Tripod heads for still photography

[Brett Roberts]

After putting off replacing my half-broken $40 Wal-Mart tripod all last spring, I'm in the market for a more substantial system before '08 starts up. I'll be using it for a Canon Digital Rebel series camera body with lenses that are of modest weight (Canon 10-22, Sigma 17-70, Sigma 70-300).

I've looked around a bit and it seems the choices for both legs and the head are nearly infinite. With the legs it seems to boil down to a simple cost-weight-sturdiness tradeoff (someone with more knowledge correct me if I'm wrong and I should be looking for something in particular here), but the choice of heads is much more confusing.

From what I've read, Bogen/Manfrotto is the way to go, so I'm looking primarily at legs and heads from them. But for chase photography, should I be interested in ball heads, 3-way pan heads, or something else?

I've seen the combination of 3021BPRO legs and the 488RC2 ball head recommended frequently on photography boards, and the price of that combo seems about in line with what I had expected to spend for a decent setup ($200-$250), but I'd love to get some input from chasers with experience using different systems in the field before ordering anything.

 

[Tony Laubach]

I went a cheaper route with Amvona, an Ebay company. I picked up a couple of leg systems out of the A100 series (A100T and A102T). I picked up a couple of the same heads (ATH-H94, no longer sold I think) earlier when I made a couple of other leg purchases. The first sets of legs had some issues and through a wonderful customer service experience with them was able to exchange the broken ones for two new legs with different leg locks (not snaps).

I've found those to work very well and cost me less than half of what the pricier ones run. For me and the shooting I do, this works out very nicely. Something to consider if you want to save a few bucks.

BTW, I won these on auction; not buy-it-now. The buy-it-now prices are very high and I have never seen one of their auctions come close to those prices.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

Brett: I have an older pair of 3021 legs (which work great). I recently upgraded from the 3030 pan/tilt head to the 486RC2 ball head ($68). They use the same rapid release plate, so I'll probably keep the older head around for use as a backup. While I haven't used it in the field yet, it is easier to make adjustments quicker. The setup is also less bulky.

So far I've been impressed with Bogen/Manfrotto gear. I dropped a monopod ~50feet down a boulder field in the Wichita Mountains. Scraped a bit of paint, but still works great.

FYI you could end up with a setup for under $200.
For legs:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...nfrotto_190XDB_190XDB_Tripod_Legs_Black_.html ($97)
or
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/479931-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_190XB_190XB_Tripod_Legs_Black_.html ($125)

and the head:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...o_486RC2_486RC2_Compact_Ballhead_w_Rapid.html ($69)

 

[Greg Campbell]

I went a cheaper route with Amvona, an Ebay company. I picked up a couple of leg systems out of the A100 series (A100T and A102T). I picked up a couple of the same heads (ATH-H94, no longer sold I think) earlier when I made a couple of other leg purchases. The first sets of legs had some issues and through a wonderful customer service experience with them was able to exchange the broken ones for two new legs with different leg locks (not snaps).

Interesting, Tony. They seem to be selling rebadged Bogen/Manfrotto stuff. (Or very convincing knock-offs?) I've got a 'real' Manfrotto version of this head. It works well so long as I don't try to use a large telephoto lens. (All that weight hung out in front makes the whole thing borderline unstable.) Macrophotography is also tricky since any up/down tilt also moves the camera back and forth a substantial distance.

The Bogen 322RC2 is an improved, lower profile ball-grip head that I quite like. I don't own one, but have borrowed a friend's on a few occasions. My only complaint is that it's slightly awkward when tilting the camera to portrait orientation. The grip will tilt the full 90degrees, but has very little over-travel. If your tripod is leaning the wrong way, you may not be able to reach vertical. The grip copes better with my large, heavy film camera and large lenses, but is still not as stable as a solid pan/tilt head.

WFIW, I'm very happy with my Slik DX-700 tripods. One has survived two separate cliff diving episodes (fortunately, w/o any cameras attached!), without suffering more than a few small dents and scrapes. The biggest drop was well over a hundred feet; a rolling, tumbling, flailing descent into one of Bryce's innumerable near-vertical canyons. It took me well over an hour to hike down a nearby trail and back around to retrieve it. After dusting it off, it was good to go!

There's a Sportsman's Warehouse up in northern OKC. They sell a decent selection of Slik, Bogen, and other quality tripod equipment at reasonable prices. IMO, you should go visit and play around with what they have. Head preference is very subjective; it's always best to try before you buy.

Needless to say, avoid the junk sold at places like Ritz, etc.

-Greg

 

[Jason Foster]

How about video

I started a thread for the videographers to address this same issue.

http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?p=165759#post165759

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

It works well so long as I don't try to use a large telephoto lens.

What telephoto? Many of the larger ones have tripod rings so you can mount it near the balancing point (my Canon 70-200 for instance).

 

[Mike Umscheid]

The Bogen 322RC2 is an improved, lower profile ball-grip head that I quite like. I don't own one, but have borrowed a friend's on a few occasions. My only complaint is that it's slightly awkward when tilting the camera to portrait orientation. The grip will tilt the full 90degrees, but has very little over-travel. If your tripod is leaning the wrong way, you may not be able to reach vertical. The grip copes better with my large, heavy film camera and large lenses, but is still not as stable as a solid pan/tilt head.
-Greg

I only use the good stuff, Bogen/Manfrotto. I use a combo 3221WN legs & 322RC2 ball-head. Greg, I agree about the "over-travel" problem with this grip. Of course, after using this head for so long now, I've gotten used to this issue. It's a wonderful head for landscape/stormscape photography.

 

[Greg Campbell]

What telephoto? Many of the larger ones have tripod rings so you can mount it near the balancing point (my Canon 70-200 for instance).

Wel, my FD 200/2.8 doesn't have such a mount. It's not that huge, but with the 2X-B converter (not exactly a featherweight in it's own right), all the weight hangs far forward and well above the head's pivot point. Add a two pound T-90 and the whole affair can become overbalanced. Any time the grip is moved from vertical, the long lever arm afforded puts a near-capacity torque on the ball.

In other words, the grip is marginal for this setup. It works brilliantly with a lighter load.

The lower profile 322RC has a smaller lever arm and is significantly more stable. The grip can be switched to either side. I like to use the left hand to hold and release the grip while the right steadies the camera and twiddles buttons and settings.

-G

 

[Brett Roberts]

Thanks for all the advice! I ended up going with the Manfrotto 055XPROB and 488RC2 combo, which just arrived this past week. So far, so good... I especially like the separate panning plate and ball movement on the head. The whole setup is extremely sturdy - as well it should be for over $200 - and I've found I'm able to take two shots, adjusting settings on the camera in between (i.e., for blending separate sky and foreground exposures), without any movement whatsoever of the camera position; this was rarely the case with the cheapo pod it replaced. I'll have to reserve final judgment until it's been out on a few chases (hopefully starting with tomorrow ), but based on testing it out a bit the past few days, I can highly recommend this combo.

 

[D. Hayes]

Hey Brett keep us up to date on how you like the ball head down the road. I bought a Slik DX700 and it's fantastic but I would like a ball head for quicker adjustments.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Just an update on the Slik DX-700 tripod. One of mine broke in a rather lame manner as I was extending the legs. I'm not prone to breaking things, and try not to pull too hard when deploying the thing - each leg makes a gentle 'clink' as it reaches the travel limit. Well, I was setting up for a nice Escalante sunset when - schwoop! - the middle leg joint just kept on coming... Small bits of shattered white nylon bushing flew everywhere. 'Stumpy' spent the rest of the vacation in the trunk...

The 'pod will be easy to fix, one I order replacement plastic bits from the US distributor. If they wind up costing much over $10 I'll start to get pissed.... Hello Bogen / Manfrotto!

Google indicates that this is a fairly common problem. Looking at the remains, it's clear that the joint design is clearly substandard. Be gentle when extending the legs!

-G