ldhrads Posted March 22, 2011 Share #21 Posted March 22, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Just as a counterpoint to Gitzo, you might want to take a look at Benro, very high quality, much lower price. I will now duck as I have inviariably set off a firestorm regarding "Chinese Knockoffs"!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Hi ldhrads, Take a look here Tripod Setup. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
hoppyman Posted March 22, 2011 Share #22 Posted March 22, 2011 The L bracket means that you can swap the camera from horizontal to vertical though without displacing it sideways and down. A nice convenience. If you are making a sequence to be joined for a panorama and the camera is to be vertical, the L bracket is essential. You can use a nodal slide and panorama base as well to be meticulous.. By the way that BH55 head seems over-gunned for Series one legs . A really nice head of course. I would just use it with larger legs. My (draft) notes and pictures here Panorama Photography - LUG Pearls I have the Gitzo G1325 and RRS BH-55 ball head. The Gitzo G1325 when fully extended puts the camera at eye level for me. I do not have nor want a center column as they defeat the purpose of a tripod in part. They do not add to the stability of the sticks and in fact do the opposite. (It's about moment of arc I think they call it) I have a BH-55 and love it. It's a bit bigger then the other one recommended here but offers a couple of advantages. First of all both are pricey units, may as well go all the way. Second, the BH-5 has an extremely effective friction drive that the others do not have. So when following action you can pan smoothly with it. Fourth, if you ever decide to put a really long heavy lens on it such as the Nikko 70-210 VR, the larger ball develops far more holding power. I used to close up the legs and carry it over my shoulder with my large lens and it never moved, the little ones won't do that, they come loose. And lastly, I believe you'll find the BH-55 has more supporting accessories then the others. I believe the G1325 has been discontinued but I have no idea why. It is three sections and fits in a carry on suit case diagonally with the ballhead removed. Carbon Fibre is much lighter but also very comfortable to carry in cold weather. The large knob on the right is the sensitive friction control. Get the BH-55 and never look back I bought the L bracket and finger control for mine but could have done without the L part of the bracket. It adds too much bulk to this trim camera and the camers strap has to attach to it. Just get the bottom part without the verticle bracket as the BH-55 head will flip the camera vertically. It is in the foreground of this image. The part on the right end of the bracket is what I don't think you need. Note it comes with a new camera baseplate so you can keep the one that came with the camera perfect! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Your Old Dog Posted March 25, 2011 Share #23 Posted March 25, 2011 Actually Geoff, on the BH55 you can tilt the head 90 degrees to the verticle. It saves needing the left side riser on the camera that the strap has to attach to. I'm old school from TV news and there is no such thing as a too big tripod head I've used a Miller Fluid Jr. for my spotting scope and it worked great. My series 1 legs held my Nikon long glass just fine with the BH-55. It may be an unusual combo but it sure worked fine for me. I wanted to be able to just collapse the legs and throw it all over my shoulder like a rifle for carrying with long heavy lenses and not have the head work loose. The big ball head never worked loose on me and I love the friction setting on it so I can just turn the camera/lens without constantly locking and unlocking it. While it may be possible to adequately get away with less, it' the choice to make if one plans to use a heavy SLR with long glass on it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted March 25, 2011 Share #24 Posted March 25, 2011 Yes you can Old Doggie You mean with either drop notch I think.The other heads will do this as well. Don't forget that the camera will then be off centre and lower. That may not matter to you of course and it strength is certainly not a problem. As I mentioned , if you want to swap back and forth from horizontal to vertical it is convenient to have the centre stay perfectly aligned and for a series to be stitched this is vital. Nothing wrong with preferring the features and size of the B55 you have. I was only suggesting that it deserves stronger legs to be in balance At the gym they would say nice biceps and back but those are Wednesday legs (Wednesday going to break off) Back to being serious, I really do not recommend carrying your M camera attached to a tripod and holding onto the legs only. That is a lot of strain on the Base plate attachment. Dropping a Nikon might be an annoyance, but the sound of an M9 with lens impacting the pavement would really spoil your day. I have a series two Gitzo set which I use with a BH40 head for when bulk and weight is no problem. I replace that head with a BH30 that has a panorama clamp instead of normal for when I want to do panoramas and a Traveller set of legs (Series One) with the little BH25 head for when weight and space is at a premium for travelling. In a studio your BH55 and the biggest legs you can buy make perfect sense for any camera. Actually Geoff, on the BH55 you can tilt the head 90 degrees to the verticle. It saves needing the left side riser on the camera that the strap has to attach to. I'm old school from TV news and there is no such thing as a too big tripod head I've used a Miller Fluid Jr. for my spotting scope and it worked great. My series 1 legs held my Nikon long glass just fine with the BH-55. It may be an unusual combo but it sure worked fine for me. I wanted to be able to just collapse the legs and throw it all over my shoulder like a rifle for carrying with long heavy lenses and not have the head work loose. The big ball head never worked loose on me and I love the friction setting on it so I can just turn the camera/lens without constantly locking and unlocking it. While it may be possible to adequately get away with less, it' the choice to make if one plans to use a heavy SLR with long glass on it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted March 25, 2011 Share #25 Posted March 25, 2011 FWIW I think the 1541T has been replaced with the 1542T...apparently folds bigger and costs more. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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