Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Phocus on June 22, 2008, 11:27:59 am

Title: Tripod for long exposure photogrtaphy?
Post by: Phocus on June 22, 2008, 11:27:59 am

What tripod would you recommend for long exposure landscapes and seascapes?  Must be close to $300 or less (legs only), not to be used for hiking in the mountains, maybe a few miles from car.  Heaviest gear, Canon 5D (or 1DMKIII) with 70-200 2.8 IS.  Is a series 2 type legset enough?  Is the CT-3371 too large for small hikes? Below are the tripods I am contemplating:

Manfrotto 055XPROB aluminum (the popular 3021PRO)
Manfrotto 055M3
Feisol CT-3342
Feisol CT-3371
Velbon El Carmagne 630

Would pair with a Markins M10 ballhead.

Thanks!

Title: Tripod for long exposure photogrtaphy?
Post by: David Sutton on June 22, 2008, 10:32:06 pm

I have the Velbon Sherpa Pro, which I think is the same as the 630, paired with the Markins Q3, for my 40D and 70-200 f4. I find it ideal for hiking and air travel as the combined weight of the tripod and head is only 4 lbs. However, if you lean against the legs (as I like to do to brace them) they will flex. It comes with a stone bag which solves this problem, but I'm just not going to hunt for stones every time I want to do a long exposure, so I drilled a hole in the bottom cap to take a large hook, and I hang my backpack from that, and that works well. So for your needs I'd probably suggest something heavier and with more side-on rigidity.
Good luck, David