Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: DarkPenguin on August 24, 2005, 07:57:44 pm
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I have the slik 300Dx. For the price it is very nice. And if you swap out the head it gets REALLY light.
I replaced mine with a feisol.
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I have the slik 300Dx. For the price it is very nice. And if you swap out the head it gets REALLY light.
I replaced mine with a feisol.
Any idea on the actual weight without the head it comes with?
Thank you both for the answers.
Anyone try the Cullman Magic II yet? It also converts to a monopod.
Bryan
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Thanks, Gary. I just looked at that one, and it is slightly heavier than I want. I think I could get my 3001 down close to that with a new head. It's slightly too long for the bag I need to put it in also.
In the end I decided to try the Slik Sprint Pro. We'll see..... I wonder how bad it will bend with my 360Precision pano head, D70 and 12-24 on it?
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Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked at these, but I believe they are around 3 pounds. I didn't do the math. I got the Slik tripod Sprint Pro, and it seems pretty wimpy, but what can I expect from a tripod that light and small. It actually does pretty good when only the two biggest segments are extended. I would trust the center column. Believe it or not, it does support my camera and a 360 Precision Panohead, but not nicely. I haven't shot any panos with this combo, but thought I'd try it out. I leave for my trip on Sunday and will be back around the 23rd or solo, so, hopefully, I'll be able to make a review of this tripod by then.
The nice thing is it fits in the pack I want it to fit in, and it's light. I need everything to be as light as it can for the last portage of the trip 9 miles down the Grand Portage to Lake Superior.
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I bought a Gitzo 2228 and a ball-head model 55 from Really Right Stuff. Total weight about 3 kilos. Fantastic functionality.
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Well, this topic again. Some of you know that I have a Bogen 3001 and a Kirk BH-3 ballhead for canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and a Gitzo 1340(?) with a BH-1 ballhead. These two tripods cover me pretty well.
I've modified my 3001/BH-3 combo to get it down to about 4.5 pounds, (I wouldn't mind the weight, but it doesn't fit in the pack I need it to fit in) but this is slightly too heavy and large for a trip I'm heading out on in Sept, which will be a light and fast canoeing trip 250 miles across the Voyagers Highway in the BWCA. Then it will be a 8 mile carry down the Grand Portage and 30 paddle on lake Superior. I'm trying to do this solo in under 10 days, so I'm reducing weight as much as possible.
I'd like to find a tripod and ballhead combo that is under 2.5 pounds. It doesn't have to be full height. The lens/camera combos will be a Nikon D70, a 12-24 DX, a 24-85 AFS, or a 70-300 ED 4-5.6.
And get this, I don't want to pay a ton for this.
I got out my B&H sourcebook and looked for a tripod/head combo and found:
Slik Sprint Pro at 1.9 pounds, the Slik Pro 330DX (change head, smaller center pole or none, and weight should be at 3 pounds,)
Does anyone have experience with these or can anyone recommend something else?
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Well I have Gitzos from a 01 to a 3 series alu. & a 1227CF. And...I still like to take my two year old Velbon 343E when backpacking. You may want to replace the head with the smallest ballhesd from RRS.
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I've got a Bogen 724B, and bought a Bogen quick-release plate to fasten on top of it:
http://www.bogenimaging.us/product....id=2157 (http://www.bogenimaging.us/product/templates/templates.php3?sectionid=368&itemid=2157)
This is fairly compact and seems to be fairly steady. I looked at some of the smaller/lighter versions in their line, but they were too short for me.
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While this may be a bit late for your particular purchase, and thus for general interest, in case there are people other than Didger who would consider the Velbon Sherpa Pro "Carmagne" series:
I just purchased the CF 641 EL (http://www.velbon-tripod.com/sherpa_pro.htm), fully aware that the discussion threads here mentioned that I'd need a step-up screw from 1/4" to 3/8" thread.
However, this is not true for the 641 EL, at least. The mounting screw is possible to unscrew and reverse. It's both a 1/4" and 3/8" thread screw.
So now I have something like two weeks to decide if this is a big enough improvement that I'm likely to keep it. At least it's not significantly more expensive than the Manfrotto (AKA Bogen) 755B I already own, and the weight of 1.47 kg compares nicely to the Manfrotto's 2.65 kg. It also seems more stable. Even with the center column extended to 50%, it seems stable.
However, there is no combination here that helps you particularly, Bryan. Sorry!
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Don't think of it as a 9-mile portage. Think of it as 18 half-mile portages. Anybody can do a half-mile portage.
I went on a moose-hunting trip in the Boundary Waters a few years ago and unfortunately, we got one. We had multiple portages carrying 400-plus pounds of moose meat and, because the outdoor editor of the local newspaper wanted to mount the head, a giant moose head. Getting a moose head in a canoe is a problem. Portaging a moose head is worse.
JC
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I just looked back at my original post and the portage has grown a full mile. I don't envy you for having to carry out a moose. Don't you know, you're just suppose to hit those with your car on the Gunflint. <grin>
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Hello Bryan,
I am going to suggest a monopod, if you really want to reduce your weight and bulk. Obviously this choice will only work if you aren't doing star trails or exposures longer than 1/15th of a second (depending on focal length). I moved from a CF Giottos with RRS ballhead to a Giottos monopod with Manfrotto swivel head and the same Lever clamp RRS that sits on my ballhead (at $120 each they are expensive...). I find that for 90% of my photography it gives me the stability I need, as well as flexibility and light weight and bulk.. which means I use it more often than I would my tripod. Of course it doesn't work in all situations... so this suggestion will depend on what and when you are photographing...
Good luck with your choice.
JD