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anyone ever heard of groschupp tripods??? i got one off of my aunt, it was in her basement for who knows how long. its model number gcs 1400, black aluminum with 3 section double legs and a pan and tilt head witha QD, but is missing the camera base. if its any good, i was thinking of putting a ball head on it. if anyone knows anything about these tripods, i would appreciate any info you can provide.
jim
Groschupps are not too common here, but they are considered to be quite decent. Double legsis a pro. As far as true stability goes, the best way of finding out is to test it yourself, IMHO. Unscrew the head and you should have a thread that matches your camera. Take the tripod for a test shot. If it is stable and you like it, get that ballhead and keep it. Good luck.
One more thing, if you wanted to keep the original head, the missing quick release plate is not going to be easy to find.E-bay would be your best bet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by piiooo
One good way to test it out, if your camera body supports LiveView, is to put on your longest lens, focus on a distant target with printing on it that you can read, turn on LiveView, and zoom to 10x. If the image in the LCD is stable, you have a good tripod.
thanks for the info guys.......i took the head off and it was attached to the down tube with a 3/4 something thread, kinda shocked me......but then i took the tube out and flipped it over and found the 1/4-20 screw.....whew!!!! seems pretty stable with my XSi and 70-200f/4L attached to it......tried the live view suggestion and the image on my 19 inch monitor was stable. think i found a decent tripod then, for free to boot. it also has 1" retractable spikes in the feet, i like that.
now, any recomendations on a good ball head?? i dont really feel like spending over 50 or 60 bucks, considering i got the tripod for free
Quote:
Originally Posted by lynx0069
Congrats on your free tripod, Jim. Always a good thing.
In my opinion there is no such thing as a "good" $50 ballhead. I would say that you should be prepared to spend $150 on a head. Tripod heads are SO important and in my opinion this is one are you should not skimp. The $250ish Acratech Ultimate Ballhead is my recommendation, but there are cheaper heads that will do fine also. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think any good $50 heads exist, especially for a 70-200 lens. Everybody correct me if I'm wrong [:P]
brendan
There are plenty of good ball heads where you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars. I use one that's not a high dollar unit and it see's a insane amount of use. Nine hours a day for 30 days straight was the last big job that I used my 60 dollar ball head and it did everything I wanted. Sure a 200/300/400 dollar unit would be nice to have but then again I'd like to have a Ferrari sports car sitting in my driveway too. Who in their right mind can afford to spend every cent of their income on all the newest and the best photography gear. If everything else I needed in life was paid for then sure I'd be buying the best equipment but that's just not the situation for most of us . Here are a few less expensive ball heads that I've used plus I know others that have used them and they work great. Read the reviews from the other users and take what they say as a guide. Come on in the real world not everybody needs a 900 dollar Gitzo carbon fiber tripod and a Arca Swiss $300 plus ball head. In the real world its the photographer that matters the most and not about how much you spent on equipment.
Adorama Website: all within the 50 -70 dollar price range
Flashpoint F3 or F4 (HERE)
Vanguard SBH-100 (HERE)
Giottos Pro Ball Head with 621 Quick Release plate (HERE)
Smith Victor BH5 Metal Alloy Ball Head (HERE)
good point. I'm not an advocate of spending a ton on gear, or spending in general for that matter, but in my opinion a good ballhead is a superb investment. I have no experience with the heads you mentioned but they look pretty good for that matter [:D]
If I felt like spending a large amount of money on a ball head I'd most likely get one from the Really Right Stuff company. With the limited number of higher paying jobs here in Arkansas there's just know way I'd drop this kind of cash on a ball head. Now if I made over a hundred grand a year I'd probably get one along with the 900 dollar Gitzo tripod. I bought the Giottos MTL 9371B for 187.00 and it's a work of art so there's absolutely no reason why I would/should EVER pay 600 to 1000 dollars for a tripod unless I just want to impress people with my deep pockets. Have not met or picked up any really cute girls carrying around my tripod just yet but that might change if I got the $900 Gitzo[:D]
I understand that very well. I'm saving for a $400 ballhead and Gitzo, but it'll take me a few months (well, maybe a few more after that [:P]).