richard_clow

<p>Hi Andrew,<br>

Sounds like your narrowing down your choice too, I think your needs with the 500mm lens are greater than mine, well at the moment anyway hehe.<br>

I too will be interested what you get and I think if I go along those lines, get an RRS and head or get a series 5 Gitzo and use my own Manfrotto #168 head, (or buy an arca swiss/kirk bh1 etc) then I'm sure I can't go wrong.<br>

There's also the Manfrotto 057 but I might be wishing I had got the 5 series, the 5 series is no compromise.<br>

At just under 3kg the weight of the 5 series Gitzo is no problem, in fact I like it a bit heavier, it means its more sturdy without hanging a weight from it. If it weighed 6kg + I would have to think twice.<br>

For the short term I will continue to use my Manfrotto 055ab with a weight hanging from the apex, I can get sharp pictures, I just have to wait for the wind to die right down.<br>

Before I purchase I want to have a look at twist legs as I have not used them before and whatever I buy I need to get on with it. <br>

Manfrotto Neotech - Yeh, solid built, perhaps a no nonsense studio tripod for any camera but as you say and also what I have seen in reviews, shame the centre column doesn't come out and that it's not carbon fibre, mind you though I would have to think twice about lugging it around miles hehe.<br>

Good to see whats available though, thankyou.<br>

Richard.</p>

<p>Andrew, I notice in my local shop the 5 series GT5532 LS is only £70 dearer than the 3 series GT3532LS, some would say if you've spent all that money why quibble about an extra £70 hehe, my local shop has both of these but does not have the manfrotto 057 series in. I think i may have a look at the 3 and 5 series sometime soon for real and see if I can get on with the leg lock system ok I got an £80 rebate nikon card from buying my D800 camera and lens together.<br>

It's looking like 3 or 5 I think, the 5 series is 1.5 times heavier which is reassuring and if I get it I shouldn't have to worry about getting another tripod for life, (as long as I look after it) it will take any of the telephoto lenses you can buy or a telescope (i love optical things full stop), (one tripod size fits all) and I would know I have got the best support. I could grow into it and it is modular.<br>

Andrew, I would like to see some of your photo's, especially astronomy if you have a website etc.<br>

Richard.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi Andrew, thanks for that, yeah the 3 series seems to be rated up to 400mm lenses so if I only ever want to go to 200mm or even 300mm at the extreme I'm fully covered.<br>

I don't think I would ever want to go beyond 200mm for Landscapes anyway, to be honest my 24-70 would probably cover 90% or more of my landscape needs, the 70-200 would really come into it's own for if I want to do sports or animals/birds, assuming a good sharp picture has been achieved the D800 would enable me to crop the photo quite heavily and get closer to the action.<br>

Sorry I'm sliding off topic a bit.<br>

My manfrotto #168 head - Yes I'm fully used to it, used it for quite a few years now, the ball joint can be a bit clunky in operation, just a little more patience is needed, not much and it's as tough as old boots.<br>

I will let you know what tripod I get when I have made a decision.</p>

<p>Richard.</p>

<p>I've just had a reply from Manfrotto uk saying on the MT057C3/MT057C4 there is a small hole on the side of one of the main castings to attach an S hook and hang weights from it.<br>

Im not exactly sure where this, I may need to have a look at one in the flesh so to speak but sounds as though it can't be hung directly underneath the base of the tripod where the camera sits so may not be ideal.<br>

With the central column able to come out by uncrewing the top tripod base and bottom bubble level and then screwing these back on when you have taken it out this could be as good as a totaly columnless tripod vibration damping wise so it may come very close to what I want. <br>

It has to be right though as it will be one my tools for a long time to come so at the moment extra food for thought.<br>

Richard.</p>

<p>Hi Andrew, thanks for your continued replies and David, thanks for your first time reply.<br>

Firstly Andrew, your reply is quite timely as I have been studying the Gitzo website and all the different models, especially the systematic, (suppost to be the strongest and most stable of all their tripods) series 2, 3 and 5 and what their ratings are, and was kind of leaning towards a series 2 or 3, (I don't think I will own more than a 200mm zoom), but after reading that article you pointed me to It kind of pointed me to a 3 series to be safe and your last reply when you played with a 3 series made me think 5 series hehe, I thought if I get that and a decent head if mine turns out to be the weakest link then I'm safe with most lenses I could ever want.<br>

I checked out the TVC -33 tripod and some heads, BH40 AND BH55, KIRK BH1 and they seem very good, what what I understand these are in america and with me living in the UK, (SHEFFIELD) if I did decide on this, (not decided yet), I would have to import it so I presume there would be import duty to pay too.<br>

Manfrotto #168 - I cant find any weight ratings for this head of mine but someone has one listed on ebay saying suitable for medium and large format cameras so surely it must be good enough for a D800 with up to a 70-200 or even more ? But whether it matches well with good carbon fibre legs in the damping stakes or whether a different head would be more vibration resistant I just don't know. I have lots of models to study though. <br>

David - Your reply is quite timely too and I haven't fallen hook line and sinker for the Gitzo's just yet, you could be right, get a top end Manfrotto, (Andrew I know you said this too that the monfrotto could be fine for my needs), Feisol, Benro, then buy a damn good head.<br>

I'm going to check out the Arca Swiss heads and L plates too.<br>

I want a tripod without a central column with a hook or hole underneath the top base of the tripod so I could always use a weight to create a downwards force underneath the camera for more stability.<br>

So far I've seen no obvious hooks, holes on the top line of columnless Manfrottos, Feisol's or Benro's, I've emailed a couple of the companies a few days ago asking this but have had no replies so far.<br>

Richard.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi Andrew, will see what Manfrotto say about that model, the Triopo RS3 you have been looking at looks like a good simple strong no nonesence head.<br>

Manfrotto ball joint head #168 - I just put (Manfrotto # 168) into google search engine and it comes up with some photo's if you did want to have a look and see if I might be losing out in stability or not.<br>

Jim, thanks for that, thats good advice and makes sense. Also having less moveable joints in place and ensuring the ones in play are tight the better. Yes working everything out to exact I guess could take you into the realms of degree level and beyond and then you still have the unknown forces of the weather hehe.<br>

I guess setting the tripod legs at a wider angle to give a larger span would increase stability, so if I barely extend the tripod, span the legs out wider if practical and use carbon fibre and even ballast with a weight underneath the tripod platform if I need to and not have a central column then I should definately have increased my chances of more stability and less vibrations.<br>

Obviously usability, availability and price come into play too, I guess after that it's just best not to get too hung up by it all and be happy !! : ) Speaking about myself here.<br>

Or should I just get the top end 5 series Gitzo and have the bragging rights too !! hehe.<br>

Richard.</p>

<p>Hi Andrew,<br>

If you go on the Manfrotto uk website, if you click on the 057 range, on the right there are 2 videos to watch, the top one is I think just a general overview of manfrotto products, but the one below has an image of a tripod close up, if you click on it and play it It shows someone going through the motions extending the legs and other things it can do, and on one of them they actually take the column out completely and just replace it with the base that fits to the tripod head and the bubble level holder they screw directly underneath the tripod. Don't know if you visited the site. I would probably be looking at getting the 4 leg version, I'm not particularly tall, (5' 11), but it gives me extra options if I need that height, I could extend the legs further outward and not have to get on my knees etc.<br>

That's interesting when you said there could be a place to put a carrabiner, when you say apex where do you mean? <br>

Tripod head - On my aluminium manfrotto 055ab tripod I currently use a monfrotto #168 swivel ball joint head, (it holds an hexagonal plate that screws underneath the camera), it's a fairly heavy duty lump of metal so I expect it should be ok to go with my future tripod, it would save me having to splash out more money etc.<br>

Richard.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your replies, I've not yet been able to make my mind up just yet but your replies have helped and given me food for thought.<br>

I think all things considered I may be heading towards a top end carbon fibre tripod, it seems weight for weight I wouldn't be significantly losing out to wood in the damping stakes and with a decent make it would be light, have an excellent load capacity for whatever I would want to put on it, have decent durability in the smaller components aswell as the legs. I could be hiking miles with it too. I could always ditch the balast weight with the carbon fibre, but if I have a very heavy wooden tripod I am stuck with the weight all the time.<br>

I often work on uneven ground so it sounds as though the wooden tripods may be harder to work with? The Ries tripods look lovely and aren't that heavy but are expensive and there is also the issue of importing it into the united kingdom where I could also be stung for import duty too. The Berlebach's are cheaper and also very nice and as they are from Germany there would be no import duty being in the european union but again maybe not as versatile as the carbon fibres.<br>

Sounds like tripods without central columns have a further advantage in the damping stakes and if there is a hook underneath the flat head to hand a weight then maybe that would be the icing on the cake for me.<br>

I looked at a Gitzo tripod for £700 in a local shop, (think it was the GT 5 series) and there was no central column and there was a hook underneath the flat base.<br>

Unfortunately it is too much money, if I was a working pro then maybe that wouldn't be the case.<br>

A few thoughts on tripods that may just suit my needs fine: the top end 057 manfrotto's have a column that can be removed, then you screw the head and a spirit level back on. I think this is to be able to get ultra low to the floor but it could benefit me in the damping stakes. I don't see any hook or ring anywhere but there is a spirit level holder that looks as though it is made out of metal that protrudes out so that might be possible. Levers to slide out legs. Around £450 for the 4 leg model. I have asked Manfrotto and waiting for a reply.<br>

Benro C-457/C-458 Twist action to slide out legs, has a central column with a hook. (maybe not as stable as monfrotto? £370.<br>

Feisol uk - CT 3372 TOURNAMENT RAPID - Twist action, has no central column, but like the Manfrotto don't know if there is a ring or hook and waiting for an answer from Feisol uk. Price around £400 (you get a decent bag and a tool kit with it). <br>

My existing manfrotto #168 ball and socket head feels fairly substantial and i'm sure this will do fine to go on my future tripod.<br>

Richard.<br>

<br>

</p>

<p>Hello, if anyone has any advice or thoughts on the following it would be greatly appreciated.<br>

I do Landscape photography in the countryside up hills where sometimes the wind speed may prohibit me getting a sharp photo.<br>

I am currently using an aluminium manfrotto 055ab tripod which I try not to extend to the full height to make it more stable, the centre column is not raised at all for the same reason. I use a solid manfrotto 168 tripod head, and for extra weight I hang a 5kg weight from my tripod and hang it a fraction off the floor to avoid the wind swinging it, yes I do carry a 5kg weight with me lol. I have a spirit level on the hot shoe too for ensuring straight photos but also shows me any vibrations in the tripod.<br>

Camera and lenses - I am using a Nikon D800, Nikon 24-70 AF-S 2.8 ED lens and might purchase a 70-200 AF-S 2.8 lens.<br>

Camera settings, techniques, and patience waiting for the right light and wind to die down are all geared towards getting the best quality out of the camera.<br>

On calmish days my photo's are fine but on days when the wind may be 10mph or over then I feel my tripod is suffering from vibrations.<br>

My question is would I see a noticeable improvement in vibration dampening using a carbon fibre or wood tripod over my aluminium one and would this be further improved again if I hang a weight from the centre column?<br>

Tripods I have been looking at and interested in for possible candidates are: Carbon Fibre Manfrotto MT057C3/MT057C4 (not sure whether these manfrotto's have hooks to hang weights), Benro C-457/C-458. Wooden tripod: Berlebach Reporter series 2022.<br>

I would say my maximum budget is up to around the £450 mark.<br>

Thankyou,<br>

Richard.</p>

<p>Thankyou for all your replies, much appreciated.<br>

Richard.</p>

<p>Hi, I wonder if anyone could give me some advice please.<br>

If I was looking to purchase a DSLR in the region of say 28-36 megapixel in the near future, (hopefully the latest high megapixel offerings from Canon, Nikon or Sony), what kind of computer specs would I require, using one of the latest photoshops, say CS4/5, (I know 6 is on it's way), and maybe windows 7 or windows xp operating system. I would only probably use the machine for digital imaging at one moment in time and maybe listening to mp3 music while doing this, and on my main hard drive I would just have my operating system, photoshop, then maybe a few other bits of software like DXO pro and maybe one for HDR etc.<br>

For operations to run smoothly, fairly fast while image editing I was wondering the following:-<br>

duo core or quad core, or just one processor?<br>

4gb or 8gb, or higher?<br>

Windows 7 or Windows XP (I heard that windows 7 can slow your PC down but XP can't take 8gb of ram?)<br>

A solid state drive? with the operating system and image editing software(s) on, for downloading pictures onto, working on them, (probably one at a time), then saving to normal moving parts external hard drives connected to PC via usb etc. I would be mainly tweaking RAW files or NEF files etc and HDR tasks, processing 2-5 images at a time etc. <br>

I know the solid state drives are more expensive so I guess either 60gb or 120gb, surely 60gb is enough even with full Windows 7 ? Full photoshop suite, a HDR programme like HDR Darkroom or Photomatix etc and room to spare if photoshop needs to grab any more hard drive?<br>

Graphics card - I don't want to play any computer games or do any artist/animation stuff so a basic graphics card? Could this come built in to the motherboard or should I buy it separately?<br>

Sound card - Sorry, slightly off topic, (not image related), again built in or if I want quality buy separately? <br>

Monitor - TFT/LCD?, are these on a par with the old CRT monitors for clarity/sharpness etc and how much might I pay for one that will do the job adequately for digital imaging purposes, I know there are many sizes and could probably spend £80 to probably well over a £1000 for a state of the art monitor but just want to see what other people are using.<br>

Thankyou for your time. <br>

Richard.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies so far guys, Willem, it was interesting about the wide angle lens coming for the Pentax 645d, have you any idea when the camera and maybe that lens may be available in the uk? Can you point me to where you saw/heard about the lens?<br>

It seems to be slow at coming out over here.<br>

Thanks.<br>

Wow, you got a scanner and a half there, well done! <br>

I might pop round for tea and a chat while you show me how good your scanner is by putting a few of my 6x6 Minolta Autocord Twin Lens Reflex negatives through ! lol ! <br>

Depending on where you live it may have to be tomorrow teatime as I live in the uk !<br>

Richard.</p>

<p>Hello,<br>

Could anyone please advise me which way forward for Landscape photography where I consider resolution/detail/clarity and dynamic range to be important.<br>

I know this may be a difficult question and subjective but would appreciate any input given.<br>

Would I be best off shooting with a MF film camera with one of the above sizes, using a colour (negative), (finest quality) and using something like a Mamiya RB67 and 65mm KL lens, or Pentax 67 11 and a sharp pentax lens, scanning this using one of the better flatbeds etc, maybe an Epson V700, or would I get the equivalent quality or better overall image quality, (sharpness, tones, ability to print up to say 24" (or more?) excellent quality prints and still look sharp viewed from say a minimum of 8-10 inches (approximately!) from a full frame DSLR, (say the present crop of 21-24 megapixel cameras, I have been looking at a Canon 5d mark 11, Sony A900, Nikon d3x, I would buy the best lens, (best resolving power, least distortion/pincussion, chromatic abberration minimum, flare control etc I could afford, maybe a Carl Zeiss 24-70, or the Zeiss 21mm Distagon, or canon or nikon prime lenses etc.<br>

Would changing the scanning variables with the negative, using a drum scanner enable me to print much larger sizes over the DSLR and still get excellent quality prints, and would changing from colour negative to black and white film enable me to achieve a lot more dynamic range than you would get from the latest crop of 21-24 mp DSLRS ? <br>

Going to my very maximum purchase limit the new Pentax 645D weather sealed totally encased DSLR with a 33mm x44mm sensor, and a Mamiya DM22, a DSLR with a 22 megapixel back strapped to the back of it should easily fit my sensor quality needs and probably a lot more besides.<br>

However, the pentax is not yet available in the uk, (could be the end of the year?) and it only has one digitally optimized lens which I would say is not an ideal focal length for Landscapes, 55mm I think, don't know what the quality would be like with the existing lenses.<br>

I would worry about the Mamiya DM22 not been dust/weather sealed enough for out in the field, I go out in all weathers, and the lens again is not wide enough for Landscapes.<br>

I could wait and keep on using my 7+ year old Canon 10D APS-C 6 megapixel camera and use HDR software when needed to get the extra dynamic range.</p>

<p>Richard. </p>

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