Tripod and head suggestions (1 Viewer)

Hi!

This is my first oost here and I am very new to bird photography.

I have a nikon D800 and the new Nikon 80-400G lens. I am looking for a suitable tripod option.

I have kind of narrowed down on Gitzo Carbon Fibre tripods and a Gitzo head.

Can anyone suggest which ones? Should i go for a ball head? I feel it may be difficult to quickly align because the head will have a tendency to move in unwanted directions any suggestions? Also on the legs. Which one? I am 5 feet 9 inches tall, if that helps.

Gitzo has a new range called Safari. Is it suitable for bird photography or just bird watching? Anyone has an experience on this?

I want my equipment to be future proof. It should work with longer lenses in the future.

You will find that a Gimbal head works best for bird photography, especially if you intend to future proof it with longer lenses. There are several makes of Gimbal's that are good these days with Wimberley or Jobu being the most popular I guess. One word of warning with the Gimbal is that ones that will support the longest/heaviest lenses are not always the best choice for a light weight lens like the 80-400. Jobu do a junior Gimbal which would be ideal for a light weight lens like the 80-400 but would not be any good for one of the really big telephotos.
As for a tripod then a good quality Carbon Fibre is the way to go, make sure you get one that will easily support the weight of the longest lens + Camera that you intend to get in the future. Popular ones are Gitzo and Feisol but there are cheaper ones out there.
BTW welcome to BF :t:

thanks. Apart from gimbals do you have any experience with Ball heads? Would you prefer them over two way tilt/pan heads?

Gitzo Series 3 Systematic and Markins Q20 ball head would be my choice

I have the earlier Markins M10 and you can set up it up so it will hold the lens steady, but can still be finely adjusted by applying slight force to move it.

Daresay a Gimbal would be better for tracking such as birds in flight, but prefer a ball head as an all rounder (lighter and easier to carry too)

parambyte said:

thanks. Apart from gimbals do you have any experience with Ball heads? Would you prefer them over two way tilt/pan heads?

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Yes, I have used ball heads (still have a couple) and one would be OK for your lightweight set-up at the moment but you say you want something future proof to work with longer/heavier lenses and I think a Gimbal is far superior. The trouble with using ball heads with big lenses is unless you are very careful when altering the tension a big lens can tip over and smash against the tripod.
Even with a light lens set-up for bird photography I would not even contemplate using anything other than a Gimbal myself - so much easier and quicker to get on the bird. I lightweight alternative to a full Gimbal is a sidekick head, works great with lighter set-up but can be difficult to mount heavy lenses on.

Thanks Roy C. That cleared my head about the Ball heads.

Would you consider the Gitzo Off Centre Heads?

Where I live. its a tad difficult to come across Wimberley. I think I can try and find a Benro GH2 instead (just saw it on an online store). How would you rate Benro Vs Wimberley?

Here's a good article from Thom Hogan to guide your thought process.
http://www.dslrbodies.com/accessories/camera-accessories/tripod-101.html

Are you familiar with the Really Right Stuff ballheads? The BH-55 is the top head from RRS, and the BH-40 is a very good lighter head. RRS specializes in ergonomics and precision manufacturing. I have a BH-55 as my primary ballhead. I've used it for 8 years and have never had second thoughts.

I'd rate the Markins heads as a second choice - the ergonomics are not quite as good from my experience. I replaced a Q10 with a RRS BH-40. My experience is that every now and then the drag control locks up on the Markins, and is a little challenging to fix,

The 80-400 is not a very heavy lens. A Wimberley Sidekick or something similar is adequate support if you want a gimbal. The 80-400 can be reasonably handheld.

The disadvantage of a ballhead with more weight is the balance point is a ball. The bigger the ball the easier to handle more weight, but a large lens just becomes too much. The head can handle the weight, but its not much fun to use. Jobu Design has economy priced alternatives for gimbal heads and a Sidekick knockoff. The design and workmanship are not as good as the Wimberley gear, but are a reasonable value for occasional use.

Induro is another company with some good second tier tripods and heads.

A full gimbal head is better for larger lenses - like the 200-400 or 400 f/2.8. I have a RRS Gimbal head for my 600 f/4.

A small company - 4th Generation Design - makes some nice precision gear. Their Mongoose gimbal heads are quite good and a little cheaper. I have a product from them called a Companion that is occasionally used as a lighter alternative to a Sidekick.
http://stores.4gdphoto.com/-strse-60/C-dsh-201-~-Multifunction-Companion/Detail.bok

The Companion is not a primary gimbal head, but it is very small and packs light. For a lens like the 80-400, it provides adequate support. The example photo is for macro type work, but with a ballhead you can use the slot for vertical positioning to turn the accessory into a gimbal.

parambyte said:

Where I live. its a tad difficult to come across Wimberley. I think I can try and find a Benro GH2 instead (just saw it on an online store). How would you rate Benro Vs Wimberley?

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I have always used Jobu gimbals myself - superbly made and never had a problem with them (I had a JR version for the 400/5.6 but moved to a black widow HD mk2 when I got the 300/2.8).

Thanks Eric Bowles. I had read the article in my month long search for a tripod.

The thing is, RRS, Arca Swiss, Markins etc are not readily available in India. Being expensive, service and support is only a question mark.

Manfrotto is, and Gitzo has an India website (though their dealers as listed on the website are no longer active).

So I had to literally chase a supplier into giving me a quote. Although some of these are available on some eTail websites, there is no mention of where to get support from (in case one of the equipment arrives damaged or in less than perfect condition : happens a lot).

As of now, I am leaning towards a Gitzo Systematic Series 3 Tripod and a Gitzo Series 1 or Series 2 Ball Head. The wimberley is stocked by one dealer, but its too expensive for me as of now (He is quoting 1/3rd the price of my lens, I really don't have that kind of money for this, plus I am a hobby photographer).

Thanks for all the detailed and honest advice.