First tripod & Head - Recomendations and comments?

boulderNardo

So, I'm ready to buy my first tripod.
I've been doing some research, and given my relatively limited budget I've narrowed the choice down to the Bogen Manfrotto 055XPROB. It has received very good reviews, seems sturdy (planning on using it wiht 70-200/2.8 and 300/4IS), lots of ways to set it up, justr very versatile overall.

Now on to the Ballhead. I have NO idea. I would seriously prefer the ballhead to be less than $100 and all I can find right now are heads for $200+ (Arca, Acratech, etc.). Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Ok so I've looked at some Ballheads - Bogen 488RC2 - how does that one sound?

Oh - also looking for some kind of plate / QR system. What is recommended? What are the available options and their differences? I would like to have a plate mounted on my camera at all times with QR on the ballhead...

Thanks,
-B

swintonphoto

I have the 486RC2 ball head and I LOVE it. It is very easy to use, compact, and sturdy. I have never used the 488. It is a little larger. The 484 is a little too small. If you use a lot of heavy gear, the 488 is a great idea. The 486 would be more than sufficient in most situations.

johnny lichtmann

giottos
Here's my experience....

I have a really cheap tripod from Asda - (WalMart in the US), I've outgrown it (though it is still useful for supporting flashguns) I recently acquired...

Giottos tripod MTL 3361B
Head: MH1301
Platform MH652

I decided after seeing a review, then choosing the exact model according to my needs (I'm really tall!), also considering the weight limits,

Everyone talks about Manfotto, but this Giottos allows you to put the camera any angle or position, for the similar price the Manfrotto didn't have a similar spec or ability,

So I'm very happy, the first impression I got was how finely engineered the whole kit was.

Since purchase I've seen Manfrottos and I'm very happy I made this choice.

I do macros, portraits and landscapes by the way

kdog

You're an excellent photographer, Bernardo and you deserve a good tripod.

Here's a very good article which shows you how to save $700. http://bythom.com/support.htm

boulderNardo

Thanks for the kind words, kdog, I'm flattered despite not having produced anything valuable over the past few months!

Also thanks for the very interesting article. It's very informative and very true, but unfortunately right now I cannot afford to spend $1k+ on tripod gear.

I've decided to go with the Manfrotto 055XPROB which at $175 seems like a very solid tripod for a good price. I've also decided to go with the 486RC2 ballhead for starters...

I had tried a Gitzo carbon tripod from a friend a few months ago, and did not like it. It's a very beautiful tripod, but the twisty-thing to lengthen/shorten the legs is really annoying, that's why I'm more interested in B/M over Gitzo.

Btw, the tripod is mostly needed for landscapes but I would also like to get into portraits sooner or later.

thanks for the input.
-b

theNOIZ

New Tripod
I was in the same situation a few weeks ago. I needed a better tripod and had a limited budget. I bought the Manfrotto 486RC2 that everyone else has mentioned. I put it on a Manfrotto 190XPROB. Between the head and tripod, I paid about $220 at a local shop.

I'm sitting here looking at the instruction manual for my tripod, and it's the same manual for the 190XPROB and 055XPROB. Here's the differences:

190XPROB
146 cm - 57.5"
1.8 kg - 4 lbs
5 kg max - 11 lbs max

055XPROB
178.5 cm - 70.3"
2.4 kg - 5.3 lbs
7 kg max - 15.4 lbs max

Even though you've made up your mind, I hope the info helps.

boulderNardo

Thanks, it does as it is good to know the 190XPROB which is so highly acclaimed is so similar to the 055XPROB.

I ordered the 055XPROB and 486RC2 on Amazon.Com on Monday, signed up for a free 3-month Prime membership and received the setup overnight
Pretty happy about the deal - just around 240 shipped.

Already had a change to use it for some landscapes. Love the setup. The tripod is sturdy and offers lots of configurability, but it does show its low price in some of the cheaper plastic parts.

No problem for me - going to keep this rig until I can afford a $1k CF set up
-b

kangamangus

boulderNardo wrote:

Thanks, it does as it is good to know the 190XPROB which is so highly acclaimed is so similar to the 055XPROB.

I ordered the 055XPROB and 486RC2 on Amazon.Com on Monday, signed up for a free 3-month Prime membership and received the setup overnight
Pretty happy about the deal - just around 240 shipped.

Already had a change to use it for some landscapes. Love the setup. The tripod is sturdy and offers lots of configurability, but it does show its low price in some of the cheaper plastic parts.

No problem for me - going to keep this rig until I can afford a $1k CF set up
-b

Great choice!!
You will be very happy!
I have the same setup and absolutely love it!
Its not too heavy, I have no trouble carrying it on my Burton Zoom pack when I go hiking! The adjust ability is incredible!
I have zero stability issues when shooting outside portraits either, the legs are very adjustable!