theorist

If Ray's suggestion doesn't work, you should exchange it. I'm a petite woman and haven't had any problems with my 3021BPro.

Why exactly have you decided to go with a ball head? It sounds like she doesn't do any action photography, so IMHO a pan head might make more sense.

 

Anyway, I can't comment on the Novoflex as I have the Acratech head (which I adore).

As Chris said, you can leave it slightly loose (which I sometimes do), or have it tight and readjust. I've had my Acratech for a few years now, and I've never found this to be a problem.

Hi Casey,

 

This is a common problem with the XG-M. When I encountered it, I shipped my camera off to Garry's Camera Repair. http://www.garryscamera.com/

 

Whenever I have camera problems or buy a new (old) camera, I ship it to Garry and get it back within a week in tip-top shape for way less than I would pay locally.

 

Good luck!

For a low-cost alternative to your local camera repair shop, I highly recommend you check out www.garryscamera.com. The prices and service are excellent. Garry's helped keep my two Minoltas in tip-top shape, and several people I know have been happy with his services as well.

 

Good luck...

The new 3021BPro comes with leg warmers on two legs, and the center column has two pieces. That way if you don't want to place the column horizontally, you can simply unscrew most of it and leave the rest in place. That sounds like a nice time/hassle saver to me. If the spikes are a real pull for you, you can purchase them separately. I purchased the 3021BPro (without the newest upgrades mentioned above) about two years ago, and I have no regrets! I'm thinking about picking up the two-piece column, though.

 

Good luck with your decision...

I have the Bogen 3021BPro. Not only can the legs go flat when you take out the center column and use the adapter, but you can also slide the center column in horizontally for more flexibility. I bought this tripod a year or two ago, and I have zero regrets.

 

By the way, I also have an Acratech head, and I highly recommend it. It's not only drop-dead gorgeous, it's also light-weight and works superbly.

If you do a search in the archives, you'll come up with a wealth of information on the different types of heads.

 

But in short, a pan/tilt head is more appropriate for slower types of photography (ie: landscape, still life, etc.). Ball heads are great for action/wildlife photography. I intend to get a pan head at some point, but because I'm limited to one for the time being, I opted for the more flexible ball head. Once you decide on a type, you'll find choosing a particular model is far more complicated.

Since it's already been determined which tripod you'll be getting, I'll just comment on the ball heads. :)

 

I have the Acratech ball head and I love it. I bought it on eBay, so I saved a few hundred bucks (though that doesn't seem to be important to you). In any case, I did a lot of research before making my decision. I compared the Acratech, Arca Swiss, and Kirk heads. My guess is that you'll end up getting the Arca Swiss since money is no object and that is supposedly the "ultimate" head. But, as far as quality goes, I consider all three equal (more or less). I chose the Acratech instead of the others for three reasons: I like the company a lot; it's an American company so if there are any problems I don't have to ship it overseas for repair; and it's drop-dead gorgeous.

 

It's probably the best-looking piece of photographic equipment a person can own. Concerning the operation and quality of the ball head, I have zero complaints. Good luck with your decision!

As always, I recommend the Velbon Maxi 343E. I spent a lot of time searching for a tripod for myself with the specifications you mentioned. I purchased this Velbon a bit less than a year ago, and I'm still quite happy with it. It weighs next to nothing, extends to a reasonable height (that was an issue for me too, since I'm around 5' 10" with the kitten heels I always wear), and can support the weight of an average weight system. The other issue was price, and this tripod is less than $100US (and it comes with a pretty good little ball head, as well as a carrying bag). In addition, it has a great warranty.

 

Check it out for yourself: http://www.velbon.com.au/maxi343E.html

 

Good luck!

Rachel

I don't have any info on those two tripods, but I can recommend the Velbon MAXi 343E lightweight tripod. It comes with a pretty good ballhead, weighs 1.9 lbs, extends to 62.4", and folds down to 17.5". I don't recall how much weight it can handle, but I use it with a Minolta X-700 and all but my heaviest lenses. If this tripod should break, there is a limited lifetime warranty. It sells for $60-90, so it's an all-around great deal. Oh, it also comes with a carrying case.

I also have the Velbon 343E, and highly recommend it for your purposes. In fact, you should check out all the Velbon Maxi tripods:

http://www.velbon.com.au/photo_amateur.html

 

The 343E indeed weighs very little, is very small when folded, and fully extends to over sixty inches. And it's under $100.

I bought the F-2 earlier this year, and ended up selling it right away. I love the way it looks, but it was too big and bulky for me. My system is comparable to yours (maybe slightly smaller). I think that it certainly is possible for a camera bag to be too big. The temptation with a big bag is to fill it up, and the weight then becomes unbearable. I wish I had gotten the F-6 instead, but to avoid more potential bag problems, I just bought a Domke insert to use in bags I already have.

 

A camera bag is a personal decision, so take all comments with a grain of salt. The best thing to do is take your equipment to try out the bag in the store. That wasn't possible for me, though.

 

Best of luck...

Do you already have a Minolta system with several lenses? If that's the case, I would recommend sticking with what you've got. Unless you want to switch over to auto focus, in which case I'd probably go with Canon. I wouldn't spend $150 to repair your X-700, but Garry's Camera Repair will probably be able to fix it for about $50. My XG-M stopped working, and once I got it back from Garry, it was good as new. Now I have two Minolta bodies and five or so lenses. Eventually I'll get a digital AF camera, but even then, that will only be to supplement my current system.

 

So, you can use $50 on repair and $350 on building up your current system. :)

Doing a quick search in the archives will give you a lot of information.

 

As a quick summary, it depends upon what kind of photography you're interested in doing. A ball head is ideal for wildlife/action-type photography, and a pan head is ideal for architectural/landscape-type photography. If you do both (as I do), I would recommend going with a ball head which allows greater flexibility. I highly recommend the Acratech ball head (which I have), but that's around $300.

 

What you need to do is your own research (including taking your equipment around to stores and trying different heads out). Each photographer has different needs and preferences. You just need to figure out what your own are, and then you can make a more informed decision about what head is best for you. Photography equipment is an investment, and you may regret it if you skimp. Many people go through numerous ball heads (Velbon to Slik to Bogen and finally to Acratech/Kirk/Arca-Swiss), thereby wasting money. But that may just be my opinion...

There's a service manual on eBay for the XG-M.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2940393840&category=29960

 

I had the same problem with my XG-M, but I sent mine to Garry's Camera Repair (I didn't fix it myself).

I use Spring chemicals, and as far as I know, Sprint doesn't make film. So, yes, theoretically you can use any film in any brand of chemicals. As was mentioned, some films react more favorably with certain chemicals, but that's something you'll figure out as you go along.

That link provides good info. In case you were wondering, CdS stands for Cadmium Sulfide.

Minolta does make high quality closeup lenses. B&H sells them, and you can often find them on eBay, as well. At one point I considered purchasing Nikon's, but my Minolta lenses all have 49mm and 55mm thread sizes, and Nikon doesn't make those sizes. Step-up rings are an option, but an annoying one.

I have the Acratech which I recommend without hesitation. However, that will probably end up costing around $300 new (for the ballhead plus QR plate). Before purchasing the Acratech, I seriously considered the Kirk BH-3 (which is about $240 and includes a generic plate). I chose the Acratech because I simply couldn't resist its beauty.

My parents bought me my first SLR for my 16th birthday. My mom drove me to a used camera dealer who worked out of his home selling all kinds of old cameras. I told him what I was looking for and he handed me a Minolta XG-M. I used that for six years (still have it, of course), and then my parents bought me an X-700 for my (recent) 22nd birthday. I may eventually turn to medium format, but for SLRs, I'm devoted to Minolta. Aren't parents grand?

I'm looking at a Vivitar Series 1 macro lens for my Minolta. It

comes with a universal thread mount. What exactly does that mean? Do

I need something else to attach this to my camera? Thanks...

Nevermind! I figured out what was wrong. I was using a thread adapter to fit the tripod, and it was screwed in too far. Sorry for the pointless post!

I only just recently aquired the Q-Top quick release system. I tried

using it for the first time tonight, and both buttons are sticking.

After struggling for a bit, I was able to get my camera off the

tripod, but it was anything but quick. Is there something wrong with

the Q-Top, or with me?

I'm considering this lens for my Minolta X-700. Is this a good lens?

How much should I expect to pay?

 

Thanks...