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Home >> Photography >> Accessories Tripods
and Heads
This was my first tripod. I bought it shortly after reading about how necessary tripods are in John Shaw’s and Galen Rowell’s books. I wanted a tripod that was solid and could go a bit higher then I needed for greater flexibility. I've been quite happy with this tripod for the most part but I don't use it in the field unless I'm very close by to the car. I think the 55C is a bit of an awkward size and weight. A bit too big and heavy for backpacking in the bush and a bit too light for serious studio work with heavy cameras or lenses. It's rated for 6kg loads, which is fine for my needs now but I'm not so sure in the future, depending if I get the chance to buy into longer lenses. The 55C closes to a minimum height of 67cm, which is just over two feet, add a head and you're up to 2½ feet to pack around. My Lowepro Nature Trekker would not be able to handle such a tall load without some awkwardness. So, it stays home when I head into the field. I don't mind using it for weddings though. In this case it seems to have the right amount of height, weight and load capability to see the job through. I just have to make sure I use the proper head for the job. It's a fine tripod for general work at home or in the city with a car or porter to haul it around for you but less good as a field unit. The Gitzo 1228 carbon fibre tripod is certainly far more expensive but it has the same load rating as the 55C and weighs about 40% less. The Gitzo doesn't go as high as the 55C but it goes high enough for a short person like me (5’5"). Due to the Gitzo’s four section legs, it can also be closed to a more compact height, just about right for my Nature Trekker backpack. But until I can afford the Gitzo I use the Manfrotto 190 in the field. * No longer part of my kit. The 190 is quite a compact tripod. Also pretty light as well so it makes it more suitable for my needs in the field, that is except for the load handling. The 190 closes down to about half a meter without a head, so it can be tied to my backpack with ease as it is almost the same height as the Nature Trekker. Fully extended, the 190 is not tall enough for me to use it without stooping over (remember, I'm short too). If I extend the centre column, then the whole unit is high enough but of course such an action would be folly for getting sharp results. Even with its less then satisfactory height extended, I would consider it to be perfect if it had a bit better load capacity. While I'm nitpicking I want to complain about the centre post and how bloody long it is. Getting really low to the ground should be the 190's forte but it isn't due to a centre post that is as long as the longest section of leg. If I could get rid of it I would and live with the restricted height capabilities since I never use the centre column when attaching a camera body or lens. I don't have a longer lens then my present 80-200mm 2.8 Nikkor but if I use a TC with it, I worry about the increased vulnerability to vibration. A tripod with a greater load capacity, I figure, would also be better for vibration control. I worry more about vibration now that I have a medium format system. I would eventually like to get 500mm capability with the Bronica kit and with that kind of range and weight, I think a very steady tripod would be required. Incidentally, 500mm coverage doesn't mean the ultra expensive fluorite element PS lens or even the much cheaper S version. No, for this poor boy, born with a plastic spoon in his mouth, it means a 250mm lens with a 2X TC. In either case, I don't think the Manfrotto 190 would be up to the task of handling such a combination for tack sharp results. I mentioned the desire to buy the Gitzo 1228 tripod earlier but I should note that the 1228 would be more of a compromise purchase should I have difficulty in affording the Gitzo that I would really like, the 1348. The 1228 is about the same size as the 190 while having the load capacity of the 55C but ultimately, it may still not be suitable for the longer lenses. The 1348 is the middle model in the Gitzo carbon fibre lineup and doubles the load capacity of the 1228 to 12kg. It's obviously a longer tripod then the 1228 but since I wish to upgrade to a Lowepro Pro Trekker backpack, the two should mate well together. I think Manfrotto tripods offer tremendous value for the money but as I get more serious about photography, I can see limitations in their usage. An interesting related note to this discussion came when I called up Lens and Shutter to obtain prices for the Gitzo’s in question. The salesperson mentioned that Slik was coming out with a carbon fibre unit that he had seen and handled at a trade show. He said the Slik was a bit less well made then the Gitzo’s but still solid and would probably sell for 2/3 of the price of comparable Gitzo models. It will be very interesting to see how good they are when Slik releases them for sale in the fall of this year. I also asked his opinion on the feasibility of the 1228 for medium format use. He said absolutely no problem and he mentioned that when getting into heavier loads that reach the stated maximum capacity of the tripod, it is not the legsets to worry about but the head. So I guess, one should buy the best head that one can afford ;-). Manfrotto 075 Trispecial Tripod This is one hell of a big tripod! And heavy too! I thought the 055 was big and heavy but it ain't nothing compared to the 075. The 075 is most definitely a studio oriented or a very close by to a car type of pod. Unless of course you can afford to hire a bunch of Sherpas to haul around your kit for you in the bush. I don't think my cousin BJ would be crazy enough to try and hump this tripod in the field as he had offered to carry my 055 up the Squamish Chief. I declined his offer knowing that after about one hour to hike the Chief, he'd be more likely to throw my 055 off the cliff then bring it back down. The 075 inspires confidence due to its great height and weight. Whereas I am quite comfortable using only two leg extensions with the 055 tripod, I could almost get away with using just one leg extension with the 075 after it has the 229 pan/tilt head attached. The 075 weighs in at 4.5kg which is about 11lbs. Add the 4lb 229 head and you have a 15lb tripod/head combo that will eventually put you onto a chiropractor's bed. Since I've bought it, it has been mostly used around the house or else very close outside the house. Any other time and it has be very close by to the car for me to bother with it. It has been said that the best tripod is the one that you use and I can certainly say that despite the strengths of the 075, the 055 and 190 tripods will still see regular use. After walking a distance with the 075 on my back, I truly appreciate the smaller and lighter 055 and 190 much more now. But if I can manage it and if I need the best stability that I can get then the 075 will the be one to go with. The 075 with a modest leg spread and legs fully extended stands just a little bit taller then my 5'5" height. That's only to its base though. Add the tall 229 head and it becomes something more adapted for a basketball player. I have to carry a small foot ladder with me whenever I use this tripod outside of the house. The extra height coverage also means that it doesn't get down as low as the smaller tripods, even with its three sectioned legs. The centre column post sticks down too far. The centre column is also of the geared type which requires a handle to crank the centre column up. Associated with the centre column are adjustable leg spreaders that can push the individual legs for different extensions. Nice but it's not as convenient as the reassuring click stops of the 55C when spreading its legs but of course the 055 doesn't have the flexibility of the 075. It would be fantastic if Manfrotto would engrave some ruler markings on the centre column leg extenders and the legs themselves so that more accurate spreads could be had. I'm planning on using some permanent ink markers to set up my own ruler markings to allow for quick and easy extensions and spreads out in the field. I can see myself using the 075 in most of the shoots that I would have used the 055 for. Weddings and on location shoots which require a vehicle to transport my gear. For field use however, I just don't see it. I can't even bother with using the 055 for field use given its large size. I don't think the weight would be that much of an issue with the 055 but the size of it is too awkward. Which is why the 190 Mini-Pro is still around. That is until I can afford the Gitzo Carbon Fibre. Then both the 190's and 055's days will be numbered as the Gitzo 1228 would take over the jobs of both pods. That would be the ideal situation to have one very lightweight but strong tripod for field work and one massive tripod for everything else. * No longer part of my kit. Manfrotto 352RC ball head (Bogen 3262QR) I bought this smallish ball head when I bought the 55C tripod. It was cheap and seemed good enough for me at the time when I only had a Nikon F70 and 35-70mm 2.8 lens as my heaviest combination of body and lens. I liked the quick release ability of the ball head so that I could dismount the body or lens with speed. Its only rated for 4kgs so I always worried about the stability of the head after buying my F90x and 80-200mm 2.8 lens. I think altogether, the F90x/MB10 and 80-200 with Kirk bracket wouldn't weigh more then 6lbs, so the 352RC would still be able to handle the load with enough left over to handle a 2.5lbs sandbag. I don't use a sandbag; I mention it as a way to show what the real world load capacity of the 352RC would be. I definitely don't like using it for my Bronica though. As much as the 352RC on the 190 tripod can theoretically handle the weight of my Bronica, I'm not convinced that I should ever use this combination unless faced with no other alternative. I have done some silly things with the small tripod/head unit though. Before getting the Kirk bracket for the 80-200 Nikkor, I would have the quick release plate attached to the MB10 grip of my F90x. With the F90x/MB10 on the tripod, I would mount the big tele zoom lens and proceed to shoot with no cable release. Stupid but the 8x10 that I enlarged seemed okay and my lens mount is non the worse for wear. I don't do silly things like that anymore. I recently bought (August, 1999) the Kirk QR-1 Arca Swiss quick release setup for this ballhead. I did it so that all my tripod and head combos would now be Arca Swiss standard and not a mish mash of different sized and typed quick releases. The QR-1 is very well made and at first I was trying to remove the existing Manfrotto quick release setup on the 352 head but to no avail. The existing plate setup is attached very, very tightly and I was unable to remove the unit. It was a good thing as a Manfrotto design quirk in this particular head would have made it less stable to use just the Kirk plate alone. So now, the QR-1 sits atop a Manfrotto quick release plate locked into the 352 head. It basically defeats the purpose as I wanted the greater stability of the Arca Swiss system alone instead of a wimpy Manfrotto plate. Oh well. I may pick up another ball head later on like the new Manfrotto Proball Junior 308. The 308 apparently allows for easy disassembly so it holds some promise for mating to the Kirk QR-1. * No longer part of my kit. Manfrotto 141 pan/tilt head (Bogen 3029) I picked this head up after I bought the 190 tripod. Originally, the 190 came packaged with Manfrotto’s 3D Junior Head, probably the worse tripod head I've ever head the displeasure of using. If you buy the same combo, throw the Junior Head out and pick up the 352RC or better yet make the store take it back on full credit towards the 352RC head. Anyway, I wanted to buy the Manfrotto 168 Heavy Duty Ball Head. Henry at Broadway suggested that I shouldn't spend my money on another ball head, especially one that was no better in load capacity as the 352RC. I was quite surprised that the 168 should have the same load rating as the smaller 352 of 4kgs. It would seem that the only thing Manfrotto has done is repackaged the basic 352 into a cosmetically bigger package with their hex plate quick release system. Not worth the extra money for sure.
Henry recommended a pan/tilt head to complement the 352RC. So I chose the 141RC. If I had any inkling of how far I would come since those early days, I would have spent the extra money and bought Manfrotto’s top unit, the 3D Pro Head. The 141 is rated for 6kgs while the Pro Head is good for 12kgs, of course the Pro Head is more then double the price of the 141 but you shouldn't skimp out on your tripod and head combination. Kirk Enterprise also makes an adapter plate to go from Manfrotto’s hex plate to Arca Swiss quick release; very expensive though for what it is. The 141RC uses a rectangular quick release plate instead of the hex head of Manfrotto’s top units. It also lacks a spirit level but otherwise, its movements are the same. Its not a bad unit for non critical and light use and although I have misgivings about using it with my Bronica, I do enjoy using a pan/tilt head far more then with a ball head, especially when using a waist level finder. Currently, the 141RC is sitting on a shelf in my home office, seeing very little in the way of action since I bought the mother of all tripod heads (at least for light loads). * No longer part of my kit. Manfrotto 229 Super 3D Pan/tilt head (Bogen 3039) I bought this top of the line Manfrotto pan/tilt head for mating to the 075 Trispecial tripod. I bought the 075 tripod for its ability to handle heavy loads to 12kg and wanted a very strong head to mate to it. Since I like using pan/tilt heads for their greater accuracy in alignment and since I didn't want to skimp on the head like I had done previously, I decided to go for broke (literally as my empty bank account can attest too, much to the chagrin of my wife) and get a top notch head unit. There isn't too much to say about this head other then the obvious, it's massive in size and weight. Comes with two built-in spirit levels to allow for proper leveling and seems tough as a brick outhouse. The large handle locking knobs are a bit stiff at the moment but I think that's just due to lack of break in. As much as I like Manfrotto tripod heads especially this massive one, I've never been fond of their quick release system. There at least three different plates for matching to their small, medium and large sized tripod heads. Add the new Pro Ball heads and you now have four different sized plate systems for the quick releases. Too time consuming and ridiculous to try and mate three different sized plates for each application. Give me one set standard that can accommodate all my tripods and heads. This I've already done. With my recent purchase of the Kirk Enterprise QR-1 and QR-4 plates, I've converted all my tripod heads to the Arca Swiss standard. The QR-1 is for my 352 small ballhead and the QR-4 is for the 229 head on the 075. My 055 tripod already enjoys the real Arca Swiss B1 ball head. Manfrotto has attempted to address this "one standard" approach with a new 200PL plate that can fit no less then nine ball and pan/tilt heads in the Manfrotto lineup. Unfortunately, it's a medium sized plate and would not be suitable for large lenses or medium format gear. Manfrotto also has the new Pro Ball heads, the 468, the 469 and the Junior 308. The first two are a direct challenge to the standard bearer for ball heads, Arca Swiss. The 468 is the B1 equivalent while the larger 469 is going after the B2. These new ball heads look quite promising, except for thequick release mechanism which still sucks. Manfrotto, you've got the heads that can compete with anything out there now stop handicapping them with cheesy plates of all shapes and sizes! * No longer part of my kit. Arca Swiss B1 ball
head When I do have the opportunity to bring the bigger tripod out with me, the B1 is a joy to use. It seemed a bit more awkward then the very simple Manfrotto quick release system but once I got use to it I really appreciated the vice like grip it has on the quick release plates of my bodies or the Kirk bracket for my 80-200mm 2.8 lens. I bought the quick release plates for my camera bodies from the same place that I bought the B1, Leo’s in downtown Vancouver. I know Really Right Stuff and Kirk have several high quality plates for sale but I didn't bother with them due to the unfavorable exchange rate Canada has suffered vis a vis the US dollar for the last few years running. Last year one Canadian dollar could only buy $0.65 on a good day so anything bought in the US had a heavy penalty levied on it due to the Canadian economy's dependence upon the resource sector. The no-name plates I bought at Leo’s seem quite solid and I've encountered zero problems since I bought into the Arca Swiss system. At about 50% of the price of real Arca Swiss plates with no lost of quality, I don't think Ill lose any sleep over it. Arca Swiss, very expensive but very good. Makes up for its high price with inspired confidence. I highly recommend anyone interested in getting an Arca Swiss to contact Really Right Stuff and have them send you their catalog. In it you'll find Bryan Geyer’s musings about why Arca Swiss is the best route to go as well as other tidbits of info. Bryan Geyer’s enthusiasm and passion for serious photography oozes from the pages. Ill probably buy into his plates in the future when the exchange rate isn’t so prohibitive as more inspired confidence into the Arca Swiss system. Link to Manfrotto |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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$700
Can for a freaking ball head?! I couldn't believe the price asked
for this unit. I still don't know if it was really worth the money
but I can only state that since I bought this ball head for use with
my 55C, I have no fears of having my camera gear come crashing down
on rocks due to failure of the head. Maybe it is worth it for peace
of mind alone. 
