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Tripod for Wimberley Head - advice needed (1 Viewer)

welly

Well-known member
I am looking for a tripod for the WH-200 Wimberley Head (Version II) which I will use mainly with Nikkor ED 500 mm 1:4 P. At the moment I am considerring the Guitzo GT3542L and the Velbon GEO N740... Could you recommend me one of these or, perhaps, some other tripod? Any recommendation will be highly appreciated.
 
My personal recommendation would be for Gitzo tripod - probably because I use them! When comparing Gitzo to others remember that their specifications are EXTREMELY conservative. My GT3530LS (now discontinued) is rated for lenses up to 400mm and an 18 kilo load, yet it damps vibration with my Canon 800mm superbly and can support me (105 Kilos) without stress.
I had a little difficulty finding the Gitzo that you quote - did you mean the GT3542LS? If so then that is pretty much perfect for your needs. The only thing that I would consider is the folded length. If this is not critical then the Gitzo GT3532LS (the same tripod with 3 leg sections) as it is a little cheaper, marginally lighter and a bit stiffer. Either will do the job with 500mm + lenses perfectly - I just find the 3 leg section version better, however if you are travelling by air then the 4 leg section version is a better choice.
Buy the best you can afford (Gitzo in my opinion) and you will never find it wanting.
Good luck.
 
Thank you very much, John, you have helped me a lot!
Since the GT3530LS tripod is now discontinued, I am considering the GT3532LS now, which seems to be the next model available. As to the GT3532L/GT3542L Gitzo tripods, these belong not to systematic but to mountaineer tripods
http://http://www.gitzo.us/collection/71837.1078805.0.0.0/mountaineer_tripods,
which have a central column with the smaller mounting platform (as compared to GT3532/GT3542LS) which is about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. I was first considering a mountaineer tripod because I thought that they would not have the issue with the central plate of the systematic tripods but I doubt that they would be any better as they may have other issues.
Thank you, John. Good luck and many happy birding days.
 
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I suggested that you get a Systematic as they are more rigid/lighter and the newer models (Gitzo GT3532LS and GT3542LS) have a safety feature to prevent mishaps.
I have never had an issue with slippage of the top plates and a friend has been using them FAR longer and has never checked the top plate or had an issue.
I should state that I leave a top plate permanently attached to my Wimberley 2 and mount it on my tripod before each use - I find this quicker than fiddling about trying to screw the head on every time.
 
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