a 'good' tripod

[benny]

i still kind of sore not getting the titanium one though.

It's still not too late. Be one of the 390. :devil:

Cheers,

 

[zac08]

guys, i need help.
when i screw the ballhead to the gitzo, seems like no matter how hard i screw it, a little effort is all it takes to get it come loose again.i noticed when i screw it harder, there seems to be a 'rubbery' effect that prevents you from over tightening the ballhead to the tripod.

i'm afraid if i do alot of panning on the balhead, one fine day the entire ballhead+dlsr+lens will fall off the gitzo!

how do i secure it to the gitzo?i know they advise to remove the ballhead and keep it in the pouch when travelling but you know i'm too lazy to do that.and i dont see photogs travelling with ball head and tripod separate!do you guys really do that?:dunno:

Are there locking screws for the tripod, I know Manfrotto ones have 3 locking screws which will lock down the ballhead to prevent movement.

 

[theRBK]

how do i secure it to the gitzo?i know they advise to remove the ballhead and keep it in the pouch when travelling but you know i'm too lazy to do that.and i dont see photogs travelling with ball head and tripod separate!do you guys really do that?:dunno:

I do that... its the only way my tripod would fit in my carry-on trolley bag... so I don't have to check anything in...

i love the wimberly head.
if i ever own a 500 or 600mm, it will definitely be in my to-buy list.

but i've seen this thing in real life....it's HUGE!

its good for shorter lenses like 300 or even 70-200 with a TC as well... especially with that big D3 of yours... as well, it's good when freedom of motion is required, like tracking F1 cars or aircraft... :devil:

as for carbon fibre tripods, its the added stiffness, along with its strength to weight ratio of course, of the material that gives it its advantage over aluminium or even titanium tripods... although titanium, or probably aluminium as well, would probably be able to take more abuse because they are less brittle... in a way, its 2 sides of the same coin...

 

[jeanie]

thanks guys for the info.but i really find it such a hassle to remove the head and screw it on everytime i wan to use it...or even for travelling.

zac, no...it doesnt allow any screw on to secure the head.

this is one big disadvantage i just realised about my new combination.
:cry:

 

[Old Boy]

Carbon disintegrate over time???
Titanium is tough but not stiff???

Don't know where you got your info but what you have stated is utter rubbish. As to titanium, your comparisons with Ti bikes isn't valid because bikes can be designed to give a stiffer or more pliant ride by frame geometry, tube thickness and grade of titanium. I should know because I have bought and owned many carbon and titanium road and mountain bikes. :bsmilie:

All my carbon based cycling shoes disintegrated. I supposed Racing bike may not be pure carbon fibre but mixed grade. I also own both Ti and CF bikes.Racing bike is CF mixed grade, it's not pure carbon, that's why it may last longer Even the shop that sells MTB also has reservation about CF life so are shops that sell fishing rod.Maybe purer form cannot last, maybe around five years. Coincidence ? Maybe !

I still buy a CR tripod, even if it's fve years...stiff & light.Use it more often to get better value for money.

 

[zac08]

I'm not sure about you. But my carbon rods and graphite rods are still around after 10-15 years... no issues on those.

 

[Old Boy]

I'm not sure about you. But my carbon rods and graphite rods are still around after 10-15 years... no issues on those.

Probably maybe due to the type of washing detergent I used on the shoes since CF is organic. 3 different reputable manufacturers, one thing in common is CF. The others no issue.Good to hear that yours last 15 years, I have 50 rods and sweating away. :bsmilierobably techonolgy has advanced and CF grade is less susceptible to such attacks. Hope my new CF tripod will last like yours ! Happy shooting...

 

[psychobiologist]

guys, i need help.
when i screw the ballhead to the gitzo, seems like no matter how hard i screw it, a little effort is all it takes to get it come loose again.i noticed when i screw it harder, there seems to be a 'rubbery' effect that prevents you from over tightening the ballhead to the tripod.

i'm afraid if i do alot of panning on the balhead, one fine day the entire ballhead+dlsr+lens will fall off the gitzo!

how do i secure it to the gitzo?i know they advise to remove the ballhead and keep it in the pouch when travelling but you know i'm too lazy to do that.and i dont see photogs travelling with ball head and tripod separate!do you guys really do that?:dunno:

kinda wierd.. i'm usually able to screw my manfrotto head onto my gitzo tripod real tightly.. is it a safety mechanism in your ballhead that precents this tightening?

 

[foxguy]

hi jeanie,

as others have reply M10 is from Markins.
the head as tighten just by screwing on.
make sure you got enough screw lenght. usually it takes about 8 full cycle to unscrew my M10.
if you do not want to unscrew your head, i think you can leave it on.
frankly if it can damage the head i think the tripod also gone liao.
the only thing is if your setup is small enough to fix in your bag.

btw again very nice head. pm me if you got any more qn to ask regarding the mounting of the head.

 

[Garion]

i love the wimberly head.
if i ever own a 500 or 600mm, it will definitely be in my to-buy list.

but i've seen this thing in real life....it's HUGE!

Get the sidekick lar. Very good if you do lots of panning and makes your life much easier. No pt. getting full Wimberley head unless you own a 500mm or 600mm.

 

[theRBK]

Get the sidekick lar. Very good if you do lots of panning and makes your life much easier. No pt. getting full Wimberley head unless you own a 500mm or 600mm.

or one of the options from Jobu... maybe a Jobu Jr2 with the L Bracket Upgrade so the mount of the lens is at the bottom rather than at the side, which would ensure the lens centre line is directly over the centre of the tripod regardless of lens used, as well as (in my opinion anyway) making it easier to mount a lens... :devil:

 

[creampuff]

thanks guys for the info.but i really find it such a hassle to remove the head and screw it on everytime i wan to use it...or even for travelling.

zac, no...it doesnt allow any screw on to secure the head.

this is one big disadvantage i just realised about my new combination.
:cry:

Actually I don't have that problem at all with my Gitzo. You should screw in your ballhead tight with the ball locked.

 

[jeanie]

thanks for all replies guys.

maybe i just dont have the strength.i'll try again tonight.

 

[jeffreyk]

thanks guys for the info.but i really find it such a hassle to remove the head and screw it on everytime i wan to use it...or even for travelling.

zac, no...it doesnt allow any screw on to secure the head.

this is one big disadvantage i just realised about my new combination.
:cry:

a piece of rubber band sandwiched between the tripod & ballhead is what u need to fully tighten your new combination

 

[Canonised]

thanks for all replies guys.

maybe i just dont have the strength.i'll try again tonight.

Maybe just get a strong guy to screw it in tightly and properly for you once and you can be satisfied for the rest of the life ...... then you dont need to try screwing it again.
I know most female photographers hate all these screwing .... :think:

 

[smallaperture]

Happened to see this loooong thread.

Got a Manfrotto 055 and a Manfrotto ballhead [a medium size head] - I was a bit kiasu, so screwed it in tight but without using the 3 small locking screws.

Now, it is so very tight that I am unable to unscrew it ! ! I have tried bringing the set to Cathay and see if they could have a way to do it - well, they failed to do it either.

So, I got no choice, but to live with the set coupled permanently together. I guess the trick of putting a rubber-band in between is good - provided you dun leave it there too long.

 

[theRBK]

a piece of rubber band sandwiched between the tripod & ballhead is what u need to fully tighten your new combination

but if you should ever want to remove/change the head, you would have to deal with the melted rubber unless you change the rubber band often...

 

[buddy]

RRS BH-40 might be "too much head" on the 1540. I always thought the KangRinPoche NB3-A was a great little head for travel.

 

[benny]

The Kangrinpoche is good when it's new. Acceptable grip with not too much creep. But over time, the creep starts to get worse.

Cheers,

 

[chngpe01]

or one of the options from Jobu... maybe a Jobu Jr2 with the L Bracket Upgrade so the mount of the lens is at the bottom rather than at the side, which would ensure the lens centre line is directly over the centre of the tripod regardless of lens used, as well as (in my opinion anyway) making it easier to mount a lens... :devil:

I would not recommend a Jobu. Especially if you have used a wimberely sidekick or the gimbal before.

I bought a jobu once and sold it immediately (ie 2 days later) @ 40% off , it is not worth the buy at all. Unlike the wimberely you need to really use force to tighten the swinging axis and yet it moves.