Thanks to everyone for the advice in response to Benjamin Glatt's question. Mine is a followup.
My critical need is for macro and close-up. I want to be able to get my camera down to ground level and to most other heights, too. I want it to be stable, really. And the legs I'm going to buy will have to reach 53.05 inches (134.75 cm) in height (plus head plus camera = my eye level), because I want to be able to use the tripod standing up without factoring in the cost of chiropractic (I'm 64).
After weighing everything (literally!) aluminum comes out too heavy, and my almost-decision to get Manfrotto's "wilderness" legs (055XWNB) has been un-made. So:
Any thoughts about carbon vs lava (basalt)?
Does anyone know about Giottos? Specs (This is an Ebay link because it's a one-click--the same info at Giottos' site requires you to click through three pages to find it.) I'm impressed by the thought they've put into these legs, the one-price-includes-all, and the weight (3.75 lbs).
Feisol's legs (Feisol legs) are even lighter (3 lbs), but the center column and steel spikes have to be bought separately, and Feisol doesn't say whether or not the center column can be reversed for low-level (I've read elsewhere that it can).
(Gitzo's are too expensive, or else all the people who say Manfrotto's, e.g., are comparable are cheapskates?)
Any more advice (in addition to what last week's thread contains)?
I need it, and I'll very much appreciate it.
Posted by Kent Staubus on October 30, 2008 at 9:52 AM
For what you want to do, I would suggest you bite the bullet and buy a Gitzo. I have the now replaced Gitzo 1325 carbon fiber. It will do everything you want and more. It has no center column so it is very stable. It will go down to ground level with ease. I think it goes up to about 66 inches (again, no center column.) I've had this for about five years now, and it is indestructable. I've destroyed one camera and two lenses which were mounted to the tripod at the time. Tripod is unscathed. It's even been hit by a train. Tripod is light enough to hike all day with, impervious to Dakota weather, and very solid. I'm from the Midwest and am very cheap. I can pinch a penny until Lincoln groans! I do not regret spending the money for this tripod. It's my single most important bit of photo gear. It has now outlasted three and soon to be four cameras.
Kent in SD
Posted by Arnab Banerjee on October 30, 2008 at 11:39 AM
I have a Giotto lava tripod. Excellent tripod - very light and sturdy and at a resonable price. But on my backpacking trip in Peru, lower component of a leg just fell down (I was carrying it outside my backpack). I was surprised, but their customer service is good - they repaired it at no cost. After that, I have been using it in all my hiking trips - nothing broken yet.
I will recommend giving Giotto a try, if you dont want to spend a fortune and buy Gitzo. BTW, Monfrotto's line is very good too - I actually prefer their leg locking system. Giotto is pretty much Gitzo's carbon copy
You can mount your ballhead directly onto the clamp, then attach the clamp anywhere on any the leg of your tripod. This allows you to drop it all the way down to ground level without moving your tripod legs at all, much less having to spread the tripod legs to get there. That's priceless in close quarters, plus it lets you get down low without disrupting the vegetation over such a large area compared to the spread legs. It also leaves the tripod legs erect, so you can use them as braces or supports for wind breaks. In between uses, I leave mine clamped onto the top of a leg while returning the head to it's normal position on the tripod. It lives there 24/7/365.
Like I said, it's the best $30 you'll ever spend. Heck, I'd pay $300 for the same function if they weren't so cheap.
Posted by John Mumaw on October 30, 2008 at 6:38 PM
I agree with the clamp idea if you like to do macro work.
I bought an Impact Clamp, which is just about identical to the Bogen but costs 1/3 less.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on October 30, 2008 at 7:26 PM
I really wouldn't work with the center column inverted, especially with back/knee issues. Can it be done? Sure. But you spend half of your time and effort simply trying to avoid hitting the tripod legs and the other half recomposing your shot after you do. Actually, just trying to stay out of the way of your tripod involves a small bit of a cortortionist act.
Buy the bogen attachment for whatever tripod you get.
Now that you mention it, the reversed center column is an accident waiting to happen. I had been thinking of how I'd have the camera looking out from between the "front" two legs, and how that would let me get nice and close to the bush or tree or ..., and I had not thought of the remaining tripod leg's being exactly where I need to be, or close enough so that if I raised my head there'd be a good chance of hitting that leg.
I'd never heard of the Super Clamp.
Question: the stud on the superclamp is just a 3/8" bolt with the threaded part about 1/4" from where it goes into the clamp. The head is perfectly stable with just that attachment? (i.e., without the usual flat platform out of the center of which the usual 3/8" threaded part protrudes?)
"Question: the stud on the superclamp is just a 3/8" bolt with the threaded part about 1/4" from where it goes into the clamp. The head is perfectly stable with just that attachment? (i.e., without the usual flat platform out of the center of which the usual 3/8" threaded part protrudes?)"
Good question! I think you can see in the photo that there's a long shank below the threaded end. That whole shank fits down inside the fitting on the Super Clamp so only the threaded portion protrudes. When you screw on your ballhead, it comes down flush against the flat surface on the Super Clamp. That flat is not as large as the one on a tripod, but it's plenty big for stability.
Super clamps are so cheap and handy we have lots in our studio (something approaching 30 at last count- a wine box full anyway). Though used principally for hanging backdrops and lights in the studio and on locations, I also use mine with the ballhead to provide a stable platform anywhere a tripod won't work. I frequently clamp it to the top platform on stepladders when I need a very tall "tripod" for example. I also use a clamp to mount a second ballhead on a tripod in situations where I need two cameras (really nice for having a landscape lens in place for broad shots while also using a long lens for wildlife).
There's no doubt you will fall in love with the Super Clamp for macro, but I'm betting you'll find lots of other uses as well. And if you're at all inclined toward location and studio photography, you'll own several. Especially when using multiple small conventional strobes rather than studio strobes on location, Super clamps are much mighter and more compact than light stands.
Discussion
7 repliesMy critical need is for macro and close-up. I want to be able to get my camera down to ground level and to most other heights, too. I want it to be stable, really. And the legs I'm going to buy will have to reach 53.05 inches (134.75 cm) in height (plus head plus camera = my eye level), because I want to be able to use the tripod standing up without factoring in the cost of chiropractic (I'm 64).
After weighing everything (literally!) aluminum comes out too heavy, and my almost-decision to get Manfrotto's "wilderness" legs (055XWNB) has been un-made. So:
Any thoughts about carbon vs lava (basalt)?
Does anyone know about Giottos? Specs (This is an Ebay link because it's a one-click--the same info at Giottos' site requires you to click through three pages to find it.) I'm impressed by the thought they've put into these legs, the one-price-includes-all, and the weight (3.75 lbs).
Feisol's legs (Feisol legs) are even lighter (3 lbs), but the center column and steel spikes have to be bought separately, and Feisol doesn't say whether or not the center column can be reversed for low-level (I've read elsewhere that it can).
(Gitzo's are too expensive, or else all the people who say Manfrotto's, e.g., are comparable are cheapskates?)
Any more advice (in addition to what last week's thread contains)?
I need it, and I'll very much appreciate it.
Kent in SD
I will recommend giving Giotto a try, if you dont want to spend a fortune and buy Gitzo. BTW, Monfrotto's line is very good too - I actually prefer their leg locking system. Giotto is pretty much Gitzo's carbon copy
You can mount your ballhead directly onto the clamp, then attach the clamp anywhere on any the leg of your tripod. This allows you to drop it all the way down to ground level without moving your tripod legs at all, much less having to spread the tripod legs to get there. That's priceless in close quarters, plus it lets you get down low without disrupting the vegetation over such a large area compared to the spread legs. It also leaves the tripod legs erect, so you can use them as braces or supports for wind breaks. In between uses, I leave mine clamped onto the top of a leg while returning the head to it's normal position on the tripod. It lives there 24/7/365.
Like I said, it's the best $30 you'll ever spend. Heck, I'd pay $300 for the same function if they weren't so cheap.
I bought an Impact Clamp, which is just about identical to the Bogen but costs 1/3 less.
Buy the bogen attachment for whatever tripod you get.
Now that you mention it, the reversed center column is an accident waiting to happen. I had been thinking of how I'd have the camera looking out from between the "front" two legs, and how that would let me get nice and close to the bush or tree or ..., and I had not thought of the remaining tripod leg's being exactly where I need to be, or close enough so that if I raised my head there'd be a good chance of hitting that leg.
I'd never heard of the Super Clamp.
Question: the stud on the superclamp is just a 3/8" bolt with the threaded part about 1/4" from where it goes into the clamp. The head is perfectly stable with just that attachment? (i.e., without the usual flat platform out of the center of which the usual 3/8" threaded part protrudes?)
Good question! I think you can see in the photo that there's a long shank below the threaded end. That whole shank fits down inside the fitting on the Super Clamp so only the threaded portion protrudes. When you screw on your ballhead, it comes down flush against the flat surface on the Super Clamp. That flat is not as large as the one on a tripod, but it's plenty big for stability.
Super clamps are so cheap and handy we have lots in our studio (something approaching 30 at last count- a wine box full anyway). Though used principally for hanging backdrops and lights in the studio and on locations, I also use mine with the ballhead to provide a stable platform anywhere a tripod won't work. I frequently clamp it to the top platform on stepladders when I need a very tall "tripod" for example. I also use a clamp to mount a second ballhead on a tripod in situations where I need two cameras (really nice for having a landscape lens in place for broad shots while also using a long lens for wildlife).
There's no doubt you will fall in love with the Super Clamp for macro, but I'm betting you'll find lots of other uses as well. And if you're at all inclined toward location and studio photography, you'll own several. Especially when using multiple small conventional strobes rather than studio strobes on location, Super clamps are much mighter and more compact than light stands.
Enjoy!