The number one issue with photography in the field is getting images that are sharp. I have been asked by a number of clients what I recommend in the tripod line and this is some of my thinking. It would be great to hear from anyone who can recommend any particular models that they have found useful?
Gitzo and Really Right Stuff are renowned for great tripods and heads. Wimberley and Kirk are the ultimate brands when it comes to heads. Then comes Manfrotto and the others follow. The ultimate tripod setup with head and body is going to cost more than $1000, but there may very well be other options that I do not know about.
If you know what you want you could also look on e-bay.
What you choose is really a personal decision based on budget, but here are some notes that may be useful to you.
A tripod is going to be useful for
carefully composing landscapes and setup shots so you can consider horizons, etc more carefully
for longer exposures which are often needed for better depth of field and in low light conditions.
for action work when its just too heavy to hold a heavy lens and keep it steady.
doing macro work when you need very small apertures and long exposures.
for panning birds and animals in action
for setting up and leaving you hands free in game drive vehicles and in boats.
When choosing a tripod consider
the weight of the camera and lens that you are using. Most tripod manufacturers will give guidelines about this.
the number of sections in the legs. A four section tripod folds up smaller for travelling but does require more effort setting it up and taking it down than the traditional three section models.
the height it will rise to. For architectural use or shooting in the field it should come to at least eye level. For photographing from a vehicle, or doing macro work, a smaller tripod will suffice.
the weight of the tripod. If you are flying or carrying the vehicle a smaller hiking tripod made of graphite will be much more convenient than larger, heavier models.
the quality of the tripod. Some models are rather flimsy so go for a good make such as manfrotto, gitzo or really right stuff. You can really feel the difference.
When choosing a head consider
the weight lens you will be using. if it isa wide angle or standard lens then you can use three-way lever models which are fairly inexpensive. If it is a heavier lens (300mm 2.8 and up) consider using a sturdy ball head. Kirk, Manfrotto, Gitzo and Wimberly* will all give weight bearing limits.
the kind of photography you will be doing. For action photography, there is little to match a wimberly type head that makes the lens weightless (this sort of head is only suitable for lenses which have rotation collars). For all round usage a ball head which offers a panning ability can give you the options to do both panning, rotating and be suitable for most usage. Note that you can buy an attachment for good quality ball heads that will convert it into a Wimberly system. This is called a side kick and can, if your lens is less than 500mm f4 give you the best of both worlds. there are also tripod heads specially designed for panoramas so that images get perfectly lined.
How it secures to camera. The arca system is quick and convenient and regarded as the best system. You will need to buy plates for your various cameras and lenses.
* I recently purchased a Benro GH-2 head which is a knock off of the Wimberly that is made in China and is about two thirds of the price.
Other tools for stabilising include
A monopod is also very good for stabilising in vehicles and on foot and in some ways is even more convenient. If you do use one make sure that you also buy a head for it or your movement will be seriously limited.
A beanbag is also very stable and useful particularly when you have a good platform to use it. I always have one in addition to my tripod and monopod. Beanbags can be filled in camp — let me know if you need me to arrange beans.
A strap (the kind that secures surfboards on rooftops is ideal) can also be used to secure the tripod to the game viewing vehicle.
I have the following:
- tripod – Manfrotto 055CXPRO3. It’s light (carbon fibre), able to happily hold the Nikon 200-400mm lens and able to hold things close to the ground as well as in “normal” tripod mode
- head – Manfrotto 488RC4. It has a plate that is easy and swift to put on and take off, and yet is more than man enough to hold whatever I’m asking it to hold.
Hi Dave,
Great write-up. Very useful!!
I currently own a Manfrotto 055DB (basic model) tripod plus their 141RC head which is a 3-way head with three levers. Great but rather large.
I’m looking for a complementary tripod that’s more portable. To me that means smaller and with a more practical head (faster to set up and change position). A Dutch pro wildlife photographer friend recommended the Manfrotto 055CXPRO4 which has 4 sections in the legs compared to the 3 I have now so it can fold up smaller. It also has a center column that can be mounted horizontally for low angle and/or macro work (to get the legs out of the way when pointing down the camera). For a head he’s a fan of Manfrotto’s “new” 468MG hydrostatic ball head. Not a cheap combo though: 725 EUR in Belgian retail, confirming the price bracket you mention.
As an alternative I’ve looked at Benro too. They have a very tempting Travel tripod that folds up really small and comes with a ball head as well. I read good reviews about this, but it’s hard to tell where the reviewers come from and what their requirements are. The same goes for Benro’s Flex and Transfunctional tripods. The first has a flexibel center column and the second has one leg that can be detached as a monopod. Shame they don’t have a solution the size of the Travel with the center column of the Transfunctional and the detachable leg of the Flex. But… I wonder about their ball heads… Any idea whether these are up to the brunt of wildlife photography’s requirements and frequent use?
Wim
Hi Wim,
The Benro Gimbal Head from Outdoor Photography in Pretoria, South Africa was sold as a knock off of the Wimberly and it was. I looked at the head side by side with the Wimberly and there was no real difference in weight or build. The head was about 60% of the price. I cannot comment on the rest of the range nor the after sales service.
Dave
Hi Wim!
I thought I’d give some quick input on the Benro items you had queries on. The build quality of the Benro products are very good for the price. I have one myself (C3570T – Carbon Fibre) that I recently used on trip up to Botswana and I am very happy with the performance. We used a range of lenses on it from 300mm f/2.8 to 600mm f/4 on the GH2 gimbal heads.
I used the basic ballheads with Manfrotto superclamps to clamp cameras to the side of the houseboat as well as the back of the Land Cruiser. Benro has a very nice large ballhead, the B3 (which has a carry weight of 30kg) or the slightly smaller B2 (20kg) and uses standard Arca Swiss quick release plates (like the Kirk and RRS heads). The B2/3 series has tension adjustment, and main locking knobs plus a separate panning knob, so if you lock the head down, you can still pan.
I travel a lot, so the Carbon Fibre is a must. The travel tripod that you refer to is the C2691TB1 (they have a few, but I like this one) It’s a carbon fibre tripod, one leg removes to become a monopod, and it comes bundled with a B1 ballhead (same as the B2/3 – just smaller) all in a package that weighs about 2kg with a carry weight of 12kg and as mentioned, folds up very nice and compact. It’s very similar to the Gitzo version, just with a nicer ball head.
I think the Benro tripods are exceptional value for money and bought mine before I reviewed it (I have gotten rid of my Manfrotto and know of a few photographers that have done the same) and my current travel tripod will be replaced by the Benro version as well in about 2 months.
Thanks for the feedback guys!
In the mean time I came across a too-good-too-be-true deal on the Manfrotto 055CXPRO4 + 468MGRC2 combination, so that’s what I have now. It’s considerably smaller than my earlier Manfrotto and somewhat lighter too. A good compromise really. But I have to be honest, if it hadn’t been for the exceptional deal I found I would have gone with Benro.
I was a bit unsure about sticking to the RC2 quick release system Manfrotto uses (the one I have on both my monopod and older tripod) but on the 468MGRC2 head it’s much better implemented than on the other (cheaper) 141RC and 234RC heads. Very solid. I look forward to trying it out in the field.
On another note. One possible point of interest I read about elsewhere when investigating ball heads, is their capacity to “simulate” gimbal heads. Probably you may know this approach, but I find it useful to mention it so you can share your opinion about this.
The technique consists of mounting a long lens’s tripod mount onto the ball head with the camera in portrait orientation and then “dropping” the ball head 90° sideways (if the head allows for this), thus putting the camera back in landscape orientation to the side of the head. The 468MGRC2 (and many other ball heads) have a slot that allows the head to rest in this position without having to lock it. With unlocked panning the movement this allows the camera on the tripod is close to what a gimbal head allows without the head ever being locked. Though the movement is similar of course it’s not the same:
- it’s less smooth as the ball head isn’t really made for this
- the panning is around an off-centre axis and as such less practical, but it works
- the weight of the lens and camera is off centre as well, as such support is less ideal.
- last but not least, this is only possible with lenses with a dedicated tripod mount that allow balanced mounting of the camera + lens.
I’m not sure I explained well. What’s you idea about this compact poor man’s gimbal alternative?
Wim
Partly prompted by this page, I bought a Benro C2691TB1 for the June 2011 workshop in Namibia. Very happy with the choice. Clean compact and lightweight design. Quick and easy to extend the legs, and the ball head is great. Not quite sure yet about the two knobs. One is meant for tension setting, and the other for locking, but they both seem to do the same thing.
Couldn’t find it in the UK, so had to order in the USA for shipping to my son who lives there. For a lightweight, CF, travel tripod, this seems as good as any at the moment. Thanks everyone above for your contributions to help me make my choice.
David