What a monster: Manfrotto 055c

[lxmike]

Well just bought a mint, (vintage) Manfrotto 055c with 168 head, I was not prepared for the build quality, size and weight.......what a monster....i am going to have fun and get fit lumping this beast around. Anyone else use a Manfrotto, I have wanted one for years and finally got this one at a good price. I must get a bag for it

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I have two Manfrotto tripods; they're both older ones. I bought the first one when I was 15, 30 years ago. The second one I bought about 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the newer ones are not as well made. The old ones I have are indestructible.


The new Manfrotto tripods are decent, but some of the heads they sell now are plastic garbage.

 

[lxmike]

I have two Manfrotto tripods; they're both older ones. I bought the first one when I was 15, 30 years ago. The second one I bought about 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the newer ones are not as well made. The old ones I have are indestructible.


The new Manfrotto tripods are decent, but some of the heads they sell now are plastic garbage.

Thank fully the one i have just obtained with the ball head is really well made and all metal, it could also be used as a weapon if need must, anyway thanks for the reply Chris, stay safe and have a good new year🙂

 

[Dogman]

I've used both Manfrotto and Gitzo tripods years ago and they were both heavy duty and totally stable. I used a huge Manfrotto (then Bogen*--remember Lester Bogen from the magazine ads?) with a 4x5 field camera and it was definitely overkill but it was stable. I can recall standing in the bed of my truck with that tripod on the ground extended fully, shooting a 4x5 on Pike's Peak. Great tripod. I also still have one of those monster Manfrotto ballheads. Again, overkill but solid.

*The Bogen ads had a photo of Lester Bogen sitting on one of the Bogen/Manfrotto tripods. The ad made reference to Bogen tripods not being sold unless they could hold up Lester himself.

 

[Godfrey]

I have two sets of Bogen/Manfrotto legs, bought more than 20 years apart. The old Bogen 3021 legs are heavy, aluminum, tall, and very sturdy. The newer Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 legs are much lighter, a bit shorter, and also very sturdy.

Manfrotto heads ... I moved away from them a long time ago because the QR clamps (RC2 model) are simply too imprecise. I went to all Arca-Swiss type clamps and camera/lens plates, and currently use mostly the Arca-Swiss Monoball P0 Hybrid head, although I also have three other heads of equivalent quality and sturdiness.

G

 

[Nokton48]

I've been building out my Sinar Norma system in my studio man cave. Now I have six of them for various purposes and I needed at least three more tripods. I opted for the 3040 Manfrotto legs as I have one that I have not been able to break so far. These are expensive and I wanted to keep costs down as always. Anyway I did find three on Ebay that were lower priced so I went with those.

Also I found a really cool FOBA about the same price so I ended up with that as well. It should arrive here today.

Old big Manfrottos are not too bad to use. FOBA is a level above Gitzo and Manfrotto.

 

[PaulDalex]

I have a Manfrotto 074B HL-11 (I guess about 30 years old), which is like a tank. Very complete: bubble levels, three handles, crank and a large hexagonal plate. It is labeled "Professional".
I use it only at home because it is too heavy. It is, since a couple years (more or less), dedicated to support the Nikon Pb-4 and Ps-4 for scanning with a digital camera.
For travel I have a carbon tripod and a carbon monopod. Both Manfrotto of course

 

[madNbad]

Chicago made Majestic 2500. Twenty two pounds and a maximum height of eight and a half feet. I owned two different ones over the years and makes my 055 look like a toy.

 

[css9450]

I've owned a couple sets of the old Bogen aluminum 3011 legs. I bought the second set after breaking one or more of the cast metal leg clamps on the first set; as the years went by I wound up with one set of good legs and another set with all broken clamps. I think the bitter cold made them brittle (being in the car trunk might have had something to do with that). Wintertime photography is important so it was something I just had to deal with.

 

[lxmike]

Thanks for all the input and replies chaps, I am very impressed so far with the Manfrotto, if anything lugging it around will get me fit

 

[philslizzy]

I have an O55 too, its a beast sure enough. One of the rubber feet was missing for at least 3 decades then I found you can still get the parts for them. I also got the column bottom thingy. I have the old version.

I bought a new (used) manfrotto tripod in a more portable size and a couple of heads. A superb system.

 

[shimokita]

I have been using the '190 CX Pro 04' with a 486H ball head which is great for traveling and hiking with a 35mm SLR/dSLR. With medium format I prefer a three way head...