UKC

Ball head or 3-way for landscape?

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 George Fisher 25 Jun 2014
Which would you go with?

I'll mainly be using it with a 6x17 so getting things horizontal will be high on my priority list rather than speed.

Camera weighs just over 2kg.
In reply to George Fisher:

You want my Velbon 250R Sherpa Tripod with PH157Q Panhead.

Excellent sturdy tripod with a 3 way head.

£70 new. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000A1T0SC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1403725112&am...

£35, cash on collection in Leicester or Coventry area.
 Adam Long 25 Jun 2014
In reply to George Fisher:

I use a ball head with my Linhof 4x5, and don't have any problems getting things levelled, but I know a few folk who swear by geared heads, where the knobs drive the movement rather than locking it. Much more precise than 3 way which usually have some sag after locking. The Manfrotto junior is much the cheapest but still very usable.

What legs have you got? I'd say you want to be looking at Gitzo 3 series or equivalent for that weight.
OP George Fisher 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Adam Long:

I don't have legs yet, well i do have legs, just not tripod legs.

I was looking at a manfrotto 293 leg set. I liked the fact it had very little in the way of gadgets and nonsense. I'm not going to be using it for macro, so don't need to be able to remove to column or get the whole thing 3 inches off the ground.

Budget is about £150 for legs and head, not much I know.

Dispater: Thanks for the offer, I'll bare it in mind.
Dorq 26 Jun 2014
In reply to George Fisher:

I don't think many people go back to 3-way heads after using ball heads, or do they? Ball heads are much better, even for the heaviest cameras, I think (though I don't do panoramics). I would check out the latest reviews on the new Manfrotto BHs, if the price is right. FLM and the cheaper Novoflex BHs are not very good, and Kirk or Acratech are very good, in my opinion. There are a lot more ball heads available now than there was 10 years ago, so something will likely be great value if you can find positive reviews online.

I find Manfrotto tripods to be sound, though Giottos, the Chinese company, also make good quality at a slightly cheaper price. I have not heard great things about the twist locks on the French Gitzo tripods.

How about a stick-on spirit level cube, if there's no flash mount. Alternatively, some tripods come with a built-in spirit level, some heads have them inside on the QR shoe; the latter are better I would imagine. Again, I don't do panoramics, so ignore me if it's irrelevant.

Jon
 Adam Long 26 Jun 2014
In reply to George Fisher:
Hmm, £150 isn't much. Tempted to say it isn't enough, but really it just means it's going to be heavy. Light, sturdy or cheap; choose two!

Definitely buy second hand at that budget and I guess you can forget carbon too. That camera is not going to be usable off a tripod so choose carefully, I wrote a long post on here once about tripods... I 'made do' with Manfrotto 455/ Gitzo 2 series for years with 35mm/ DX/ 645 but LF forced me to upgrade. Now I use the big tripod for everything - you don't realise the worth until you use one.

I don't think that Manfrotto 293 will be up to the job. As a rule 3 sections will be sturdier and lighter than 4 section, but bulkier. I'd look at the Manfrotto 055 as a starting point, but you can often get bomber old aluminium tripods of various brands on ebay. You should be able to get some 055 legs and a 410 junior geared head for under £200.

Edit: found the old post

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=499298&v=1#x6812259
Post edited at 13:46
OP George Fisher 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Adam Long:

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of heavy and sturdy as my 2 qualities.

Looked at the 055 and 290 series, not a massive difference. I do plan to use the camera handheld but yes, mostly on a tripod.

Not fussed about carbon and all that quick release bollocks, just something basic but solid enough. There's a big tripod shop around the corner here so I'll take my camera along and have a go on a few things.

G
 Adam Long 26 Jun 2014
In reply to George Fisher:
Tube diameters for the 293: 22.5, 19, 15, 12. For the 055: 30, 26, 22.5mm

So your thinnest tube on the 055 is the thickest on the 293. Sounds like a massive difference to me - they'll be night and day in stability. My 3 series Gitzo only has one size bigger tubes than the 2 series, and it feels twice as solid.

Good luck with the handholding, what film/ aperture combos are you planning on using?

PS got any pics of the camera? Interested to see how it turned out....
Post edited at 20:22
In reply to George Fisher:

I had an 055 and a ballhead, for minimum weight. Still quite heavy, with all the other gear. Was sturdy and more than adequate for the Horseman 617 and Hasselblad.
OP George Fisher 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

When you say it was 'more than adequate' Gordon, would you go lighter if you were doing it again? Or is that extra sturdiness worth the weight? This thing will inevitably get dragged up hills.
OP George Fisher 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Adam Long:

Sent you a couple of pics of the finished thing.

I fancy trying some street photography with it as well as landscape stuff, t-max or HP5 pushed to 1600 at f16/22 should give me a reasonable shutter speed on a bright day.

Douglas Griffin 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Dorq:

> I don't think many people go back to 3-way heads after using ball heads

I've gone from a geared head (Manfrotto 410) to a ball head (Really Right Stuff BH-55). I find the latter a lot easier to use.
In reply to George Fisher:

> When you say it was 'more than adequate' Gordon, would you go lighter if you were doing it again? Or is that extra sturdiness worth the weight? This thing will inevitably get dragged up hills.

No, no lighter. Not for the Hasselblad with its big, heavy 50mm and 150mm lenses. Plus bellows lens hood etc. The big problem is wind in poor light. Of course for many shots in very good light, you don't need a tripod at all. I was using mostly 64 iso Ektachrome.
 Adam Long 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Douglas Griffin:

I'd agree in principle, but less so at a budget of £100 or so. Can you buy the RRS heads in the Uk now?
 Adam Long 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Did you get all your gear sold in the end Gordon? Still a bit curious about that Horseman... not mad on 617 but 612 handholdable is tempting. Did it have shift?
Douglas Griffin 26 Jun 2014
In reply to Adam Long:

No, but you can buy them from a couple of outlets on the continent. I used http://www.augenblicke-eingefangen.de/catalog/index.php - service was absolutely first-class.
In reply to Adam Long:

> Did you get all your gear sold in the end Gordon? Still a bit curious about that Horseman... not mad on 617 but 612 handholdable is tempting. Did it have shift?

No, I didn't sell all my gear - just most of the Nikon stuff that didn't mean much to me anyway ... and, I still have the Horseman. It's the 612 'Superwide' and is in pristine condition. A superb camera. With a 45mm Rodenstock lens. No, no shift .. but it's mostly about very wide angle shots, though you can fit other lenses. I used it with a 6x9 roll film back, which was very practical and eminently suited for double page spreads in books. Would be prepared to sell at a bargain price.

It's very practical for taking on an abseil/static line, and has a big 'hoop' round the lens to protect it from knocks.
In reply to Adam Long:

PS. I didn't sell my Hasselblad either in the end, and think now I'll keep it. It just has too much 'sentimental value' (I know, pathetic), because it was my main workhorse for four major coffee-table books. I also still have my old Fujinon 690 II - that's a bit more battered, but has a superb 90mm lens that's in perfect nick. A phenomenol camera. Very strong. That I would be prepared to sell for not v much.

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