Camera Labs

Got a call last night from A J Purdy (UK camera shop) to say they have the 18 200 lens there for me. I rang on the offchance a few weeks ago to see if they had any stock and was told 'give us your number and we'll let you know when' Anyhow I thought - yeah right, but whadayknow? They were as good as their word. I'm paying £549 which as Thomas predictied is I think the list price which is fair enough. I saw one on ebay last week for £520 'buy it now', but to be honest for the extra 29 quid I'd rather buy it from somewhere I can take it back if there are any problems.

So D80 + 18 200 lens. Can anyone give me any pointers on a tripod for this set up? i don't want much, such rock solid stability, super light weight and maximum flexibilty(!)

Cheers
Tony

PS hope this is posted in the correct section?

Cheers Tony and congrats to getting such a fine equipment!
As to a tripod, I just bought the Manfrotto 055ProB plus matching 808RC4 head (which is spring loaded in 2 dimensions) for a little over 200EUR. I can only say: rock solid tripod, goes to my hight (176 cm without head), sturdy head, smooth movement, lots of praise in the forums. It is not the lightest, but every 300 Grams less costs quite a bit. And as I don't see me carrying that tripod around a lot (it's more for inhouse use) that was ok with me.
I didn't go for the 804RC2 head because there were some discussions about manufacturing quality and resulting smoothness. It is made of plastic whereas the 808RC4 is metal.
Links:
055ProB http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/op/previ ... C69&idx=71
808RC4 http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/man ... |81&idx=82

B.t.w. the 055ProB has a very nice feature, quote "The tripod has a special centre column support that easily re-fits as a horizontal lateral arm, this allows the camera to be offset from leg position, and provides the simplest way possible to shoot from directly overhead."

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi Tony, yep, Manfrotto are certainly the way to go.

Check out this earlier post here.

In fact as they're such important accessories, I'm going to create a new forum dedicated just for tripods!

Gordon

podlabs.com?

Thanks for the links Thomas and Gordon.

Ive had a look on the Manfrotto site and done a 'top trumps' on the various leg/head combinations.

I'm inclined to go for the 055ProB. (they really give these tripods great names don't they?!). Although it's a bit heavier than the 190 series I'm a tall chap and think the extra 30cm height the 055 offers is worth the extra 0.6kg.

The Magnesium head is very appealing as it's so compact and light. My only concern is whether it is sturdy enough for the D80/18 200 combo? Do you think so Gordon?

Here's another tripod I've spotted http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/pid/4006
(hope the link works, if not it's the Modo Maxi). this is incredibly light and good value for money...too good to be true?

Hi Tony, I'd not seen that new small and light model, but I did once buy a 714SHB for hiking use, but it ended up being too much of a compromise. Not small and light enough for what I wanted, but also not sturdy enough either for a heavier camera and lens combo. The model you linked to looks a bit sturdier and has a much more sophisticated looking head, but I'd definitely want to try it in person first.

But I'd only ever recommend a 'travel' tripod as a second tripod, Your first one should be a good general purpose model, and I'd always go for something sturdier. The D80 plus 18-200mm isn't the heaviest combo in digital photography, but it sure ain't light and it needs a decent tripod.

I use an older 190 for general purpose stuff and it's fine for a D80 / 18-200mm. If the 055 is the same kind of build quality, you'll be fine.

Gordon

Uh oh, Tony, beware!
The 785 is just ok for up to 2(!)kg. And the weight and price suggests to me that it is a flimsy product, not reliable enough for me to carry my D80 plus valuable lens.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Tony, as for the magnesium head, you're referring to the 460MG, right?
It carries 3kg, so should be ok for your equipment. It's almost 1kg lighter than my 808RC4, so should be more fun to carry around.
A quick peek into the biggest german forum on that head does not reveal anything negative. So it should/could be a good buy...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

The 460MG is very good! I'm a happy owner of one...

Gordon

Thanks for that guys.

I think your point about a solid primary tripod is a good one Gordon, I'll not go for the Modo maxi.

Thanks for checking out the 460MG over the web for me Thomas. I think I'll go and have a play with this one in a camera shop to see if I can get on with it. The size and weight certainly appeal.

Another head I've seen in various magazines is the 322RC2 which at 0.7kg sits between the 460 MG and the 808RC4 in terms of weight. I suppose it's a matter of personal preference about whether to go for a 3 way or ball head? Or is one better suited to a particular type of use than the other?

Once again, thanks for the feedback

Tony

A ball head is certainly faster to adjust in any direction. But a.f.a.i.k. ball heads don't provide for a spring loaded mechanism like e.g. the 808RC4. If you loosen the screws a bit the spring loaded head helps you keep the cam stable/upright.
You should pack a decent body + telezoom + flash on a ball head and see whether you could really track a moving object without fear of tilting the cam.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Sorry to be resurrecting such an old thread, but my question is about the same as that of the original poster.

My set is a D40 + VR 18-200mm, which is kind of heavy, and not only that, but the centre of gravity is very far from the camera body, especially when the zoom is extended. Also, I could be buying a D80 in about one or two years, so this would have to fit that set two.

Manfrotto tripods are either unheard of or out of stock in here.

I was thinking about a Velbon Sherpa 250. It can hold 4 Kg and seems solid.

I can't tell, from the technical data, if it will hold my gear without risk of flipping over.

Also, is the screw on the head going to fit (do different tripods have different screws)?

I think that it comes with a fully functional head (horizontal and vertical panning, "portrait" orientation possible).

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Nikon D90 + MB-D80 + SB-600 + AF-S VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 + AF-S 35mm f/1.8 + AF 85mm f/1.8 | My photos on Flickr.

Hi Luis, I can't comment on Velbon, but I can tell you the tripod thread is a standard quarter inch thread which works across all cameras.

Thanks.

Yesterday night, and tired of looking for a decent tripod (there isn't one for sale in the whole of Portugal), I walked into one of those office supplies stores and got a cheap one.

The painting on the legs is already starting to scratch. When trying to adjust the head (horizontal pan), the screw came out.

On the bright side, it can hold my camera and lens without flipping over. I'll just keep a hold on the neckstrap, just in case. And avoid windy days.

This also means I'll probably be able to do that comparative test with my two lenses and the siemens-star, during this weekend.

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Nikon D90 + MB-D80 + SB-600 + AF-S VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 + AF-S 35mm f/1.8 + AF 85mm f/1.8 | My photos on Flickr.

I'm having a bit of a problem. As I've never used a tripod before, I'm not sure if this is to be expected, or if it's just a case of poor quality.

When tilting the camera from the "landscape" to the "portrait" position, it will stay there for a few seconds, if I keep the lens at 18mm or so, but the lens will start to move down if I extend it (and thereby changing the center of gravity more to the front).

I do realise that, in addition to the screw itself, there is a small metal tip that is supposed to fit in at the base of the camera body, to prevent it from rotating. But that isn't helping - the tip isn't able to hold down the weight of the VR 18-200, when extended.

This is a severe drawback, as I had intended to shoot a few portraits with this configuration.

What to do?

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Nikon D90 + MB-D80 + SB-600 + AF-S VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 + AF-S 35mm f/1.8 + AF 85mm f/1.8 | My photos on Flickr.

Do you fear to over-tighten the screws that hold the camera or other ones?
And no, I have not seen a pin to lock the cam-body into position on my Manfrotto and no hole on the base of my D80 either??

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses