Camera Labs

Just bought a D700 with a 50 1.8G lens & I want to do land/seascape.

I'm looking for a tripod and head for this reason and am looking to spend between $200 and $400.

The Manfrotto 055XPROB legs look alright but not sure what head I should buy with it.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Hi elbeasto,

As we have a dedicated section for tripods I've moved your post here but I've left a shadow behind so people can still find it from the Nikon section.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Hi elbeasto

I can recomend a ball head from Really Right Stuff. I recently bought one for myself and have been thoroughly impressed. The build quality is great and all the features work as they should.

I have the BH-40-LR which is a mid sized ball head and i currently have a 500mm f4 lense mounted on it, I think this shows just how well it can perform.

Regards George.

Sorry about posting this in the wrong forum - I honestly didn't see the tripod section.

Thanks Muzza, I've had quite a few people recommend RRS heads & every review I've read about them gives them a thumbs up as well.

Looks like I'll have to stretch the budget a bit to get one with decent legs though.
That's cool, it's holding my baby up there so I want to be able to trust it 100%.

Thanks

Good luck finding a tripod and head (with the head being RRS) for $200-$400!

You say you're interested in doing seascapes? Do you mean you'd like to get in the water?

I'd go for a simple manfrotto ball head - it should fit in the price range and have sufficient load capacity for a D700 and small prime.

Sure, we'd all like to go down the line of Gitzo, RRS, L clamps etc etc but if you're in the ocean spray you may reconsider.

As it happens I've decided to go for a Manfrotto setup.

At the moment I'm looking at the Manfrooto 055XPROB with the 498RC2 ball head plus a 90cm padded bag.

It seems that this will suit my needs and will cost about half of what the RRS setup would cost.

Can anyone see and glaring problems in using this tripod and head with say a D700 and 16-35VR?

Thanks

My review of that tripod is here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Manfr ... OB_tripod/

My only comment would be that it is pretty heavy - I went for the carbon fiber 055CXPRO version, although it does cost a lot more.

If you're going for the 055XPROB, try and pick one up first to test it's weight.

Hello elbeasto

I can only echo what Gordon said above - try the 055 cxpro. The weight difference is noticeable and I decided that, for me, the extra expenditure for the lighter product would be worth it in the long run. A friend of mine has had his in the sea too and it seems to have survived OK. Not sure that I can help with the head as my heaviest combination is a D7000 + 105mm micro, so not the weight that you are talking about. However I can say that the 055cxpro+460mg have had absolutely no difficulty with anything I've put to them so far. I have found both to be very sound indeed.

Thanks Gordon, nice review & ta for the advice.

I managed to get to a camera shop yesterday and picked up some 055XB legs.
I agree, it's a bit heavy & I was holding it without a head.

They had the new magnesium Manfrotto heads there as well which looked pretty nice, the 054, 055 & 057 ball head series.

Being that I will probably go for a CF made set of legs now, I could either go for Manfrotto or RRS.

I'll just have to make up my mind between the lighter BH-40/TVC-23 or extra sturdy BH-55/TVC-33 set up.

For the Manfrotto, I like the 055-Q2 head and 055XC3 legs.

I'm seeing a lot of people recommend the 'XPRO' legs, I'm guessing for the ability to angle the center column.

Cheers

Just to conclude, I went all out and bought a TVC-33 and an Arca-Swiss Z1.
Very happy with both.

Thanks!

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