How can I make my heavy lens tripod setup usable for my non-heavy lenses?

Question

About a year ago I invested in a new setup, consisting of a Nikon D7000, kit lens, and a Sigma 150-500mm for my main interest: wildlife photography. Although I'm not a big fan of tripods, I also got the Manfrotto 055XDB along with a "standard" 3-way tripod head.

At times when I wanted to use the D7000 + 500mm on the tripod, I quickly came to the conclusion that it does not work, the lens is so heavy that it creeps down even if you lock it firmly. Luckily, I resolved that by investing in the Manfrotto M393 tripod head:

It's works beautifully. Now let's talk about the problem. The part in grey is what I have attached to my heavy lens permanently, even when its not on the tripod. This way, I don't have to screw it onto my lens each time. I can just slide my heavy lens with that part attached to it into the rails, lock it with the lever and be ready, a process of 5 seconds.

However, I would like to use this same tripod head for my non-heavy lenses. Here's my considerations:

• Buy a second tripod, and use the classic 3-way head on the 2nd tripod. Not an option, I don't want to be carrying two tripods around.
• Use one tripod, yet replace the head each time I need a different lens. Not an option, attaching/detaching the M393 takes minutes and requires tools. Plus I need to carry around two tripod heads
• Don't attach the grey part to my heavy lens, and attach/detach it each time I change lenses. This also takes too long and also requires tools.

I don't like any of those options, and am looking for a solution that is more convenient. I was trying to see if the quick release plate of my classic 3-way head can slide into the M393's rails, and then lock it into place. It doesn't secure well enough and the other problem is that the camera blocks the black lever that one needs to use to screw it into place.

I'm not exactly sure what I need to resolve this or if its possible. I'm guessing I need a second plate that fits the M393 rails. Yet it would need to be less lengthy, and quite likely raised, so that it does not block the lever to secure it.

I am probably the only person in the world having this problem, but I'm hoping there's a magic part of solution that fits my needs?

Asked by Ferdy

Answer

Manfrotto makes all sorts of quick release plates in different sizes and shapes. I bet they make one that would fit that head and would be shorter. I don't see a specific item to point you to, but contacting Manfrotto should get you a part number.

IMO, in a broader sense, I'm not sure this head was the right choice. The 150-500 really isn't a heavy lens -- not compared to the heavy lenses that this head is intended for. Additionally, this head is intended to be used on a monopod, not a tripod. I think the right solution is a good medium-duty ballhead (such as an RRS BH-40. If you really want the gimbal-style head, add a Wimberley Sidekick. Of course, the BH-40 would easily handle any lighter camera/lens combination, too, and is arguably a smaller and lighter package.

Answered by Dan Wolfgang

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How accurate are cheap hotshoe bubble levels?

Question

It's been suggested to get a hot-shoe bubble level for use with a ballhead tripod, when the camera doesn't offer a digital level (and the tripod head doesn't have its own).

Name brand levels, like this one from Manfrotto, cost over $30. In fact, even brands I haven't heard of cost that much. But generic models cost under $10 — Adorama's "house brand" is $6! Although that's just a single bubble, I've seen double-bubble levels for low prices in local stores.

Do I get better quality for the money? Am I just paying for the brand? If I save the $20, am I getting a deal, or am I actually wasting $10 on a level that isn't likely to actually be level?

Asked by mattdm

Answer

Expensive bubble levels are quite accurate and display an independent level for each axis. While the cost is certainly low to manufacture, there is a higher cost to getting consistent quality control.

The accuracy of cheap bubble levels is not very accurate. They sometimes do not even have the bubbles parallel to the base of the hot-shoe! It seems like such a simple thing to make.

My daughter loves the bubbles so she used to take mine which I have 4 expensive ones for historical reasons (Dotline, Kaiser and 2 Jobu - which is a famous brand BTW), so I bought a lot of 10 for a ridiculous price for my daughter. She loves playing with them but none of them are correctly aligned on more than one axis.

The point is that those things - just like the levels inside cameras - have to be incredibly accurate otherwise they are useless. It is not good enough for them to be close because close can be done by eye. Without a level I get shots within 0.5° of accuracy. Any level less accurate than that is dead weight. The one on my Pentax K-7 and the Canon 7D were accurate to about 0.25° (although the specs on the 7D say otherwise) while I turned off the one on my K-5 because it was less accurate (about 0.75°).

Answered by Itai

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What should one consider when choosing a style of tripod head?

Question

What should one consider when choosing a style of tripod head? There are ball heads, 3-way pan/tilt heads, geared heads, even gimbal heads.

I'm not asking so much about brands, but styles... how should one consider which type of tripod head will be best suited for their style of photography?

Answer

Your last sentence pretty much describes what you need to consider with tripod heads: what and how do you like to shoot.

As geared and gimbal heads are specialized, it's really between the pan-tilt and ball heads. Many start with pan/tilts due to relatively low costs, but will find themselves switching to the ball head for ease of use, and sturdier head (IMO ball heads offer a more sturdier mount than pan/tilts at the same price point--ie to get a sturdier pan/tilt you have to pay for a more heavy duty head).

3-way Pan/Tilt Head
With 3-way heads, your camera moves on 3 distinct axes (axissesis?). If you need precise movement on each axis for your needs (panning for sports for example), then a 3-way makes a lot of sense. It's downside is the need to adjust three knobs to set your camera position. Many start out with a Pan/Tilt head, because of the lower costs.

Ball Head
A ball head gives you less precise control of each axis, because your camera is mounted on a ball and socket joint, typically with two controls, one to lock the mount, and the other to adjust tension. You have less control, but are given more degrees of freedom to move your camera around, allowing you to more quickly adjust your camera with fewer controls to manipulate. Some ball heads allow for independently panning around the horizontal axes without manipulating the actual socket, but this is a feature, not a standard. This is probably the most general purpose type of tripod head, and many who start with budget pan/tilt heads move to ball heads for greater flexibility and sturdier mounting.

Geared Heads
A geared head is a type of head that uses a crank-shaft + gears to rotate the head. Typically found on 3-way heads, these heads allow you to rotate the head using a crank, rather than applying force to the camera body itself, resulting in smoother movement, and a finer grain of control over moving the camera body. Architecture, and any other application requiring a fine control over placing the camera make for good uses for geared heads.

Gimbal Head
Gimbal heads are specialized heads typically reserved for long telephoto lenses (400mm+). It gets it's name from a gimbal, a type of pivot support that allows movement on a single axis. Gimbal heads are designed to allow you to rotate heavy lenses about it's center of gravity, which results in easier movement. These are used in any application that uses huge telephotos, bird-in-flight, other wildlife, sports, etc.

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What should I look for in a tripod for medium format landscape photography?

Question

I've recently bought my first medium format camera (Bronica ETRs), but before I go out taking landscape pictures I'm in desperate need of a tripod that can support it.

My requirements:

• Weight is not an issue (The camera weighs so much that it's unlikely I'll be doing long hikes with it)
• Can hold a reasonably heavy MF camera with ease. By way of comparison, I'd say anything that could hold a 5D + 200mm lens will be ample.
• Stability is important. I've had my share of wobbly tripods and would like to get one that will last and be suitable for long exposures.
• Need to be able to accurately level or make fine adjustments
• Nothing fancy. I just want one that works, it doesn't necessarily need to be Swiss-made or gold plated. I'm aiming at the meaty bit of the price/performance curve.

What I want to know:

• What kind of head should I be looking at for landscape photography with this camera?
• Are carbon fibre legs an advantage in this situation? Why?
• What should my budget be? Ideally I'd like to keep this well under US$1000, especially as I'm willing to sacrifice on weight / portability / brand status
• What brands should I be looking at? Are there any that don't carry prestige but are still known for producing quality, functional tripods?

Answer

Normally I would recommend a geared head for precision work, particularly for a heavy camera, but I assume $1000 is your total budget.

So, instead, you should look at a Hydrostatic head. This will prevent shifting while tightening the ballhead but you still need to support the camera's weight while adjusting its position.

Carbon Fiber legs are awesome but from your requirements will only cost you more. Velbon makes high quality tripods at roughly half the price of the Manfrotto equivalent. They are generally a little more bulky and heavier but do the job very well. There is also Slik that has reputable tripods but I have not tried any of their high-end ones.

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Why doesn't my tripod ball head fit properly on the legs any more?

Question

I've a tripod ball head (Manfroto 496RC2) which used to fit perfectly with a tripod legs (Trax travelpod 480A) that I had. I removed the head a couple of days back and now I'm trying to reattach them but it just will not fit. It seems like either the screw in the legs have somehow become smaller or the attachment on the ball head have gotten wider.

Has anyone else had similar problem with their tripod legs / head?

Is their any kind of setting on the ball head that I'm unaware of?

Answer

I just figured out why it happened. It turns out the thread on the ball head got pushed inside (for whatever reason) and so, the screw on the legs could not fit properly.

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Can I make a panorama mount for occasional panorama shooting?

Question

I sometimes (about 5 times per year) decide to shoot a panorama, just for me, with no intentions to sell or use the photo outside my family and close relatives.

Currently I use my Pentax DAL 18-55 lens and free Hugin software for it but I plan to buy Samyang 8 mm fisheye. I made few panoramas using my monopod (better than to shoot "from hand"). However I read something about things like nodal point etc. and found out that the head mount should be located not on the bottom of the body but near the rear lens element.

I know of things like Nodal Ninja etc., but it is too expensive and I do not plan to shoot panoramas often. When I would stick with my monopod and lets say with the Samyang fisheye, than some simple small and light aluminum profile with two holes, tripod nut and screw would make it possible to mount the camera and rotate it around nodal point - is it right? Does it make sense to build such gadget or do you think I will have similar results using standard mount?

Answer

Yes, you can do it. I know some people that have, one friend made one out of wood because it was easier than metal. If you intend to do it for your 8mm, it will be relatively easy since there is ONE fixed nodal point, contrarily to the zoom.

You said you do not do panoramas often but do you do Macro? If so, a macro rail is sufficient to work for a DSLR with a short lens and it will work for the 8mm and your zoom at all focal-lengths.

Included in my How To Make a Panorama tutorial are instructions with an example on how to find the nodal point (technically entrance pupil).

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