Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Bo_Dez on April 06, 2017, 04:59:56 pm
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I've never been a tripod person but I've started doing things differently.
What are peoples thoughts on choice/favourite, for a lightweight, but most importantly very quick and easy to operate tripod?
It's only for a Leica M so low weight.
Thoughts appreciated
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Like you, I generally am not a tripod kinda guy. I actually use a monopod most of the time when I need more stability. I own several lightweight tripods that I'll throw into a grip bag for some shoots. The one I use most is a MeFoto carbon fibre. It's not the sturdiest thing out there, but it does the trick and it's decent on a hike as well. Also, it can double as a monopod. I've never been a huge fan of knurled leg releases -- I prefer the Manfrotto type of release latch. That said, I look for lightweight with enough stability for a moderate camera and lens (i.e. - Canon 5ds with a 70-200/2.8).
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I like my Manfrotto 190 CXPRO. It might be a little big for you but they make smaller ones too. Light for its size (which isn't all that big anyway) and solid with leg levers instead of those twist locks. It's held up well and once when I broke a metal leg angle lock/release button (it fell on concrete) it was easy to get a replacement part to fix it myself.
I have a Manfrotto 498RC2 head on it and they seem to be a good match. Great setup for day hikes and/or general use.
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Everybody will have their favorite type of tripod, head, quick release system. I like the Arca-style standard dovetail provided by a zillion manufacturers. For ease of use, nothing beats having a well-designed L bracket on the camera 100% of the time. All you have to do is whip out the tripod and slip on the camera, and if you want to change orientation, you just loosen the QR clamp and slip the camera in using the other dovetail grooves on the L bracket. This avoids 1. tilting the head 90 degrees and thus putting the camera's weight significantly off-axis 2. having to fish around for the camera plate and screw it on every time you want to put the camera on a tripod 3. one less step - more likely to actually use the tripod. So, look at and ask to try the types of products being used by other photographers. As for ball head vs inverted ball head vs geared head vs pan-tilt head, it all has to do with type of photography, personal preference, and weight/size limitations.
My kit: SLR or compact with its L bracket; remote release - I am old-fashioned and usually use the cheap wired kind that uses a AAA battery; tripod with twist locks (personal preference again); inverted type ball head, specifically the Arca p0 (easy one hand operation, light, small, my tripod's legs invert so the ball head is between them for compactness). Kit, minus camera, weighs ~ 3 pounds, goes from 0" to 60" (I am 5'5", so that is good enough for me to stand up straight and look through viewfinder/at live view screen), and is no burden on the trail. YVMV.
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I use a Gitzo series 2 tripod with basalt legs, and Acratech ball head.
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I use a Gitzo systematic series 3... living in Europe Gitzo made more sense... more easy to get spare parts ( https://www.manfrottospares.com ) for repairs. In the other side of the Atlantic... people over there say they prefer Really Right Stuff tripods... for several reasons... but mainly because for repairs they do it in the USA...
http://dgpfotografia.com
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I like my Manfrotto 190 CXPRO. It might be a little big for you but they make smaller ones too. Light for its size (which isn't all that big anyway) and solid with leg levers instead of those twist locks. It's held up well and once when I broke a metal leg angle lock/release button (it fell on concrete) it was easy to get a replacement part to fix it myself.
I have a Manfrotto 498RC2 head on it and they seem to be a good match. Great setup for day hikes and/or general use.
I have the same model though with a different head and like it a lot. It strikes me as an excellent light all-rounder and usually lives in my car. Quite big for hiking, though, at least for me, but as you say there are smaller options. My camera has a high-resolution mode (eight images combined in camera into a 64 mpx one) which needs a tripod to work and I enjoy using it. Quite a lot of uses for a tripod here. Poking around in old country churches which tend to be quite dark - some kind of tripod or firm stand is needed. Since a decent tripod should last for years and doesn't cost the earth it is quite a useful thing to have.
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I use a Gitzo GT 1531, which I find the lightest, yet stable enough, about 1050 grams. The lightest 3-way (!) head I could find is the Vanguard PH-12. On top of that a pano with built-in Arca Swiss dovetail. Again the lightest I could find was the Sunway Foto DDH-021, now discontinued I think, but it must have a successor. I'm happy with the combination.
Good light!
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We have stacks of tripods and heads of all sizes, makes and materials dating back over 50 years. But our all-time favorite for light cameras and travel is the Gitzo GT1545T Series 1 Traveler Carbon Fiber legs with RRS BH-25 ballhead, and especially their compact lever release version. The legs are just 2.3# and the head and the head 8 oz, for a total package just under 3#. Stable enough for a Nikon 7200 and lens, so especially stable with lighter models. I tend to leave the legs extended for use as a "mono-pod," spreading them as needed for true tripod function. At 16" folded length, I have it strapped to the bottom of a camera bag or pack between uses and never even notice it's there. BTW- RRS' larger ball heads are among the smoothest, most carefree we've ever used too. RRS has their own line of tripod legs, but I've never tried them.
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I've never been a tripod person but I've started doing things differently.
What are peoples thoughts on choice/favourite, for a lightweight, but most importantly very quick and easy to operate tripod?
It's only for a Leica M so low weight.
Thoughts appreciated
For me quick and tripods don't belong in the same sentence. I use a tripod to enable me to focus and compose my image and then sit back and wait for the light...nothing quick at all. I think if you are trying to mix quick and tripods together...you'll become discouraged quickly.
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For me quick and tripods don't belong in the same sentence. I use a tripod to enable me to focus and compose my image and then sit back and wait for the light...nothing quick at all. I think if you are trying to mix quick and tripods together...you'll become discouraged quickly.
+1
Use of a tripod is all about slowing down. There is no "quick" way to set up any tripod. The closest I've come to that is with my 5+kg wooden Reis tripod because it has only one leg extension!
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Use of a tripod is all about slowing down.
Ummmm.... Not if you're using longish lenses for wildlife or isolating elements in landscapes, especially in low light. Same for macro, especially with moving subjects.
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I second this... that is my exact compact tripod setup. I used a Leica m8 for years as a main personal camera and travelled everywhere with that and the gitzo traveler tripod. The rrs ball head can really hold its own with even larger gear especially if you use a nodal slide or macro rail to balance the weight over the center. For a Leica it's more than enough as is.
We have stacks of tripods and heads of all sizes, makes and materials dating back over 50 years. But our all-time favorite for light cameras and travel is the Gitzo GT1545T Series 1 Traveler Carbon Fiber legs with RRS BH-25 ballhead, and especially their compact lever release version. The legs are just 2.3# and the head and the head 8 oz, for a total package just under 3#. Stable enough for a Nikon 7200 and lens, so especially stable with lighter models. I tend to leave the legs extended for use as a "mono-pod," spreading them as needed for true tripod function. At 16" folded length, I have it strapped to the bottom of a camera bag or pack between uses and never even notice it's there. BTW- RRS' larger ball heads are among the smoothest, most carefree we've ever used too. RRS has their own line of tripod legs, but I've never tried them.
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Wow, thanks everyone some great feedback here!
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For me quick and tripods don't belong in the same sentence. I use a tripod to enable me to focus and compose my image and then sit back and wait for the light...nothing quick at all. I think if you are trying to mix quick and tripods together...you'll become discouraged quickly.
Not really. I shoot people and its all about speed.
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Not really. I shoot people and its all about speed.
Explain please. Why do you need a tripod to shoot people? What's the speed aspect of shooting people?
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I see no contradiction between:
1. Photographing with a tripod is good to slow down and concentrate, and take your time to carefully compose, and;
2. Having a tripod that is quick to operate and set up.
These are different things. Quite often I am all packed up at the end of the day and ready to go back, when I see something new and worth it happening. With a quickly operated tripod, I can set up in a few seconds. This is why I like Gitzo; I can simply twist the leg locks in the right order and set up really quick.
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This is probably not what others will think/do. I am using a tripod less and less. The only time I will definitely use one is for macro, and I have a Manfrotto tripod and the junior geared head - I found ball heads to difficult to position accurately. For all other situations, I find handholding and a little cropping afterwards best for me. In lower light, I just wind up the ISO if necessary, but IS makes a great difference. That said, for wildlife or moving objects I use a very short exposure (< 1/800sec), switch off the IS and use burst mode with subject tracking. I had a morning trying out an M10 and Summilux 50mm recently, and was happy with handheld even for a product type shot of the headlight on a Porsche parked in the shade. I find I can get enough sharpness to print up to 13" x 19" by monitoring the usual 3 variables. Just my way of working!
Jonathan
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I see no contradiction between:
1. Photographing with a tripod is good to slow down and concentrate, and take your time to carefully compose, and;
2. Having a tripod that is quick to operate and set up.
These are different things. Quite often I am all packed up at the end of the day and ready to go back, when I see something new and worth it happening. With a quickly operated tripod, I can set up in a few seconds. This is why I like Gitzo; I can simply twist the leg locks in the right order and set up really quick.
Yeah, I understand both sides of this but with a quick to operate tripod you have the option of working slowly OR quickly.
I like to shoot slowly from a tripod too but I like having a tripod that is quick to set up and take down for those "just one more" kinds of shots while hiking out or maybe on my way to my "real" destination. It doesn't mean I'm rushing around all the time but it does mean I could grab that shot I may not have anticipated without taking too much time away from my main mission.
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For me, a tripod is just another tool. Use it when you need it, bypass it when you don't. I'll certainly use one at all times in low light, even if the high ISO capabilities of today's cameras are better than they were even 5 years ago. Call me a low ISO shooter by preference, and a tripod user as a consequence.
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Gitzo, RRS, Kirk. I find that my images are improved with the use of a tripod, both technically and compositionally. Yes there are times I would rather shoot hand-held, but I shoot a lot of video and have for years so I'm used to a tripod always being part of my kit.
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If you are looking for speed in set up, there are such things as automatic tripods, which is a kinda of misnomer but they set up pretty fast.
I do most of my shooting off of tripods and I agree with the previous comments about tripods and speed can sound odd.
But each photographer has different needs and what works for one photographer may not work for another.
Just remember, there is no best tripod. All tripods are compromises. Find out what is not too important for you and compromise on that.
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Quite often I am all packed up at the end of the day and ready to go back, when I see something new and worth it happening. With a quickly operated tripod, I can set up in a few seconds.
When I see something new and worth it happening, I just take a picture of it.
I use tripods when I absolutely have to (pre-dawn light or creamy water exposure, 1-2 seconds). That's it.
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This is probably not what others will think/do. I am using a tripod less and less. \
Dropping the ball-and-chain of the tripod is the best thing I ever did for my photography!
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Hi
On this site (http://blog.reallyrightstuff.com/the-closet-of-disappointing-tripods/)
I found the best advice in my opinion:
"My advice on buying a tripod then was to find the heaviest tripod you would be willing to carry, and then to buy the next bigger model."
I have several tripods, and the lightest I use is the Manfrotto MT057C3-G.
This tool is heavy enough to stay solid at the place it has to be.
The geared column helps to work fast and precise.
My 2 cents.
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My advice is to buy a sturdy tripod with a hook on the underside of the plate where the legs meet. Then hang extra weight as needed. One or two water bottles on a carabiner hung from the hook adds 2 to 5 pounds and lowers the center of gravity of the whole shebang. OK, not totally convenient, but neither is hauling around an 8 to 12 pound tripod. Studio tripods are called that for a reason.
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...sturdy tripod with a hook on the underside.... .....hang extra weight as needed.
We've found a neat solution along the lines of your suggestion: We carry small mesh drawstring bags purchased from backpacking suppliers such as REI. They weigh nothing and compress to nothing, but are always available to hang from the hook with the weight-of-the-moment. Water bottle, spare lenses, rocks, even chunks of ice. You name it. Always along and always useful. I think the last one I bought is 8"x12" collapsed, weighs an ounce, and cost under $10 on the REI sale table.
Beats the stuffings out of spending extra money for extra weight you have to lug all the time whether you need it or not.
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I can go you one cheaper! ;D Mesh bags that used to hold 3 or 5 pounds of fruit or potatoes. Or, the plastic grocery bags that I stuff in my pocket to use for picking up trash on the trail. If I had a dollar for every "Gu" (trail runner's energy gel) packet I have picked up, I'd be on vacation now.. 8)
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Atsa spirit! :D
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Gitzo Sytematic Series 3, w/ FLM 38FT head, set up with Arca Swiss compatible accessories, i.e. plates on cameras, e.g. Really Right Stuff L-bracket on my Fujifilm X-Pro2.
IMO, a lighter camera especially begs for a sturdy tripod (and/or extra weight hung from the apex).
Over the years, I've always tried to use a tripod when it made sense. Case in point: At the moment, I'm scanning negs for an old friend with whom I used to wander with our medium format cameras (both Mamiyas) more than thirty years ago. I always used a tripod; he didn't. Arguably, he had the better eye ... but, compared to mine, his negs are soft.
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Good example, and representative of the experiences of many, I'm sure.
In a variation, we spent a day this winter with a friend photographing birds on a Florida rookery. Comparing results a few days later was illuminating. He's very good at hand-holding, to the point he doesn't even bother with a tripod when using his heavy Nikon 200-400 f/4, pumping ISO in exchange for a tripod- especially early and late in the day when most of the action occurred. He's also experienced with the rookery and the birds, garnering some really extraordinary behavioral shots. We're not so experienced with the birds or hand-holding, so we resorted to stout tripods and Wimberlys for our long heavy glass.
We didn't fare so well on capture, simply because the birds were smarter than we were and we weren't alert for the special moments he knew were coming. But he brought up an important difference as we compared results. We were shooting at 400 ISO or less most of the time, only popping up to 800 for brief periods in the lowest light. The "slowest" ISO he used was 1600 with 3200 more his standard, popping even higher in the lowest light.
He might have been much better at capturing the "moments" that made his images stand out. But his images suffered terribly for the high ISO's, and he's going to spend many a long hour at his desk trying to compensate. After comparing results with our lower ISO shots, he's also put in an order for a stout tripod and Wimberly. ;D
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Yes, I have a friend now with whom I go "bird hunting." He has a much bigger, heavier (500mm) lens than I possess but he too hand holds a lot of the time, while I mount my 400mm rig (200 with doubler) on a behemoth Jobu gimbal.
Same thing; he has to go for the high ISO. Of course to get as close, I have learned the art of stealth. :)
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When I embraced Fuji's X-T1 I decided I could carry a lighter tripod. After a lot of searching and reading I ended up with a Sirui N-3204X Carbon Fiber N Series 4 Section Tripod Legs 69.7" Height (I'm 6'4" tall). I tried a few Sirui ball heads and ended up with the Sirui K-30X 44mm Ballhead. It handles my X-T2 with battery grip and 100-400 just fine. Best of all the build quality of Sirui is excellent and the weight is a lot less than what I was carrying around.
I would have loved to go Gitzo or RRS but I didn't feel the need to take out a second mortgage.
I'm considering a Jobo gimbal like Ray if I end up shooting birds more often that once a year.