Best Tripod??

[antistatic]

I'm going home to saw my son's leg off just to prove a point on an internet forum.

Go on, I dare you to take me seriously.

 

[ChrisN]

I'm going home to saw my son's leg off just to prove a point on an internet forum.

Go on, I dare you to take me seriously.

But this thread is about tripods, not monopods.

 

[antistatic]

But this thread is about tripods, not monopods.

I could have a four legged son.

 

[kipkeston]

The best bang for you buck is probably a Gitzo, like the 1541T

 

[sahe69]

sahe69, I would never put my wife, nor any other human for that matter, in the same class as animals. I'm stuned that anyone would even consider such a thing.

So you think it's not good to laugh at a misfortune of a human beings but it's quite allright to laugh at an animal's misfortune?

 

[Sparrow]

So you think it's not good to laugh at a misfortune of a human beings but it's quite allright to laugh at an animal's misfortune?

He didn’t laugh, he posted a pic of a much loved dog, do you have something against disabled animals or something?

 

[sahe69]

He didn’t laugh, he posted a pic of a much loved dog, do you have something against disabled animals or something?

Calling a 3-legged dog 'Tripod' does not really reflect love in my opinion.

Where did you get the idea I have something against dogs??? Quite the opposite. But I do have against dog owners which do not treat their animals as they should. Calling them with degrading names falls in this category in my personal opinion, which I believe I'm entitled to have.

Anyway, I apoligize the OP for this offtopic discussion. If quality is what you're after and money is not a significant issue, with Gitzo you can't go wrong. Check out also the basalt product line from them, almost as light and rigid as the carbon fiber tripods but more economical.

 

[jack palmer]

I think some people are looking for things to be indignant about and take offence to. He obviously loves the dog. He didn't put the dog down when he was faced with a Vet bill for the cancer treatment. Tripod is a fine name. If it were female , maybe Ilean. Lighten up, you'll live longer.

 

[Sparrow]

Calling a 3-legged dog 'Tripod' does not really reflect love in my opinion.

Where did you get the idea I have something against dogs??? Quite the opposite. But I do have against dog owners which do not treat their animals as they should. Calling them with degrading names falls in this category in my personal opinion, which I believe I'm entitled to have.

Anyway, I apoligize the OP for this offtopic discussion. If quality is what you're after and money is not a significant issue, with Gitzo you can't go wrong. Check out also the basalt product line from them, almost as light and rigid as the carbon fiber tripods but more economical.

I don’t know anything about the chap, but he clearly thinks a lot of that dog considering the money he must have spent on vets fees and the time in nursing it.

I think it is pompous moralising for you to criticise his choice of name on a public forum, if I’m also allowed an opinion.

 

[peter_n]

The best bang for you buck is probably a Gitzo, like the 1541T

Are you OK with the body being off-center? You can get A-S plates made for the M body...

 

[marke]

Sorry to send this thread WAY of topic, guys. I never expected my humor to cause such a distraction, and certainly not any grief as it has clearly caused one person.

sahe69, I apologize if I offended you in any way. However, I don't apologize for my original post and the humor applied. If you would like to get a real idea of how much I love my dog, here's the story in short:
I spent about $4,000 to save his life, when you include the amputation and the chemo treatments. He's 9 years old, and many people would have said that he has already lived a good life, as greyhounds usually only live from 9-14 years. Additional and ongoing costs...he is now on a 90% raw food diet, which means his food bill is often as high as the grocery bill for both me and my wife combined. sahe69, if you want to know more about how much I love this dog and how much I love my wife, you can read it here:
http://www.pbase.com/marke/zoomer

...and some on my blog:
http://wingsoflightphotography.blogspot.com/2009/02/youve-come-long-way-zoomer.html

Now, to get back on topic...

My larger tripod, the one I usually use for my DSLR, is a Manfrotto 3011BN with 486RC2 ball head. I also have a gimbal head when using big glass.

My smaller tripod is a Quantaray QSX-Digi Pro 100. It's a great little tripod that works great for my RF when traveling.

 

[kipkeston]

Are you OK with the body being off-center? You can get A-S plates made for the M body...

Oh yeah. I need to get a new plate for it. =)!

 

[murpograph]

why don't you think about a wooden tripod, such as they are made by Berlebach. Lightweight, very easy and comfortable handling even when it's very cold and almost without any tendency to vibrate. I use one together with an Arca-Swiss Ballhead and was always satisfied with that combo.

There must a reason why professional surveyors use wooden tripods.

 

[ChrisN]

There was an interesting discussion of this (vibration and wooden tripods) over on the Large Format Photgraphy forum recently; link here. One post also gave a pointer to a comparison test.

 

[sevo]

The best tripod is the one you can and do carry along. That always makes them a compromise - there is little doubt that a heavy movie tripod beats everything discussed (these extend to 4m, can run on small railway tracks and take a 45kg camera plus operator on seat and the corresponding counterweights on a 5m boom), but it needs at least two stage hands and a large van or two to get it from one location or another...

Sevo

 

[murpograph]

Scientifically seen is any tripod with a camera on it, a vibratory unit. Heavy tripods for professional use (mainly movie and broadcast) such as Sachtler do prevent a lot of vibration.
The tendency to vibrate however will occur in normal photography more or less only if a long (and heavy) lens is used. Then however it will be better to support the end of the lens by any rest (maybe a monopod or something that can fixed on a lower part of the tripod). This measure will eliminate vibration almost completely and you don't have to carry a tripod weighing 30 pounds or more. Andreas Feininger proposed and practised this method.

Udo

 

[flip]

I am by no means an expert - I don't have enough time or money to become one - but the ~30cm tall collapsible bogen manfrotto tripod with a leitz ballhead is the combo for me. light, sturdy, and cheap. The only lacking is height, but there's often a way around this. For the money, it's a useful combo. (even without the leitz ballhead)

 

[momus1]

I too can attest to the charms of the Tiltall. Mine is the original model made by the Marchioni brothers in Jersey before Leitz bought the business from them in 1973. Leitz only put the company's name on them, all the credit goes to the Marchionis. The tripod is a little light for windy days or even a small 4x5 camera, so I use another popular tripod for that, the Bogen (Manfrotto) 3021. Quite a bit heavier than the Tiltall but still easy to carry. The head on it is a 3025 which I hate. The little knobs cut into my hands when tightening it, and it generally isn't good enough for 4x5. I suppose I'll replace it w/ the 3047 like everyone else does, but for now I'm looking for other options.

As for the animal/human thing, judging by the harm done to the world and it's creatures it's obvious who the better is and it ain't us. I'll take the worth of any sentient creature as being equal, and question how one can be sentient and cause such suffering and misery to others, but that's from observing life, not reading from someone's philosophical or religious rantings.