Originally posted by: ghostman
Originally posted by: mobobuff
Originally posted by: virtuamike
Originally posted by: ghostman
What tripod would you recommend for a Rebel XT/XTi with a 70-200mm zoom, taking price, weight and sturdiness into account?
Are you shooting macro or landscape? Are you shooting on flat ground or uneven terrain? How tall are you? How low do you need to go? Do you like flip locks, twist locks, or have no preference?
Or go to your local camera store and try some out
You forgot to ask if he wants ball pivots or axis pivots.
I say ball.
Gah! So many options!
I'm looking to shoot both macro and landscape, so it must be able to squat fairly low. But I also want it to stand at least 60" as max height. I want independent legs to handle uneven terrain, just in case. I think flip locks are easier, but I can deal with twist locks. Oh, and a ball head.
I've been considering the
Bogen Manfrotto 725B with Integrated Ball Head
Based on calculations, with a 7lb max load, this should even be able to handle future (however unlikely) upgrades to a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II (3lbs) and a 70-200mm F/2.8 IS USM (3lbs). Anyone have experience with it or can offer other alternatives (Slik, Velbon)? I know I don't want the heavy BM 3021BPro at 5lbs+.
When looking at a ballhead, try and get one that supports the most weight that you can afford. Generally, the ballhead weight ratings are very inaccurate. 7 lb means it's when it's going to outright fail and slip all over the place, so you can imagine that at 5 or 6 lb it's going to start showing signs of not being able to handle the load compared to if it was handling a 3 lb load. I say that when looking at a load rating, the rating should be at least double what you plan to put on the head.
The
Bogen / Manfrotto 486RC2 is a good choice for light tasks. It will NOT function well for lenses like the Sigma 50-500mm, despite the fact that it plus the camera body only weighs perhaps 7 pounds, and the ballhead is rated at 13lb.
If you're going to be using something beefy, go for something like an Acratech or Kirk or Arca-Swiss. These will be the ballheads that you use for literally a lifetime. Pricey, yes, but they will be able to hold anything plus have extra features like variable friction controls so that you can easily pan your camera on its head.
As for tripod legs, I like carbon fiber because it's lightweight and I carry my gear around with me on hikes. Flip locks are nice and fast, but they can sometimes wear down and might need fixing. Twist locks will always be secure, but are not as fast to implement and if you shoot in gritty or sandy environments, can get sand and grit trapped inside the threads in the twist locks, which could seriously screw up your threads.
Feisol, Velbon, Gitzo, Slik, and Giottos are all good. All good tripods will be able to stand low to the ground, and hopefully include a center column to increase its overall height.
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