Tripod Types, Carbon Vs Aluminium

Hi all,

I've got a Manfrotto carbon fibre tripod and I've noticed my images aren't as sharp as I believe they should be. I spoke to a few people and they mentioned that the carbon fibre ones are prone to shake being so light weight (even with a 6D, 70-200 2.8 and battery grip on it) and they've advised me to get an aluminium tripod.

Does this sound like good advice? I like the carbon fibre as I don't drive and carry it on my back daily, but would this advice be correct? would aluminium be more stable?

My CF tripod has a hook underneath the center column where I can add weight in the form of a bag or backpack.

I've used it only a few times. So, in short, no I do not think the light weight nature is contributing to the shake, but you can test this by adding weight via the hook.

Squidy - Their advice was bad advice. Aluminum may be heavier, but as Brantt stated, you can always hang weights from the center column. The advantage to CF is the ring down time is reduced. That is, if you do impart a vibration, it will dampen down (ring down) to nothing quicker. Aluminum tends to continue to ring for a longer time and the amplitudes tend to get larger as well.

As for weight, I bring a zip-lock bag with me that I can put sand or rocks in, and hang it from the tripod... and my CF tripod is heavier than most people peoples aluminum tripod. I usually do not use my camera bag because it tend to swing to much (I want the CG to be closer to the hook).

A few questions:

Are your legs splaying out? If so, it might be to light (what are you using). If the foot pads are slipping, then the legs act like a spring bouncing up and down. Shore up the feet or use spikes.
Are the legs tightening up good (no slippage)? Do you need to adjust the clamps on the legs so they clamp tighter?
Does your ball head hold everything sturdy? Is there a lot of play? Check that it is attached to your tripod tightly and set screws are tight. Also make sure you clamp plate is attached tightly.
Do you mount your camera or the lens to the tripod? For the combo you describe, you should be mounting lens to the tripod... not the camera.
If you ever mount the camera to the tripod, is the battery grip tight? There is a surprising amount of play between the grip and the camera.
Do you use a wired or wireless remote, or do you actuate the shutter by hand? Should have a remote. Every time you touch the camera it is going to move no mater how heavy your tripod. Get a remote if you do not have one. They can be pretty cheap... so cost should not be a deterrent.
Do you use mirror lock up feature? This helps eliminate the vibration from mirror slap. If you do not want to do this, then use Live View.
Do you look through the view finder when taking a picture? Keep your face away from the camera when taking a picture (if practical). Your eye up against the camera will cause movement. Compose, meter, and focus; then step back and use your remote to take the shot. Cover the eye piece if you meter while standing back. Also, if in any mode other than manual you need to cover the eye piece, otherwise the light going into the eye piece will affect your meter quit a bit.
Is the problem with high winds? In real high winds throw out all I said above about touching your camera. Pull the camera tight into your face and look through the view finder; rest your arm across the top of your lens; and wrap both hands around the camera and actuate it with you finger. Basically, use good hand holding technique and use the tripod to steady you. Your body can add weight and will dampen out the vibrations from the wind. This is contrary to what most will tell you and it actually takes practice to get it to work well, but it does help (but only in really high winds). Also, make sure anything that is hanging from you tripod and is swinging or flopping around is removed (such as you camera strap or tripod carrying strap).

Also, if his 70-200mm f/2.8 features "IS," he might want to turn it off when using the tripod just to rule that out as causing the softness.

i also recently upgraded to a carbon fiber tripod from an aluminum model and noticed there is still a lot more vibration than i expected. i found out that if its is on any type of hard surface removing the rubber feet to expose the spikes gets rid of 90% of vibration.