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Thread: My First Tripod. Recommendations please.

  1. #61
    Senior Member ham's Avatar
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    Dec 2008
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    Thankfully the Vanguard (and other more expensive heads) have a pan lock function if I remember rightly, so it can do panos provided you get the mount level.

  2. #62
    Senior Member ham's Avatar
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    Dec 2008
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    I did my trip up the tall building (Kings Reach Tower on London's South Bank if anyone's interested).

    You can see some of my shots here https://picasaweb.google.com/1176627...nTopOfTheWorld

    I couldn't make up my mind on my proper purchase before the event, so I ordered a cheap Manfrotto (http://www.manfrotto.com/compact-photo-kit-black) for £40 to "do" until I make a decision.

    I was thoroughly impressed with the stability of the legs, I was expecting it to be pretty useless. And I reckon if I had a kit lens the head would be stable enough too, but it suffered from droop when locked in position. Instead I just found a position on the locking knob where it was stable when let go, but could still be moved if need be, and it worked.

    I had to remove my lens hood because it was acting as a sail in the wind, but other than that it was pretty stable. The only other problem was that the quick-release plate was a bit easy to accidentally release, but seeing as I couldn't use my blackrapid with it anyway, I put the neck-strap back on (thus realising how much I love my BR) and put it over my neck as a safety feature.

    I am still looking for a more long-term solution, and I'm very interested in the 3 Legged Thing range, specifically the Jack. But it's a new model and they've sold out their first batch. Reviews are also thin on the ground, so I'm going to hold out a while.

    The things I'm not sure about the Jack model: it's 5 section like the cheap manny, which I found quite a pain to get up and down. Plus, if I ever have need for a very very compact pod, I'll still have said cheap-option. Also I would quite like the option to swing the central column horizontally... but without using it for a while, I couldn't say how much I would use this feature, and whether it's worth going for a different tripod on that basis.

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