# Tpod questions......



## jason308 (Jun 17, 2007)

I am looking to upgrade and get a decent tripod here in the next little while and have a couple of questions for y'all.  I currently have a Sunpak (I think) that I absolutely despise.  And I thought I was getting a better one than my old one....I have looked at the Bogens, and have one of their heads on my monopod and absolutely love it.  Do you y'all prefer a ball mount, normal(?) mount, or both?  It seems to me that the ball mount might be better for flight shots, etc....What say you???  And I am not looking to spend a ton of money (chose the wrong habit, huh?) but I am sick of having tripods that are hard to adjust, don't work well, etc.....Thanks for any advice y'all could offer!!


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## DRB1313 (Jun 17, 2007)

Hey Jason, Feral one just got a new bogen and a really cool head. When he gets on, He can give you the model #.  I also use a Bogen Manfrotto and love it. You won't go wrong with one.


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## jason308 (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks DRB....I like the Bogen stuff so far, and if it works well when it counts it will be well worth the $$$$.....


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## leo (Jun 17, 2007)

*I use a Bogan 3021bn Tpod*

with a ball head (w/grip) the #3265.

I think they are great, I eventually plan to get a Bogan Mpod too


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## jason308 (Jun 17, 2007)

leo said:


> with a ball head (w/grip) the #3265.
> 
> I think they are great, I eventually plan to get a Bogan Mpod too



Leo....Do they do fairly well with heavier lenses?? I have the 70-300 VR now, but would like to get a 400 or 500 later down the line....

I should have added, I will use this tpod for everything, but I would really like one to help me with my birds in flight shots and all....


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## leo (Jun 17, 2007)

*This is the rating on the 3021bn*

Maximum load capacity: 15.4 pounds
Weight: 5.1 pounds



It's the only good t-pod I have owned, so its hard for me to compare them. The grip on my ball head gives me a movement capability and it's adjustable for tension on the ball.

BTW, here is how I got so smart about tripods ...  

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=66618&highlight=bogen


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## rip18 (Jun 17, 2007)

This is probably the same thread that Leo linked to, but here goes:

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=66618&highlight=tripod

I really like the Bogen/Manfrottos, but there are some really good ones out there.  There are some good deals on eBay.  The carbon fiber tripods are the cat's meow right now - I've got one Bogen carbon fiber, but it doesn't quite support the big lens, so I actually don't carry it much.

I've really liked my ball heads & want to get a really good heavy duty one.  The one Leo mentioned above does the 70 to 300 really well.  Once you upgrade to a 400+ millimeter big glass, you'll want a Wimberley or similar gimbal head (there is one that "adapts" to a high-dollar ball head)....

Later...


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## ronfritz (Jun 17, 2007)

Here's what I think...

I have a set of Bogen-Manfrotto 3221 legs and a 3039 pan/tilt.  I also have a Bogen-Manfrotto "Modo" 785B and a couple mono pods.  I ended up with two mono pods because the second mono pod has a set of three legs that stow inside and can be used to make the camera stand on its own.  Turns out its not all that practical and all you end up with is a really heavy mono pod....and a little 3232 Bogen Manfrotto head that works really nice on mono pods.

Back to the question at hand...

I also have a Bogen Manfrotto 3026 and 3262 ball heads.  And I have that 70-300 VR lens you mentioned as well as the 80-400 VR.  And, I just got done using the heck out of both lenses.

I prefer the pan/tilt when using longer lenses because a) they can be loosened one axis at a time and tweaked so that b) you don't have your camera floppin all over the place.

I like the 3221 legs; they can hyper extend like the shaggybill setup in the link provided by Leo.  However, when space is at a premium or when I'm going out in the woods, I prefer something smaller and lighter which is why I own the Bogen-Manfrotto 785B.  It has a ball head with a single lever with a button that activates the lock.  It works fine with the 80-400 VR but its a bit tough to adjust when used in conjunction with the 70-300 VR.  Even though the 80-400 is a bigger lens, it has a tripod collar which allows you to mount the lens to the tripod rather than the camera body.  Consequently the whole thing balances better than the 70-300 VR which compells you to mount the camera body to the tripod.  When using the 70-300 VR I find I need to point the camera a little high so that, when I take my hands away, the camera is pointed where I want.  With a better ball head, gravity probably wouldn't have as much effect...but then it would probably weigh more.

So, if I need a compact tripod, I take the 785B and deal with it.  The 785B has a quick release and I've got three of the matching feet that I keep permanently attached to the body, and a couple of the larger lenses.  If space or weight aren't a concern then I take the big legs.  I find the 3039 pan/tilt head stays mounted to the big legs more or less permanently.  If I was going to get on a plane and take the big legs along I'd might trade heads.

If you decide to go with a ball head and are interested in either the 3026 or 3262, let me know.

My bottom line suggestion though is to get a pan/tilt because I think it will be easier to adjust with the 70-300 VR and less likely to flop around....or maybe somebody else on here can tell you that my comments about ball heads are a more likely to be a function of user error.


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## leo (Jun 18, 2007)

*Great responses*

Another suggestion, I have an old light weight Quantray, low cost tpod, and I use it to get Macro pics around the yard, by using the 2sec delay on the camera the movement has settled down when the pic is taken, your sunpac may work in a similar situation

Ques for ronfritz ... 





> I ended up with two mono pods


What is the model # of the one you like... I mostly take a monopod on my beach trips and the max camera weight would be @ 5#'s.

Rarely do I get a shot on the beach that the subject remains still and the monopod gives me an ability to move it a lot, then later use the straightening tool


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## ronfritz (Jun 18, 2007)

Leo - 

The mono pod I like is the Bogen Manfrotto 3216 with a 3232 head.  I like the head because I can switch from portrait to landscape easily and because I can quickly attach the camera or lens using its knurled spinner.  Occasionally I put the 3262 head on it....for example sitting on the dock up at the lake, so I can move the camera around a bit more without changing my position.

The big mono pod with the legs, however, is a great way to set up a remote flash.


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## rip18 (Jun 18, 2007)

I agree on the 3232 head on monopods.


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## jason308 (Jun 18, 2007)

Thanks y'all....Ron, do you use the pan and tilt a lot for moving shots???  That is a huge concern of mine.....
Leo...I plan on keeping this old one either for video or for  when I don't want to tear a nice on up.....


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## ronfritz (Jun 18, 2007)

jason308 said:


> Thanks y'all....Ron, do you use the pan and tilt a lot for moving shots???  That is a huge concern of mine.....
> Leo...I plan on keeping this old one either for video or for  when I don't want to tear a nice on up.....



Actually, I can't recall using the big tri pod and pan/tilt for moving shots although I suppose you could loosen all the locks and use them as easily as a ball head...its just that you'd potentially have those rods in the way.  When I think back to the shots I took this last week where the subject was moving, most were either with a mono pod or, if I was sitting on the dock, with the little 785 tripod (ball head)...so if panning while supported is a requirement, maybe I'd favor the ball head.

Even though I still think I'm gonna be irritated by the flopping around thing, all the talk of ball heads has made me think I need to circle back and maybe give them another try.  Just this morning I swapped the pan tilt for the ball head.

And another thing I remembered....

I hardly ever go into the woods without a camera.  When I have the Savage .17 HMR out in the woods as well, I take a set of shooting sticks instead of a mono pod, which makes a decent camera support especially if there's something to lean them against.  Basically, you get a little double duty out of them as they make decent walking sticks, rifle support and camera support....plus they are quite a bit lighter than even a mono pod.


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## jason308 (Jun 18, 2007)

ronfritz said:


> Actually, I can't recall using the big tri pod and pan/tilt for moving shots although I suppose you could loosen all the locks and use them as easily as a ball head...its just that you'd potentially have those rods in the way.  When I think back to the shots I took this last week where the subject was moving, most were either with a mono pod or, if I was sitting on the dock, with the little 785 tripod (ball head)...so if panning while supported is a requirement, maybe I'd favor the ball head.
> 
> Even though I still think I'm gonna be irritated by the flopping around thing, all the talk of ball heads has made me think I need to circle back and maybe give them another try.  Just this morning I swapped the pan tilt for the ball head.
> 
> ...



Thanks Ron.....I have a unique monopod that I use as a hiking staff, shooting rest, and anything else.....I will take a photo of it later tonight....It is a Stoney Point Explorer hiking staff, and came with the camera mount, "v" for shooting a rifle, and a knob.....But I put a Bogen 3232 head on it and it works great for now...With the 70-300 it may be a little overloaded, but it works ok until I upgrade.  I use it to hike to our study sites in the mountains, as well as take all kind of shots with it....And it was only 40-50 bucks too....


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## FERAL ONE (Jun 18, 2007)

i have the 3021b pro legs and the 322rc2 head. i love them but this is my first quality tripod(i had the sunpak too) instead of buynig the carry case, a folding chair bag from walmart works great and is 1/10 the cost. i also like the fact that it looks like a cheap chair instead of a high dollar tripod!!! also instead of buying the expensive carry strap, i used a gun sling and zip ties it works great and again, 1/10 the cost!!!


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## jason308 (Jun 18, 2007)

FERAL ONE said:


> i have the 3021b pro legs and the 322rc2 head. i love them but this is my first quality tripod(i had the sunpak too) instead of buynig the carry case, a folding chair bag from walmart works great and is 1/10 the cost. i also like the fact that it looks like a cheap chair instead of a high dollar tripod!!! also instead of buying the expensive carry strap, i used a gun sling and zip ties it works great and again, 1/10 the cost!!!



F1-that is the exact setup I had in mind.  If you don't mind my asking, where did you get yours?  Thanks.


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## Hoss (Jun 18, 2007)

Jason,
I'm with the rest on the Bogan tripod.  I've got the 3021b Pro legs and the 486RC2 ball head.  Gread tripods.

Hoss


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## FERAL ONE (Jun 19, 2007)

jason, i got it off of ebay. the matched pair . they had a combo deal and i saved a bit of money on it. i think the place was called phillyphoto. i had no complaints!!!


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