I recently searched and read all I could find on tripods and ballheads to assist me in my purchase of a new light weight travel tripod and ballhead. I found it very helpful to read other enthusiasts opinions so I have tried to give back by “blogging” mine.
I already own an Aluminum Manfrotto 190xprob with a 486RC2 ballhead and as good as it is to use I was after something lighter that would be more suitable for travelling. Carbon Fibre was the obvious choice so I read up on Gitzo, the new Manfrotto range and a lesser known brand – Feisol.
For ballheads I checked out the "Really Right Stuff" and Markins. It was a hard decision however on one of the sites I looked at the Markins had a very high load to weight ratio. Markins seemed to only have good things written about them.
I finally decided on the Feisol CT-3442 “Tournament” , PB-70 Horizontal Adaptor and CC-2809 short centre column and a Markins M10 ballhead.
The actual purchase was very easy with both companies accepting paypal. Delivery was 3 days for the M10 and 6 days for 3442. The world really is small now!!
Feisol Tripod
I had looked at the Gitzo tripods and they certainly have a very good reputation but the cost made the Feisol Tripod worth a try. The model I finally decided on was the CT 3442 – its specifications made it very attractive.
It has 4 section legs, 480mm folded length, weighs only 1kg and its possible to get a good height - both high and low. It is rated for a 10kg load; it is also possible to get an adaptor to use the vertical column in a horizontal position. You can also remove the long column and get down very low. The tripod comes with a carry bag and a couple of allen keys to allow work to be done on the leg mounts.
The legs can be folded upside down to give a smaller overall size.
It comes with hooks to hang a weight from or use a stretchy cord from a heavy bag so it does not swing.
There are 2 types of spike feet available – short or long. They come with rubber boots as standard.
The legs are locked by turning the sleeves in the correct order. These work quite well. This is quite different from the Manfrotto levers.
The feel of the tripod is very light and the legs (unfortunately) do not actually have that carbon fibre appearance.
In use I have found it quick to setup and be rock solid.
I have kept the Manfrotto for use in the more hostile areas I visit. IE the beach and rocky shoreline. That’s probably only because it has already got scratches and is not brand new.
Markins Ballhead
The Markins head is really a work of art.
The way it feels in your hands and the smoothness of its operation is exceptional. It even comes with a white cloth bag to wrap it in before it is put in its special protective cover.
It is taking a little getting used to after using the Manfrotto head though. I feel the Markins is more delicate in its operation.
The Manfrotto has a lever that locks automatically when the “quick release plate” is placed on to the shoe. This also has a more rugged feel than the Markins. You just postion it down and it clicks into place.
The Markins uses a knob to screw the dove tail in and out. Also the actual setting up of the head is a little vague. For example on what side should the clamping screw be postioned? If it is at the back you hit your face on it. I have decided that either towards the front under the lens or to the left hand side.
It also has a pan bed, this does make it a little difficult to tighten to the tripod and therefore the whole ballhead unscrews at times. But on the plus side it should be good for panning and stiching.
After finding this info ( http://www.nikonians-images.org/info/Markins-Whitepaper.pdf ) on the European site it seems that the “problems” in setting it up were not just me.
ConclusionI am very happy with both the tripod and the ballhead. The tripod is very light and quite short to fit in my luggage. The ballhead is as smooth as silk to use. If you do not tighten the ball too much then the camera can be moved quite easliy for a new position. In use with a 70-200 2.8 lens there is just no movement.
Overall I am very happy.
David
