tripod - advice

hi guys

another bit of info/advice required please

tripod veiws on supporting the following gear -
canon 400 l 2.8 usm lense
canon 1d3
gimball tripod head
i have been using manfroto 055cxv3 - but stability is a issue
i am thinking og getting a manfrotto video tripod as - 351mvb with 75mm platform (black, twin top legs etc)

has anyone had experiance/advice on this tripod

any guidance would be a great help

many thanks

jeff acreman

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the specific model you cite, but whichever brand you choose, you should look at the heaviest-duty line. An insufficient tripod is a curse to sharpness. It's a heavy camera and a very heavy lens. The more robust the tripod, the better.

I'm not real familar with the model tripod you listed either.

One other consideration is the ease with which you can work with the tripod. As Buck mentions, you want a heavy duty tripod. Be careful not to go too overboard, though. Cinema tripods and the heavy end video tripods are really designed to stay in one location for the duration of a shoot. If you are doing birds or something that moves and will be working in the field with brush, you probably want a more traditional tripod, but a very heavy duty one. Some of the video tripods (and really low end still photographer tripods) have horizontal braces on the legs which work for stability but at the cost of weight and field friendliness.

Here is an example of what you don't want

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554068-REG/Manfrotto_028B_028B_Studio_Pro_Triman.html

even assuming that the weight limits were sufficient.

I'm looking at the BH site for your suggested tripod. It doesn't seem very flexible. Have you looked at

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/556157-REG/Manfrotto_535_535_3_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html#specifications

I'm not sure how you attach a ball head or gimbal head to it, maybe with a 520BALL 75mm Half Ball (BH part B&H# MA520BALL )

The next step up is beginning to reach Gitzo territory in price and I'm not sure if you budget will be happy with that.

I know of several folks who use 600 f/4's with gimbal heads on a couple of Gitzo models. (And I believe the 600 is about the same weight as your 400.) The 5541 is the sturdiest, but some folks make due with the 3530 with good results when they want a little less cost/weight. If you are using any of these types of tripods (rated for well over 30 lbs. at least) and aren't stable enough, I'd guess there are other issues going on, like long lens technique.

Gitzo 5541 at BH
Gitzo 3530 at BH

Jeff, Manfrotto does make a strong video stage tripod that can hold 100lbs (even a small jib!), but it's still single sticks for ease of carrying. The reviews showed that a good number of photographers use it for that reason, not just video folks. It comes with ground spreaders for extra stability if needed and accomodates a 100mm half bowl for quick-leveling. You can find it at B&H. It's under $700 which surprises me, but then again it's just the sticks. Anyway, something to have a lookie-see at!

What about a Gitzo Systematic ? Those are solid and very stable tripods.