# The GEAR thread



## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

> yustr said:
> 
> 
> > A little late but no less sincere.
> ...


Lovely image. 

Now why didn't I think of a manfroto tripod for my list. I really dislike my tripod because it has 2 clips on each leg which makes it a pain when not on even ground. True a tripod is better than no tripod but I wish I had looked into it more before buying.

This is probibly the type I would get now, or a cheaper version of this style. http://www.manfrotto.com/product/8374.58969.76914.0.0/458B/_/Neotec_Pro_Photo_Tripod

More tread hyjacking..sorry D.F


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

*Re: Merry Xmas to all my Photographer Friends*

It would be a nice tripod Mack - haven't actually seen one of these types "in the flesh" - they sound easy and fast to set up - always a struggle unlocking and locking tripod legs.
I have 2 manfrotto's - one cheapie, 4 section leg, with joystick style video head which I often use as a monopod (only extend one leg) and a much more stable one for my DSLR & for when I need video stabilized and less portable - set-up shooting.
My next tripod acquisition will be a gorillapod for those hard to setup places :grin:


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

*Re: Merry Xmas to all my Photographer Friends*

It was a cost/benefit decision for me: I don't often go treking with my T-pod so weight (ie carbon fiber) wasn't a necessity nor was the time required to deploy the clips like as on MINE. What I like about this one is the tilting center post. The camera was about 6" off the floor when I took the X-mas tree shot. Yet, very stable and secure. I have THIS  head mounted - highly recommended...

Now back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

*Re: Merry Xmas to all my Photographer Friends*

It's not so much the time involved in undoing the clips, it's the difficulty getting a good stable position on uneven ground, not to mention when you get sand on the clips they can be a nightmare to close. Many times I find myself up to my shins in water so I need to carry my gear and using the tripod I have can be messey. The ball head on it is sub standard also so getting the camera the way I want it can be difficuly. I think the neotec design would make things a lot easier and consequently a more enjoyable experiance. Also, my present tripod has a monopod attachment, nice idea, except when you want to get close to the ground the monopod restricts you by imposing a set minimum height. On the neotec and some others, the monopod can be removed.

Yustr, looks like that head gives a lot of control. Do you have to lock it into position? If so does it move out of position a little after you lock it?

Zuluclayman, was wondering what your thoughts are regarding tripod heads. The 190x you use for Dslr, does it have the 804rc2 head?. If so, would you rate it?
Gorillapod looks amazing!:grin:

More hyjacking sorry.:smile:


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

*Re: Merry Xmas to all my Photographer Friends*

yup - the 190xdb has the 804rc2 head on it - have only had it for a couple of months and have been limited in what I can do by illness/injury over that time so haven't given it much of a true road test yet, I've used it for both stills and video for surfing shots/clips with success, some landscape work, some portrait work. I'm happy with it for the cost and gear set-up I have - it's only rated at 5KG (11lbs) load so if you had some long lenses (my longest is a 70-300mm) and a pro body it might (would) get a bit unstable. 
Takes a little while to set up on uneven ground if you want perfect levels - 3 way head means playing with 3 adjustments - it has a level next to the quick release plate and I take a small level that I use on the base of the head - just helps for video pans in particular if you have the whole head level. The pan/tilt when videoing isn't silky smooth but that could actually be more me than it - and it's more a still pic head than video anyway :grin:
For extra stability you can hang a bag(s) from provided hook(s) - have done that in windy conditions.
The leg angles are good - you can get quite low. Overall height is OK for me as I am only short - would have to take a box to stand on if it was any higher :laugh:

As I said above, for the cost it works for me - would love a fluid head etc but have to work to a budget and photography is an obsessive hobby not a profession for me so don't really need the top-of-the-line pro gear - would love it if someone else paid :grin:

ha ha - yes we probably should start a "gear" thread on here so we don't hijack other threads


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

*Re: Merry Xmas to all my Photographer Friends*



zuluclayman said:


> ha ha - yes we probably should start a "gear" thread on here so we don't hijack other threads


Good idea - It is done!:grin:


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Now I've got a 'respectable' camera to stick on it, I've dug out my 'Videolink' tripod I bought, approx 20+ years ago :grin:

Although it's got the 'quick-lock' 3 section legs, I've never had any problems with quickly adjusting it for uneven surfaces. It's got full pan-&-tilt head with a quick-release plate and, the main thing I like about it is, apart from the 'rack & pinion' centre-pole, the tube it sits in acts a 'quick-lock' for height-adjustment too. Another nice point (literally) is that the 3 rubber feet can be screwed up to reveal 3 sharp(ish) points for stability in soft surfaces.












The only thing is that at full extension, I have to stand on tippy-toes to see the screen, the view-finder is waaay beyond my height :laugh:










Despite lots of use when I was using my 35mm camera, it still looks like new. The only thing is that, when I was using the 35mm cam, I could hang the bag full of lenses, flash-guns, filters and other misc. gubbins on the lower centre-bracket, so the weight gave extra stability in high winds etc. - My new camera is waaaay too light to do that now :grin:


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

*Re: Merry Xmas to all my Photographer Friends*



Mack said:


> ...
> 
> Yustr, looks like that head gives a lot of control. Do you have to lock it into position? If so does it move out of position a little after you lock it?


Its called a pistol grip (or some such marketing gimmick) - all I do is pull on the trigger (light gray in the pic) adjust it to the orientation I want and release the trigger. Seems sturdy enough for now. (70-300 on a K10D with battery pack). Not sure how it would do with one of THESE :grin:


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