b_m6
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Posts posted by b_m6
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<p>I don't yet have the spare-time or the finances to get one of these large-aperture white-bodied 500-600mm lenses for a birding hobby -- but I plan to get one eventually. For the time being -- I'll rent ('hire') one. For those of us without a rich uncle's inheritance -- could a slik 700dx legs (which I have -- about $100) and the Indian ebay gimbal head from various eBay sellers ($200 + shipping from India) suffice for the time being -- just for testing the waters with these large lenses, until the time comes to trade up to the real thing? There will be a lot more takers at $300 (myself included).<br /> The slik 700 is pretty large and stable when weighed down but has a 'stated' weight limit of 15 Ibs (6.8 Kilos). It's not that heavy either. The gimbal head had good reviews <a href="http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=77615">in birding forums like here</a> .<br /> My humble personal opinion is that popularizing the birding photography hobby by providing economical options helps brings acquisition and production costs down for everyone (even Wimberley and Gitzo). If its $1000 plus for a tripod setup with no options below it -- then that eventually becomes a dead hobby because only an eccentric few can afford it.<br>
Slik 700 DX at Adorama (our forum sponsor)<br>
http://www.adorama.com/SL700DXLBK.html<br>
<br /> Image of the larger gimbal head (they have a smaller one for $100)<br>
<img src="http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn110/manbil9/b42b_1.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="398" /></p>
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<p>One can buy one of the truss plates or 'tie straps' above, sand it down to tame the sharp edges, drill it and paint it. With a longer 1/4" attachment bolt to account for the increased thickness of the plate -- it is possible to attach additional vanguard QS-45 plates for both horizontal and vertical.<br>
On top of this a T-post <a href="http://www.thegreathardwarestore.com/2x12x12-T-Post-Strap-p/334006.htm">strap</a> can also be more handy for panos to place nodal point in the right place.</p>
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<p>Just called them and they confirmed Vanguard themselves do not make quick release L plates for the SBH-300 head. I'll try to call Vanguard to see whether their head does fit the Arca Swiss Plates.<br /> The other option is to use a thick steel or aluminum truss plate like <a href="http://www.thegreathardwarestore.com/8-Corn-Reinforcement-p/521906.htm">this</a> .</p>
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<p>Hey Thanks Bernie -- nice tip!</p>
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<p>Good idea Bernie -- shall do.<br>
There are no L plates I've found so far other than Kirk/RRS. My idea was for quick Vert./Horiz. change plus using one side of the plate to do nodal adjustments for panos. Looks like I have to make do with Vanguard's own 120 mm simple sliding plate which is around $15 from amazon, although Cullmann, Giottos as well as Bogen/Manfrotto long plates are also available at Adorama.<br>
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<p>OK I bought a DOLICA AX62 w/ballhead $40 from amazon (I know I know -- who?) -- but hardware is hardware, Chinese or not.<br>
Just had it for a couple of months and took it to a couple of outings over in the Sierras and Sedona. I use a IST-DL with kit zoom and the thing does fine weighed down with a bean bag. Better if you don't extend the spindly last sections. Very light and 62" high.<br>
There are some happy surprises in Tripods if you know where to look. True -- Mamiya 7 might be a stretch for this small one but they have bigger ones from SLIK as well (sprint pro), see here,<br>
I'm not a fan of carbon fiber because of higher cost. Often ALU-MAG alloy tripods will be just as light or close enough. For me -- I can't justify paying over $100 for a new tripod. I have a SLIK 700 dx which you can hammer railroad spikes with and that cost me around $100.</p>
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<p>And the second question is :),<br>
2. What is the best economical aftermarket lens mount for inexpensive zooms like the 70-300 sigmas and should I even bother?</p>
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<p>I researched and researched and finally settled on the heaviest duty Magnesium alloy ballhead sold by VANGUARD (SBH-300 Ballhead -- about $70) for my SLIK DX-700 legs (took out the heavy [!] SLIK 3-way panhead). The ballhead claims to hold 70 Ibs (unlikely -- more like 30 Ibs if properly balanced), but it does have a separate ball locking knob, drag knob and also a separate panning knob (why I preferred it over ballheads costing five times as much). So far the controls seem very smooth and all locking is very positive under light loading (For now Pentax IST-DL with SIGMA 70-300 cheapo zoom). Couple of questions since I searched in the forums here and did not see any answers.<br>
1. The Ballhead comes with what looks like an ARCA-type(?) default quickshoe bracket (Vanguard QS-45 about 90mm long). Can anyone confirm if a KIRK L-Bracket will fit this? The ballhead shoe is here,<br>
And, here's an example of the KIRK bracket,<br>
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This may be an older thread but here's my comments anyhow....
What the poster suggesting photoshop as an alternative may have been suggesting (and stopped short of explaining it) is the possibility of stitching and perspective correction in Photoshop (only in architectural & landscape situations).
Stitching gives you an opportunity to assemble a very detailed (thousands of megabytes RAW format in some cases) image from multiple (say) 20 megabyte RAW images. The setup is almost as complicated as a view camera -- involving leveling and nodal point placements.
Perspective correction in Photoshop is quite common these days -- involving plugins. It works wonders even compared to manual lens perspective correction (my flame shield is now up :-))
The negative flipside of these techniques is loss of resolution and stitching imperfections (which may be negligible to some).
Digital to me has always been an adjunct to my analog photography -- and not a replacement. This is certainly more true in case of studio processes (especially food and product shots).
VANGUARD SBH-300 Ballhead
in Accessories
Posted
<p>@Gregor,<br>
If by 'MK2' you mean this series, then the Vanguard head (or any other tripod head) will not fit it.<br>
http://www.vanguardusa.com/product3.php?sort3=37#pro72<br>
However -- the Tracker, Elite, Alta and Alta Pro series tripods are more in the 'professional' range and should fit this head.<br>
<br /> Mine is the Slik DX-700 legs and I believe it has a standard 3/8" screw to fit heads like the SBH-300. You can buy the legs at Adorama (this site's sponsor) for about $99 (quite a bargain if you ask me) then put the SBH-300 on top -- which fits without issues. <br>
<br /> Here's the link for the legs:<br>
http://www.adorama.com/SL700DXLT.html</p>