Think I've got away with risking ordering a very unsuitable travel tripod.
Constant problem has been my £40 Jessop finest is too long to fit into any of my luggage, isn't conducive to carrying around and even if I do make the effort is pretty rubbish, with a head that drifts, a spirit level which doesn't work and a portrait angle which isn't a true 90 degrees.
So I ordered a Manfrotto Modo 785SHB for £43 delivered - well aware that it's only meant to be rated for a 1kg load and that the D300 with lens is heavier than that.
Having arrived, the risk is probably worth it. In landscape orientation the tripod copes fine with the D300 (even with the real test of a 70-300) - the included "joystick" grip head doesn't seem to have a problem with keeping everything locked in place (basically all the weight is going straight down through the head and tripod). Different story in portrait mode (when due to the way the head works, the camera weight "shears"), where the camera and 70-300 begins to drift downwards. This is due to the quick release plate not holding firmly enough against the camera base however - rather than the head and tripod itself.
I reckon with a slightly smaller and lighter DSLR, especially with a smaller lens, it would be surprisingly firm.
Build wise, it's aluminum and plastic, but despite this feels pretty high quality and is, importantly, light enough to carry around easily (around 1kg). Carrying round is going to be a revalation compared to the Jessop tripod as the Manfrotto is just under 15 inches long collapsed...and if you split the legs and the centre column/head, you've got two pieces less than 12 inches long to fit into your bag.
Legs are five section, which means opening and closing isn't speediest in the world - but not bad. Locking seems firm but the legs are bendy and the tripod a bit skitterish fully extended (as you'd expect from a five-section aluminum tripod. Legs have different settings which means you can use it as normal, or in ultra-low mode (which lets you get the camera to less than 6 inches from ground). With just one, two or three of the sections extended, makes for a very solid "table" tripod. Max height with all sections extended and centre column up is just under four foot - although it's very unstable like this. I'm much more likely to use it without the centre column and put up with stooping or kneeling to use it, or just something at the scene to put it on to bring it to eye height (how often do you use a tripod at eye height anyway?)
Head unit is very clever, easy to use and includes a setting for photo and video (video setting essentially limits head motion while panning, while photo gives you 360 flexibility).
It's never going to compete with a "proper" tripod for stablity and I'm certainly not going to trust leaving my camera mounted on it while I go and wander round - but for portability it's going to mean I can take a tripod with me in circumstances I never would have done before and importantly be able to take it on short work trips with me, without going to a lot of trouble. I think if used with an eye on the limitations and perhaps with some old-school techniques like a rock bag, it might just perform as well as a tripod three times the price, weight and folded size!
And until I can afford this it will have to do!
(Manfrotto also do a 785B model in the mini-Modo line up - which appears to be more or less identical, except with a slightly longer folded length and bigger max extended height. No greater max load though. Size was my prime factor though and the 785SHB is a few inches shorter when folded.)
If anyone particularly interested, I can take some pics of it in action. Will also update this when I've used it properly and realised what its fatal flaw is!
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6 comments:
£40 quid Jessops tripod? Luxury.
I am making do with a £12 7 Day Shop one! Although a friend of my Father's is supposed to be flogging a Manfrotto that he's replaced with a carbon-fibre jobby. Still haven't heard the exact model or what he wants for it.
Can we expect the next challenge to be along the lines of: "shots that you have to walk a long way to take and must use a tripod"?
Believe me, the Jessop's model was overpriced and undelivered! I suspect it is lower quality than your £12 7DS bargain. However, at the time I needed it that day for a work job and claimed it on expenses anyway (which I might be able to do with this one actually - as I'm providing the photos for the travel feature it's been primarily bought for).
I wouldn't mind investing in a "decent" tripod, but what I'm discovering is there's no point in spending hundreds on something which stays in the house or the boot of the car. John offered me the use of his Manfrotto last time we were at the cottage - but it stayed in the cupboard because it's even bigger and heavier than my Jessop POS.
There is a lot of truth in the adage that the best tripod in the world is the one you've actually got with you.
And no, don't think I'm planning a tripod trekking challenge! John has indicated he might get involved in the next challenge and he'd have a bit of an advantage.
I've got a Manfrotto but it would never travel with me. I just use it for interior macro work.
I do like the look of this Modo one though, but I a not keen on that particular head. My 40D and 24-105 is over 1.5Kg so I am in the same boat as you.
Considering the price, the head isn't too bad actually...very easy to use and position precisely and once gripped, doesn't shift (with a small lens on the cam). I'd not "recommend" you use it with a big DSLR and lens, but it is possible. For me, I'm prepared to take the risk and work round the flimsiness in exchange for a tripod it's not going to be a hassle to have with me. As your example shows, if you want rock solid stability and a choice of head, you have to spend the money on something much bigger and heavier...which rarely leaves the house.
Done a few more simple tests with it this evening and doesn't seem to have a problem (inside at least) with vibration on long exposure. Portrait mode copes with the 16-85 and the D300 and seems pretty solid.
It's extremely good with just two or three of the leg sections extended, and in the low-level setting. At worst it will make a good table-top tripod. Like you, the vast majority of my tripod use (so far) has been close-up/product stuff.
On a slippery surface, like our wooden floors, the feet don't grip enough to stop splaying when you push down on the centre - but once you leave it alone it's pretty good. On less slippy surfaces, like carpet, or I guess "outside" it probably copes better.
It's a compromise tripod, but I think they've done as good a job as possible when making something so small and light.
I also think with a bit of customisation, it could be improved. I'm going to try and adapt the end plug on the centre column to take a bag hook and see if I can alter the feet to make them a bit more "spiky" or grippy.
Whatever - it's got to be better than what I've been enduring with the Jessop!
You said: Manfrotto also do a 785B model in the mini-Modo line up - which appears to be more or less identical, except with a slightly longer folded length [than]the 785SHB
Very useful post, Mr Stainer, as I am intending for Mrs Barrett to get me something like this for my birthday. 7DayShop do the 785B for £40 delivered. Seems to be the cheapest. How does yours attach to the camera bag when you are carrying it?
If you remember the Crumpler camera bag, it has two webbing strips on each side (I assume for attaching lens pounches), I just slide one leg of the tripod behind the strip and it hangs quite neatly on the side.
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