• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

tripod legs / head help (1 Viewer)

peteh

Well-known member
Hello,

I am having a nightmare trying to figure out what tripod and head to upgrade to. I will have around £250 quid to spend and its to support a digislr and 100-400 lens.
I would like a tripod that either doesnt have a centre column or has one that is completely removeable and you can open the legs out far enough to be able to get ground level shots.
At the moment I am looking at the Manfrotto 055 pro for the legs
but am not 100% that the centre column comes out.
As for the head Ive been told to go for a ball head but which one is the question.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks
Pete.
 
Pete, have a close look at the benbo, it is a bit heavy
but very versatile, I have used one for about 3 years
and found it good for camera & scopes.
 
Hi Pete,
It would be worth getting Nigel's opinion on this as he covers a lot of terrain yet gets consistently very good (usually cracking) images. Camera/lens support often makes or breaks a good image & yet is something many of us neglect. I initially concentrated my spending on cameras/lenses but it was only after getting a good tripod & head(s) that I became happier with the images I was producing. If going for a ballhead look at Kirk & Arca & if you can stretch the money a bit then consider a Wimberley sidekick to use with the ballhead (heavy "glass" would need the full Wimberley head). Its also worth looking at Arthur Morris's website where his old bulletins represent excellent info resources ( www.birdsasart.com/ ). The other excellent online resource is Luminous landscape> www.luminous-landscape.com/ .
Cheers,
Steve
 
What I like about my Benbo is that the centre column can be inverted, and will give support to ground level, however I prefer to use double beanbags ('grabber 'type) when working low down.

The Wimberley heads are so well balanced and far superior to ball heads, ball heads can be top-heavy allowing the camera/lens to 'roll' over and bash against the tripod in absent-minded moments, the sidekick would be the best option with the lens you are using.

If you have spent good money on top camera gear it is really wasting the capabilities of the kit to skimp on the supporting of it.
 
Last edited:
peteh said:
Hello,

I am having a nightmare trying to figure out what tripod and head to upgrade to. I will have around £250 quid to spend and its to support a digislr and 100-400 lens.

You main problem is that of price...you can easily spend more than £250 on a ball-head alone. Something like has been suggested with a Ball-head, Gitzo and Sidekick could set you back anwhere between £700 and £1K

Try checking out the Uni-Loc tripods, something like the Major 1600 would be a decent bet and will happily take a Kirk or Arca Swiss Ball-head when you can afford it later. The Uni-Loc is made by the Benbo's original designer, and can get into all the same positions as the Benbo can. Only word of warning, the Benbo/Uni-Loc's can easily nip your fingers and dump your kit on the ground when you unlock them...keep hold of the central column when you unlock them :h?:

You should be able to get a Uni-Loc "bundle" including tripod, bag and smaller uni-loc ball-head from Warehouse Express within your budget.
 
aha thanks Nigel, it hadnt even crossed my mind to go for a double bean bag on the ground!...dohhh stupid me.

I couldnt afford a Wimberley even if I saved for years so Ive got to scrub that idea straight away.
Now I dont need to get the tripod to ground level though that definately opens up alot of possibilites.
I will just make sure it reaches my eye level without the centre column extending and I should be laughing.
Excellent.

Thanks again
Pete.
 
Last edited:
Finally decided on the Gitzo 1340 tripod
and Gitzo 1377m head.
This will make me push my 250 limit up a touch
but from what I have read (on my budget) if I want the camera and lens to be even remotely steady I dont have much choice really.

Does anyone have any knowledge of either of these 2?
(Like the legs snap off after 2 months or anything :)

Thanks
Pete.
 
Last edited:
I have Gitzo 1325 legs which I believe are similar to the 1340. Very stable, vibration resistant, light, well made. No problems after about a year of use. The collars that you twist to lock and unlock the leg sections take some getting used to if you are accustomed to levers or knobs. I use a Gitzo video head (for digiscoping) so am not familiar with that head. Glen
 
No, I have not yet put the 10D on a tripod. I don't have the patience for traditional long lens photography. The longest lens I have is the 100-400 with image stabilization, which works pretty well hand-held. That's why I got that combo - for the freedom from tripods and cumbersome gear. And to be able to get shots that are tough to get digiscoping, like flying birds, very close birds, pelagic birds from a boat, etc. When I'm carrying the digiscoping rig and the 10D, I'm prepared for just about anything. Glen
 
Gitzo tripod and head

Hi Glen, I'm looking for a tripod as well and wondered what you paid for the Gitzo tripod and head?

Thanks,

Joe


Glen Tepke said:
I have Gitzo 1325 legs which I believe are similar to the 1340. Very stable, vibration resistant, light, well made. No problems after about a year of use. The collars that you twist to lock and unlock the leg sections take some getting used to if you are accustomed to levers or knobs. I use a Gitzo video head (for digiscoping) so am not familiar with that head. Glen
 
Joe A. said:
Hi Glen, I'm looking for a tripod as well and wondered what you paid for the Gitzo tripod and head?

Thanks,

Joe

A lot. I don't recall the exact amounts. I bought them from Robert White in the UK, who even with his exorbitant shipping charges, was cheaper than anyone in the US at the time:

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/index.htm

The exchange rate is currently about $1.78 per UK pound. Glen
 
I'm sure no one has ever been sorry that he or she bought a Gitzo tripod, but they ARE expensive. I own a rock-steady Gitzo but for most purposes I end up using my Bogen/Manifrotto 3021 legs. They currently cost only about $135.00 U.S. and are quite sturdy and durable.

If you are using a 100-400mm tele and a dslr I think a decent ballhead is your best choice, and that's where you should invest your money. You might consider the new Markins ball heads made in Korea. These seem to provide a very good deal for the price.

Later on you could invest in a Wimberley sidekick, which will enable you to have "Gimbal head weightlessness" as you handle your lens or scope.

But hey, as I said already, if you go ahead and buy the Gitzo stuff I'm sure you won't regret it.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 20 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top