suggestion.....

I've been looking to get a new tripod and ball head. Equipment will

be Canon Elan 7 with Sigma Pro 28-70 2.8 and Canon 100-400 4.5-5.6.

Seems this combo weighs in at under 5 pounds, but I'd like to leave

some room to grow.

 

I'm right at 6' tall and would rather not stoop too much.

 

Weight is a concern as I do quite a bit of backpacking so I'd like

to stay around 5 pounds for both tri pod and ball head.

 

I'm not actually selling my work at this point so $500+ setups are

not in my budget.

 

I've been looking at the Bogen 3001D and 3001BPRO as well as a Gitzo

G1126 Mk. 2 Sport. I'm leaning toward the bogen 3001D for it's

weight (3.70lb) and height (57").

 

The two ball heads I've been eyeing are the Bogen 3038 and 3026.

The 3038 may be overkill for me and pushes me a tad over the weight

I'm trying to achieve but it seems to be pretty nice with adjustable

tension on the ball.

 

Does anyone have suggestions on this? Right now I'm leaning toward

the 3001D tripod and the 3026 head due to their price, features and

weight. If anyone has reasons I should not go with this I'd like to

hear them. If there are other options that you are aware of that

are around the same price I'd be interested in those as well.

 

I've just about gone blind searching the forums and browing

bhphotovideo.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

-Nashvegas

If you are 6' tall the 3001 will break your back, not from weight but from

stooping to use it for long periods. You will also find the 3026 too small for

use with the 100-400. The ball is really small and the post is long and skinny-

It doesn't do a good job with my 80-200 f/2.8. I have these and use them on a

very limited basis (I'm 6'4". At 5'6", my wife even finds the 3001 too short). If

weight is the bigger issue, look into carbon fiber legs (at least 72" long,

considering your height), and a ball head such as the Kirk Bh-1. These will

give you lots of room to grow, and will last longer than you will while doing a

great job with a lot heavier camera gear than you are currently using.

 

Hank

Thanks for the suggestions Hank. I wish I could afford carbon fiber legs, but the ones I've seen are ranging from about $320+ just for the pod. Adding a Kirk ball head to that is another $300 which blows away my budget. I've got to stay around $200 total or a little over until I start making some money from my work.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

-Nashvegas

J.,

I think you need to renegotiate with your budget on this issue. You imply that you intend to create photos that are of adequate quality to sell and make a profit yet you want to skimp on what is arguably the second most important part of your equipment set-up (behind the lens). I think that's problematic.

 

I'm all into trying to save money where you can, but it is simply going to be very very difficult to find a high quality solid tripod and head combo under 5lbs and under $200...one or the other yes, both, no.

 

If you can save on your beer and snack budget for a month and maybe triple your budget for a tripod and head you can probably afford a Hakuba CF tripod ($270 @ B&H, but they go on sale occasionally), plus add the highly touted Aratech Ultimate Ball Head (also about $270). I think you'll find the investment quite worth while. I know that's a chunk of money to swallow all at once, but I promise you that you're going to make the investment at some time or another. If you must compromise maybe consider splurging on one piece (head or tripod) and compromising on the other until your budget takes a resurgence and you can replace the inferior part.

 

I know it's not what you want to hear, but life becomes really frustrating when the camera keeps moving when your trying to take a shot and this part of a serious photographers set-up is critical and not a good place to skimp.

--evan

Thanks Evan. You're advice makes sense. I knew I'd end up having to buy the expensive equipment sooner or later.

 

I think I've found a decent price on a used 3038 so that's what I'm going to go with. I'll lug it around until I get tired of the weight, then I'll keep it for non-backpacking shoots and upgrade to a lighter Acratech unit. I'm still looking for a pod.

 

I'll get a high quality pod and just live with the weight for now. Once my budget allows I'll pick up a CF unit. I was hoping I could get the best of both worlds, but as with all the camping equipment I have purchased, there's a price to pay for light weight.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help. This is the best forum I've found to ask questions on photography.

 

-Nashvegas

You may want to look into a Hakuba carbon fiber tripod. They are about $260 (US). They come with two center columns (long & short) and the setup with the long center column may be large enough for you. I have used this tripod when I need a light tripod for travel and it is pretty nice. It's not quite as well made as its Gizto & Bogen counterparts, but it is alot less expensive.

 

This tripod could not handle some of the larger camera/lens combinations like a 500mm or 600mm F4, etc. However, it can handle something as large as a 300mm F2.8 with a camera and motor drive (this combo is close to its maximum capacity).

 

If you are using something smaller, it can work for you.

 

I would recommend that you add a quality ball head. It will make using the tripod a lot easier.

 

Good luck

Kevin Ferris

I don't think you can get away with $200 budget. The ball head you are considering is a waste of money in the long run, IMHO.

 

You may want to try Bogen 3021 leg ($120/5.0 lb) with a Velbon PH263 ball head ($140/0.7 lb). This configuration slightly exceeds your budget and weight limit. But it is very stable thus leave you some room for growth.

 

3021 is a classical tripod for a tight budget. The feedbacks on Velbon ball head from photo.net users are very favorable. I would say it is the best ball head under $150.

 

In case you go with this, get an extra Velbon QB-635 Quick Release Plate, which is nicer than the original plates when shooting vertical.

 

Kevin

I have the 3001 and I doubt its effectiveness with a 400mm lens in a breeze. The 3021 is a better choice, or perhaps a Tiltall (get an original, better-built Leitz model used).

My Tiltalls weigh in a 7+ pounds. They do extend one long distance! I'm 5'4" and have to stand on a something at least 2" off the ground to look through my viewfinder with my Tiltall fully extended. BUT - they're a pain in the butt to get low. The legs don't spread out very far and turning the center post upside down is a real operation...

 

Also, I understand the head's not interchangable, but I may be wrong about that.

Whoops. Sorry. That was 2' not 2"!

So far I have seen some great suggestions but I feel that I have a better one. You do not need carbon fiber/gitzo/kirk or anything else like that. The tripod you can get for "cheap" I am almost 6 feet tall and my bogen 3221W WITH the head attached is almost my height. if you shoot in the field the last thing you need to be worried about is height since not all of your shots will be taken from eye level. The tripod goes to ground level with the flip of three little switches. It comes with padded legs. You can dismantle the center post to get to dround level, and it has spiked feet.Amazing tripod for the price.

Then get a pan/tilt head. I say this because low quality ball head are worse than none at all, and in my mind the bogen ball heads are real low quality. As a head I suggest the bogen 3030. It is a very cabable/very cheap head. If you must have a ball head then the least you should get is the bh-3 from kirk. It has the same features as the

bh-1 except it is much lighter. Another plus for the pan/tilt head is that it adds about 4-5 inches to the tripod without adding much weight. Most people complain about pan/tilt heads being slow,yeah they are right. But it only takes like 3 more seconds than a ball head to compose. On the other hand pan/tilt heads are much better for composing because you can carefully adjust each axis without adjusting the other axisis. Of course disregard everthing I have just said if you shoot primarily wildlife, in which case a pan/tilt head will drive you crazy, but if you shoot landscapes/macro then they just simply can not be beat for price/performance. In tearmes of budget, the 3221w plus 3030 head will not only reach about six feet but will put you well under your budget of 500. I got mine from a local camera shop for 300 dollars for the whole kit and if you order from adorama or b+h then that price will drop to EXACTLY $203.00000000000000... you get the idea.

Bogen 3001D's height is only 46.5" (without centerpost being extended). Maybe you are refering to its height in full extention, but raising the center column is not a good idea in terms of stability and ease.

 

I am 5'8" and found out my Bogen 3001LC is satisfactory, where the camera eyepiece is about 3-4" below my eye. I prefer this height than the others who prefer the eyepiece at the same level with the eyes, because I will be able to look at my camera panel board. However, in your case Bogen 3001 will be too short. I have the 3221W, and I feel it is annoying for my height (it is too high by 2 inches). In my conclusion this pod will be the best for you. I understand that Bogen 3021 in its 6lbs is too heavy, but I do not think the other tripod (i.e. CF) will meet your budget.

 

For the head, I have 3038, and it IS very heavy. You will not carry 3.75lbs behemoth for backpacking. I will not recommend this head to you. On the other hand 3026 is too small. I don't recommend it either. Actually Bogen just release some heads. Some new design heads are very attractive. I saw only Adorama carry some of those so far, which is the one that has hex plate. Maybe you need to wait for a couple of weeks to see how the other stores are doing.

 

If you can stretch your budget a little bit, I recommend you to buy Velbon Magnesium PH-263QL or PH-267QL ballhead. They are amazingly very light. My PH-263QL just came couple days ago, and it fit nicely in 3001LC (actually 3205LC black). The total weight is 3.8 + 0.74 = 4.5 lbs. If you think raising center column is a good compromise to the weight, then this combo will be best for you. The total cost would be $85+140 = $225 give and take.

 

About the adjusted tension, it will be a nice feature, but it is only available on higher end head. Anyway you can trick the head by not releasing it all the way. Hope this help.

 

 

FNU Brawijaya