Gitzo + RRS

geralds34

Currently shooting with a 30+ year old manfrotto Art 190 + 486RC2, and a Gitzo 1541T + 484RC2, looking to upgrade my support system.

Pretty much decided on Gitzo 3530LS , and now need to choose the RRS head. I shoot a D90, largest lens (now) is a 105 macro, or 18-200 VR.

BH55 has my eye, as I do not intend to upgrade support any time in the next decade or two! Is the BH55 over kill? If I upgraded to a D700 and 70-200 f2.8, would the BH40 be at its limits?

Mount - Screw knob or Lever Release. I am in Ottawa, Canada, and shoot in the cold, would the screw knob be harder to operate in the cold?

TNFlyBoy

I use the BH-40 with my D90/70-200VRII combo. No problems to speak of. That's really what the BH-40 was designed for, so I'd say go for that if you're largest lens combo in the near future is a D700/70-200. Spend that money you save on a L-bracket or something nice

Andy

BH40 is ample for your needs. LR w/ the bubble on it is awesome, you won't regret at all.

hiroProtagonist

geralds34 wrote:

Currently shooting with a 30+ year old manfrotto Art 190 + 486RC2, and a Gitzo 1541T + 484RC2, looking to upgrade my support system.

Pretty much decided on Gitzo 3530LS , and now need to choose the RRS head. I shoot a D90, largest lens (now) is a 105 macro, or 18-200 VR.

BH55 has my eye, as I do not intend to upgrade support any time in the next decade or two! Is the BH55 over kill? If I upgraded to a D700 and 70-200 f2.8, would the BH40 be at its limits?

Mount - Screw knob or Lever Release. I am in Ottawa, Canada, and shoot in the cold, would the screw knob be harder to operate in the cold?

I have both, the BH-40 on a Gitzo 2531EX and the BH-55 on a 3541XLS. The BH-40 handles my D700/MB10 and 70-200 quite well. While the BH-55 is overkill that's not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to support. If I had to choose just one I'd pick the BH-55. I'm willing to pay the cost in weight and price to have some overkill should I need it.

My BH-40 has the lever plate while the BH-55 has the knob. Generaly I preffer the knob but in a poll I did on another forum the lever was the popular choice. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The lever can be troublesome when using a cable release, particularly when shooting in the portrait orientation as the cable tends to interfear with operation of the lever. You can avoid this by having the lever face towards the back of the camera but this puts the bubble level under the lens. The knob doesn't have the same interfearnce issues with a cable and since the knob needs to face the same direction as the lens (unless you want to put an eye out) the bubble level will always be behind the camera where it is most visible. Some other reasons the knob may be a better solution though these are more subjective. The knob tends to provide a more secure solution when using non RRS plates. Knob may be easier to operate when wearing gloves. I've seen one or two reports of the lever loosening up over time though this has not been a problem for me. Hope this helps.

kdog

hiroProtagonist wrote:

I have both, the BH-40 on a Gitzo 2531EX and the BH-55 on a 3541XLS.

For those of you that have both, do you find the BH-55 in general to have a smoother action? I would think the greater mass of the larger ball would make it smoother in general. Just curious.

Thanks,
-joel

hiroProtagonist

kdog wrote:

For those of you that have both, do you find the BH-55 in general to have a smoother action? I would think the greater mass of the larger ball would make it smoother in general. Just curious.

Thanks,
-joel

I had not noticed any significant differece.

Tango

geralds34 wrote:

Mount - Screw knob or Lever Release. I am in Ottawa, Canada, and shoot in the cold, would the screw knob be harder to operate in the cold?

I (just this month) bought the screw knob because of the cold.... I hate taking off gloves to manage a quick-release lever.

Now the only problem for me and the screw knob is I'm blind in my right eye so I must use my left, and when I look in the viewfinder the screw knob is in the way....
so I mount the camera backwards on the mount with the screw knob under the lens.

I cant win for losing.:D but that RSS stuff is sweet and I dont see how you can go wrong with either mount.

geralds34

AaronNelson wrote:

I (just this month) bought the screw knob because of the cold.... I hate taking off gloves to manage a quick-release lever.

Now the only problem for me and the screw knob is I'm blind in my right eye so I must use my left, and when I look in the viewfinder the screw knob is in the way....
so I mount the camera backwards on the mount with the screw knob under the lens.

I cant win for losing.:D but that RSS stuff is sweet and I dont see how you can go wrong with either mount.

Interesting - I would have thought the lever would have been easier in the cold.

cab.in.boston

I've been monitoring this thread with interest, as tripods have my attention right now. My current tripod is a ~10 y/o cheapie that "works" but is a real PITA. However, I can't see myself spending this type of money on a support system for a while, as I still have a couple of lenses and another body to buy first. But I am glad to read people's experiences. I think a BH40 would be plenty for me; the heaviest equipment I'm ever likely to be putting on a tripod will be a D300s (I currently have D90), flash and (maybe, in the distant future) a 70-200 f/2.8.

I'm more than a little overwhelmed by all the choices, however. I think I'd be fine with aluminum until I win the lottery, but I am 6'5", so to get the camera to eye level, I will need a 4 section set of legs; I'm thinking GT3340L or GT2341L. I'm curious about the differences between the different "series" of Gitzo legs. Is there anything that documents this? I can't seem to find anything on Gitzo's site.

Am I correct that Manfrotto is more the "consumer" line of legs, while Gitzo aims at higher performance? I notice that they're both part of the Vitec Group, so I imagine they are related, and it would seem odd if they're direct competitors. Seems to be sort of a Toyota/Lexus relationship, no?

Do Gitzo legs come with a levelling bubble built in, or must you get the plate for that?

So I guess my "realistic wishlist' for support would include GT2341L, BH-40LRII, levelling plate, and L-plates... that's only ~$1000. Too bad Christmas is so far off.

Mitchell

I like my BH55LR. It is overkill for most of my applications, but for the price differential, I did not want to "settle" for the BH40

cab.in.boston

Mitchell wrote:

I like my BH55LR. It is overkill for most of my applications, but for the price differential, I did not want to "settle" for the BH40

You know, I guess you're right. $455 for BH55LR vs. $390 for BH40LRII really seems like it's worth going for the larger head. It is 3/4 of a pound heavier, but that's not really a big deal.

robscomputer

I would think the larger ball head would be easier to tighten down than a small ball head due to the amount of surface the clamp grabs. My current ball head a 486, takes a bit of force to really lock down.

Needless to say, I'm really hoping I can sell some items to buy a RRS someday soon.

lightyear

Tripods
I have an older Manfrotto 441 Carbon fiber pod with the ArcaSwiss B1, which works well. The Manfrotto flip locks are beginning to wear out and need periodic tightening and I am now looking at other tripods, with the choices amazing both in number of makers and pricing. Bogen (owned by Vitek, which makes Gitzo & Manfrotto in separate factories)says Gitzo is more rigid, more professional, but Gitzo uses twist locks which do jam up with grit, debris and periodically need disassembly and cleaning. The Manfrotto flip locks are easier to use, do not jam up, and clean easily - with a garden hose if needed. If you can get to a large camera store with lots of pods it is very helpful to figure it out. Bring your camera to find out how rigid the pod is with camera & lens mounted. There are some excellent Chinese (Benro, Induro, Flashpoint, others)pods at great savings.
Stan

kdog

lightyear wrote:

Bogen (owned by Vitek, which makes Gitzo & Manfrotto in separate factories)says Gitzo is more rigid, more professional, but Gitzo uses twist locks which do jam up with grit, debris and periodically need disassembly and cleaning.

I think that's vastly overstated. Gitzo tripods are the far and away the favorite of nature photographers who spend their lives in harsh elements. While there have been reports of older generation Gitzo twist locks jamming, I've yet to see even one report of a Gitzo G-Lock jamming. I think you will find that most Gitzo owners never need to disassemble and clean their tripods, much less periodically. I shoot in blowing sand, silt, water, you name it, and have never felt the need to clean mine. Even if needed, it would take only a few seconds to spin off the twist collar and wipe down the threads. The leg slides themselves are protected by sleeves, and are rather impervious to dirt, much less any kind of debris.

Regards,
-joel

Andy

robscomputer wrote:

I would think the larger ball head would be easier to tighten down than a small ball head due to the amount of surface the clamp grabs. My current ball head a 486, takes a bit of force to really lock down.

Needless to say, I'm really hoping I can sell some items to buy a RRS someday soon.

If you are regularly shooting 300f/4 or 400 f/5.6 and shorter, the bh40 is quite fine. If you shoot with a 300 f/2.8 or 400 f/2.8 or longer lens, you'll want the BH55. On a long hike, or at altitude, that 3/4s pound makes a difference (I own and use both heads, but the BH40 gets the most use).

kdog

Andy wrote:

If you are regularly shooting 300f/4 or 400 f/5.6 and shorter, the bh40 is quite fine. If you shoot with a 300 f/2.8 or 400 f/2.8 or longer lens, you'll want the BH55.

Or go straight to a Wimberly or other gimbal mount. Huge lenses are unwieldly on ballheads.

To your point about weight, if you carry one extra pound up a 2,000' incline, you've just moved an extra ton.

cab.in.boston

Andy wrote:

If you are regularly shooting 300f/4 or 400 f/5.6 and shorter, the bh40 is quite fine. If you shoot with a 300 f/2.8 or 400 f/2.8 or longer lens, you'll want the BH55. On a long hike, or at altitude, that 3/4s pound makes a difference (I own and use both heads, but the BH40 gets the most use).

That's all very true, I suppose. However, if you are on a long hike or at altitude, I'd guess the first place to save weight would be with a CF tripod. If I were to buy the BH40 to save 3/4 lb, and then get an Al tripod that weighs 3 lbs more than the CF, that would be kind of silly. I don't shoot with heavy gear like that, I'm sure the 40 would suffice for my needs. But I also don't often go on long hikes or off into high altitudes, either. I may someday, but that's not in the immediate offing. I might prefer the knobs on the 55 over the levers on the 40, and for me, that might be a more significant factor in the decision than a little extra weight.

Fact is, this is all pure speculation for me, I don't have the luxury of having to make this decision at this point anyway. I'm at least a year or more away from upgrading my support equipment. Are there stores that carry RRS stuff, or do they sell only online? It sure would be nice to actually get to play around with these things before pulling the trigger, and not just relying on reviews and opinions of other people.

Andy

cab.in.boston wrote:

That's all very true, I suppose. However, if you are on a long hike or at altitude, I'd guess the first place to save weight would be with a CF tripod.

Oh. Sorry - yes - I was assuming CF Tripod all along.

geralds34

The Gitzo 3530LS was ordered yesterday, should be in my hands early next week.

L.L. Lozeau in Montreal has a 15% off sale until Jan 3rd, so this might be of interest others in Canada.

Still debating the 55 vs 40, but tending towards the 40. The weight difference would add up over the day, especially if the better half keeps on claiming my equipment.

kdog

Great choice. That's the tripod I use as well. I got the BH-55, and it is a beast. It's rock solid with my 400mm and an extender or two (yeah, I stack 'em sometimes. ) However, the reality is I'll never use its full capability because I recently picked up a Wimberley for my 500mm. A BH-40 would probably suffice just fine. Although the big BH-55 sure does look great sitting on that 3530.

hiroProtagonist

cab.in.boston wrote:

I might prefer the knobs on the 55 over the levers on the 40, and for me, that might be a more significant factor in the decision than a little extra weight.

Don't confuse the discussion comparing the BH-40 and BH-55 ball heads with the comparison of the B2 LR and the B2-Pro clamping plates. The B2 LR clamping plate uses a lever to secure the body plate or L bracket in place while the B2-Pro uses a knob. Either clamping plate can be mounted on the BH-40 or the BH-55. Both the BH-40 and BH-55 ball heads use knobs to secure the ballhead itself though the knob on the BH-40 does look something like a lever of sorts.
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cab.in.boston

Andy wrote:

Oh. Sorry - yes - I was assuming CF Tripod all along.

Just trying to be realistic, considering my needs, wants, and means. I want a nice, well-built tripod that is easy to use. With my height, I'll need 4 section legs to get it to eye level. I'd love CF, but the price difference between GT2542L and GT2341L (roughly equivalent CF vs. Al models) is several hundred $$. Since I am not likely to be hiking across Denali with this anytime soon, I'd rather put that towards something else, given my expected use for the tripod. OTOH, the price difference b/t the BH55 and BH40 is only $65. If it's at all easier to use, I'd pay that premium for the "better" head. However, if I try both of them out and the BH40 works as well for me, I'd go with that model.

The only downer about the 40 is that they say the drop notch isn't usable if you have the leveling clamp. That wouldn't be a problem as long as I go with an L-plate, but I can't find an L-plate for D90 + grip. I guess I will just have to use it without the grip, then.

But as I said, this is just speculation, I am currently just researching to see what I will want to test drive when I decide to purchase a good support system.

cab.in.boston

hiroProtagonist wrote:

Don't confuse the discussion comparing the BH-40 and BH-55 ball heads with the comparison of the B2 LR and the B2-Pro clamping plates. The B2 LR clamping plate uses a lever to secure the body plate or L bracket in place while the B2-Pro uses a knob. Either clamping plate can be mounted on the BH-40 or the BH-55. Both the BH-40 and BH-55 ball heads use knobs to secure the ballhead itself though the knob on the BH-40 does look something like a lever of sorts.
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Oh... Yes, I was talking about securing the ball, not the clamping plate, and from the pictures, it certainly looks like the BH40 has a lever. In the end, I guess it doesn't really matter, I'd adjust to whatever the mechanism is, but it's good to know that they are both secured in the same way, just a different "handle" on the clamp.

Either way, I would want to go with a quick-release lever/clamp on the mounting plate, likely the B2 ASII clamp, with the built-in bubble level.

Thanks for the clarification!

Dan7312

Kirk Photo makes good stuff too... and it is a bit less expensive than RRS. I looked and both Kirk and RSS for a ball head and like you decided to put the difference into something else. So far I have no complaints at all with the Kirk... and it does have a level on the clamp.

cab.in.boston wrote:

I'd rather put that towards something else, given my expected use for the tripod.

geralds34

Just called RRS. They suggested the BH55 for the 3530LS, as the main Lock T-Lever on the BH40 would hit the tripod platform; whereas the BH55 uses the Main Lock Knob and would not interfere with the platform.

robscomputer

Does RRS only make custom plates or do they sell a generic fit all plate? I understand some cameras are difficult to fit but I don't see what should be used for older cameras like my Canon AE-1.

Andy

kdog wrote: »

I think that's vastly overstated. Gitzo tripods are the far and away the favorite of nature photographers who spend their lives in harsh elements. While there have been reports of older generation Gitzo twist locks jamming, I've yet to see even one report of a Gitzo G-Lock jamming. I think you will find that most Gitzo owners never need to disassemble and clean their tripods, much less periodically. I shoot in blowing sand, silt, water, you name it, and have never felt the need to clean mine. Even if needed, it would take only a few seconds to spin off the twist collar and wipe down the threads. The leg slides themselves are protected by sleeves, and are rather impervious to dirt, much less any kind of debris.

Regards,
-joel

True. I had my Gitzo 2541 in the harsh conditions at Death Valley for a week. Got home, and all I did was soak the leg tips in a warm water bath for a few mins, then used a paper towel to clean 'em off.

Then, as I do after every trip, I just gave the whole thing a quick rub down with a paper towel moistened with a little nail polish remover. Works wonders