Camera Labs

Hi All

I am planning to buy a tripod today and needless to say that i am pretty confused now.

My interests in photography is wildlife , portraits , bird photography and planning to take some training in fashion photography as well.

So for the above stated interests do i need light weighted tripod , i know there are some carbon fibre tripods but they are bit expensive to be honest.

I made some choices and below they are.

1) 055XPROB
2) 055CXPRO3
3) 055CXPRO4

Also i am totally confused on heads , do i have to go for ball head or 3 way head

My gear as of now is Canon 7d , Canon 70-200 F2.8L IS II USM , 15-85 IS , i might get 400mm F5.6 soon but i dont think most of the time i'll be using this lens on tripod , might get one macro lens soon as well.. so the weight of my photo gear is not abnormal here in my case , but i dont want to change my tripod tomorrow if i end up buying any heavy lens..

Please suggest me as i'll get it today based on your suggestions.

PS : I have gone through Gordon's reviews on manfrotto tripods and only then i narrowed to manfrotto , now my choice is above stated and i want you all gurus here to help me out to further narrow down on my choices.

Regds
Mano

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Canon EOS 5D mk III|Canon EOS 7D | 70-200 F2.8 L IS II USM | 400 F5.6 L USM

I would pick the 055CXPRO3! I own the 055XPROB and it's a very good tripod, but it can get heavy, when I'm shooting landscapes all day.
As far as heads go, I would go for the ballhead. When you're shooting wildlife, I imagine you would want to adjust the head very quickly, and the 3 way head is very sloooow compared to a ballhead.

If you want to get into portraiture, headshots, fashion, beauty, ect. I highly recommend Peter Hurleys DVD "The Art Behind The Headshot". Now you might be thinking, $300 for a DVD that's ridiculous!, but the ability Peter has to pull emotions and expressions out of a face is amazing. And the best part is that he teaches you how to do it!

Another recommendation is Zack Arias's course "Studio Lighting". Again a steep price of $150, but he teaches you every thing there is to know about studio photography. Buying a studio setup on a budget, the basics of light and both basic and advanced light setup's.

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Victor
Nikon D300 - Nikkor 16-85 VR - Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR I
www.victorhoffmann.com

I recently got the 190CXPRO4, I ordered the 3 but they could not deliver it so they sent me the 4 for the same cost. I was looking for something light for bushwalking.
I also go the 498RC4 midi ball head. Its more stable than I expected after reading the reviews and it handles the 7D with flash and 70-300L.

The 190CXPRO3 might be worth considering if you lean more towards light weight, other than that I agree the 550CXPRO3 would be a great choice.

I am glad I got a ball head, my previous old verbon tripod had a three way head and its better for video, but not as good to use as the ball head.

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Canon Powershot S95, Canon 7D, 15-85, Canon 85 1.8 USM, Sigma 30 1.4, 50mm 1.8, Canon 100 2.8L IS Macro, Canon 70-300L IS USM+Kenko 1.4 Pro 300DGX, Canon 430EX II and RS 4 Classic

Thanks a lot for your suggestions and advises Victor and Maxjj ..

I have finally bought one on the same day when i posted this thread and fixed myself to 055XPROB and RC2 ball head.. seems like pretty cool for the moment , after going through the tripod , i felt this one is not actually as heavy as it was reviewed in some websites.. i was bit worried abt the RC2 ball head , but i have to go with it as i was bit short of money .. however after a while i am planning for wimberly , guess its class is different from the rest..

thanks once again for your time and suggstions..

Cheers
Mano

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Canon EOS 5D mk III|Canon EOS 7D | 70-200 F2.8 L IS II USM | 400 F5.6 L USM

I know this is an old thread but just wondering how you are going with RC2 head? Are you happy with it? Still using it?

I don't have a post to my name on this forum but will give you my 0.02c as i have been shooting for quite a few years with similar sized gear to you (7D, 70-200 F2.8 IS mk2, 180mm macro etc)


The following might help you with your next head purchase.


I started out with a 055 XPROB which I am still using today, it is a very nice tripod but is a little heavy if you are walking with it for long distances.

My first head was a Gitzo G2272M which is a 3 way head, very nice but can not support the gear I am shooting very well.
I then went to a Manfrotto 054 ball head which was quite nice, but had the same problem as the Gitzo - the QR plates are universal and can not be torqued up enough to hold the camera in portrait orientation.

I now use a Really Right Stuff BH-55 with a B2-Pro 2 clamp. It is legendary! I will never buy another brand of camera support again! They are just that good. I also use a RRS L plate, a PCL-1 clamp and various nodal slides for pano work. Next on my list is a TVC-33 tripod with spiked feet and rock claws (this is a $1000US tripod which is overkill for most people)

For you you are doing I highly recommend Manfrotto 055 XPROB or CXPRO3 with a Really Really Stuff BH-40 ball head with B2-Pro 2 clamp and RRS L plate. The RRS stuff is expensive but will outlast every other piece of gear you own. You will not regret it.



Cheers
Sam

Thanks Sam

Yeah my experience with Rc2 is not that good to be honest , 055xprob is excellent , sturdy and i didnt find it heavy , but i am in the look out for new tripod head , guess i'll check what you have said and will invest on it.. thanks for sharing ur experience..

Cheers
Mano

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Canon EOS 5D mk III|Canon EOS 7D | 70-200 F2.8 L IS II USM | 400 F5.6 L USM