hiroshi_shigematsu1

For the record, I meant Bogen 3221W, not 3021W;

such tripod doesn't exist. I'm sorry.

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In my opinion, considering other than Bogen, at

this point, is waste of time. As Scott is on budget

and already have a cheapo tripod, Bogen would

be a reasonable choice for him because Bogen

makes the best tripod for the money.

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About Bogen 3001, I know the short commings that

this tripod has, but this is the better one for people

on budget. If the cost doesn't matter to you, you

could buy a Gitzo; especially, carbon fiber ones

are VERY nice. Also, as I said, you have to choose

whether you want a steady, tall-enough-to-you but

heavier, difficult to carry tripod or lighter,

easy-to-carry but not so steady, may not tall enough

tripod. In this case; since Scott will "do a lot of

hiking and biking," I simply mentioned 3001 as an

alternative given his situation. If the money is not

concerned, I would probably recommend Gitzo;

but this is not the case.

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Scott, since you already has a light weight (but

flimsy) tripod, you would probably be happy with

3221(W). However, I'm afraid this is too heavy for

A LOT OF hiking and biking. In my case, I

removed the bottom section of the center colum in

a desperate attempt to make it lighter. I just wonder

which Bogen you borrowed from your friend,

though. Maybe, you can borrow that tripod from

your friend again and take it to a hiking as you

normally do. Then, you may be able to draw your

own conclusion about the tripod; while the hardest

part is deciding on which head to choose at this

price range.

Hi, Scott.

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Are you going to carry Bogen 3036 to hiking and biking ? If so, I guess you are so macho that 10 lb+ weight of the tripod doesn't matter to you (not to mention it's added to the weight of your camera set-up).

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I, myself, use Bogen 3021W with Arca B1 ball head which combination weighs around 7 lb. I hauled this tripod in the cities of Paris and London, and I swear I would never do that again. It is a nice, steady tripod if you have access to where you photograph by a car. I don't want to carry it more than 3 miles at most. Of course,I'm only 5'6" tall and may not be athletic as you are. Now, I'm considering another light weight tripod for hiking and travel. In my opinion, you will eventually want more than one tripod, and Bogen 3036 better be left at home or in the trunk of your car: not on your backpack.

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Essentially, you have to choose whether you want VERY steady but immobile tripod (3036,3051,3058,3046) or light weight go-anywhere tripod (3001,3011) on your needs. The good compromise, I think, is 3021 or 3021S, and these tripod should hold medium format camera quite well. I think more experienced Bogen users can tell you more about it.

Hi, Jeff.

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Thank you for your input. You stated "As for me, well I use an F3, so there's no compelling reason to get one; however, I'm hoping that some of the older lenses will flood the used market and drop the prices." Well, that's the thing I had in my mind and wanted hear from others. As for me, I'm also using F3HP w/MD-4 along with F90x so that AF-S zoom would be a nice addition to my lenses. The built-in motors to these lenses can be very good EXTRAS if the price being equal. On the other hand, if they bring down the price for the older lenses on used market, the older ones can be better buys for those who don't need faster AF.

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So, I think the answer depends on whether you need faster AF speed /extra range of focal length (28-70mm) or put your priority to the price. And this is the thing I want to hear from you. Thanks for farther input.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this kind of message, but here I am posting this for those of you who might interested in Nikon's new products. If you find this message to be imappropriate, please erase this thread.

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I was browsing the net and came across the picture of both long-waited new AF-S zoom lenses: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8IF-ED and AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8IF-ED. You can see these pictures at;

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http://www.klt.co.jp/photokina_98/eng/afs_zoom.html

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What do you think, those Nikon-users ? Do you think these lenses will be as popular as Nikon hopes in this article ? In terms of you, would you rush to a camera store and grab yours, or make a change from the older versions ? And, why is that ? I'm just curious to know because I'm, at least, the one who is interested in these lenses. Also, I am anxious to know if Nikon is coming out with new AF-S 300mm f/4EDIF, but that's another story, I guess. Thank you for any posts in advance.