Our tripod collection!

Following on from a thread a few weeks back entitled 'what tripod?' I've finally got round to taking some photos of our collection! The good thing is, nothing is going to waste because as I upgrade, Fiona is inheriting the older ones!

We had a lazy day in the parents garden Sunday to play with and learn toys, test settings etc. in the run up to the wedding shoot which is why these shots aren't brilliant, but anyways here goes:-

1. My first decent purchase. Manfrotto 055 X PRO B with 322 RC2 pistol grip head. Perfect for a camera and small lens, very fine adjustments not easy with this head though.




2. But by the time you add some weight, in this case a DA* 50-135, grip, flashgun and yoghurt pot, it starts to look a bit top heavy!




3. Having a video background in my teens, decided I wanted a decent video head. Not most people's idea for a photography head I know, but, it has such a large quick release plate that it can be used as a focussing rail for macro work! Also expecting a 500mm 4.5 very soon and I think this head will be absolutely perfect for it! Will add another photo when it arrives!




4. Wanted fine adjustments in all axis that the other heads couldn't provide, so kept a beady eye out there to pick up a Manfrotto 405 Pro geared head.




5. Time to sort out the instability / weight issue, so ended up with an eBay bargain Manfrotto 058




6. Comparison between 'minimum' and 'maximum' to give an idea of scale!




7. The 058 is so large to start with that I do not think I could ever foresee a need to use to use more than 1 leg extension, and as you can control the legs extending from around the top of the tripod all in one go, it is very simple to setup and get down. Nice and heavy, nice and stable, love the geared head, should have done this in the first place! As an example!




8. And just for fun!







Any questions, ask away!

PS. Photos with 500mm 4.5 to come!

What model video head is that in pic 3 :
How much back and forward movement do you get :

Nice collection, I have the same kit as Pic 1 with an additional RC2 488 ball head.

Thats one huge tripod do you get a mule with that to lug it about.

The video head is a Manfrotto 503, bought it 2nd hand for £80 when they were around £280 - £300 new.

When I do the pics with the new lens, I'll do you a couple of other pics of the head to give you an idea!

No free mule unfortunately, but Fiona can be a great help in that department sometimes!

Hi Clarky.

Did some measurements for you today. The quick release plate is 9cm long, and there is 3cm of movement both forwards and backwards whilst it is in place with the head, so 6cm in total.

Also the 500mm arrived today, and it's a it bigger to what I am used to!

As promised :-

Thanks Danny, I was considering a focus rail for my macro gear and was looking at this as an alternative.

Thats one huuuge lens i would hate to be one of your neighbours

what is the point of a tripod with such long legs? you can't reach the camera...

You can use it with a step ladder to see over crowds maybe?

Main reason for that tripod purchase was the extra weight for stability purposes. As pictured, it does have longer legs, which also aids stability as you do not need to extend it so much to get it to the required height.

Only showed it fully extended for a bit of fun and to show just how big it is! Having said that, there are many possibilities for having such a large tripod:-

To shoot over crowds as Gwyn suggested (a step is an essential part of the kit for a photojournalist!)

Shooting macros in hard to reach places.

Set up near a bird nest with a remote control to trigger the camera.

and many others that I can't think of right now!

These shots were posted after a which tripod discussion, which if you are looking for one is worth a read!

This seems a bit daft to me, putting a state of the art DSLR, a PENTAX at that, onto the top of a tripod and posting the pics as "Our Tripod Collection"

Its a bit like asking a naked blonde to model a new range of earings

Now, now...let's not split hairs....the important thing is she's naked.

Darn it you've blown my idea for Hefty's competition topic now