I guess this is where we pick up the thread about camera remote control software.;)

With the ladders, the tripod, the camera, the lenses, the laptop to control the camera maybe some kind of buggy also on which to pull it around.:D

Years ago I remember a reporter ask a representative of Lotus at the motor show the following question, 'If the speed limit is 70mph in the United Kingdom...why are Lotus making cars that perform to 140mph?' The Lotus rep answered with...'If we design a car that can go well at 140mph then it will perform twice as well at 70mph'

So, if a tripod is stable at eight feet then it should be twice as stable at four feet.

The vast majority of photographers would never need this facility I would agree. However this tripod is obviously pro spec and as such the equipment goes that extra yard. There are possibly many occasions when a pro would need to go higher than average, then its no good telling the client 'sorry me tripod wasn't long enough' :)

Stephens new tripod head is pro spec, it has things the average head doesn't. His camera is pro spec, it has functions and build quality that most photographers would never need. The fact is that if you can afford it and you feel you can justify it, or it makes you feel better, then you just gotta have it :D

I think he was worried that he might grow out of a smaller one. Maybe someone should tell him that when you reach a certain age, growth becomes lateral rather than vertical. At least in my case ...

I eagerly await the "Which step ladder to buy" thread.

Leif

I gues his next move is to put out an add for a photographic caddy or slave to carry all this extra equipment. I went through a similar phase a few years back but my wife rebelled when the weight got too much for her??

nirofo.

To illustrate the need to occasionaly go high with a tripod I attach a picture from another thread that I took yesterday. I have in the past quite often been in a similar situation to this, as can be seen in the flash thread behind the scenes posts.

I have just been out to my workshop and checked and the viewfinder was 6feet 5 inches above the ground to get the required angle. I have the 3 leg section of this tripod and with legs extended I required 4 inches of centre column. With the 055 I could just about have made it with full centre column. The difference in stability HUGE and I would not even consider using the 055 in this situation. I also used my laptop to trigger the camera and make exposure adjustments, step ladder only used for framing.

It all depends on the type of pictures you take as to your tripod needs. I have 4 - Slik 88, Benbo Mk1, 055MF3, Slik professional.

Each does its job, and each has its limitations. If I was to be limited to one and one only, then for me it would be the Slik. Bit of a weight to carry but that is its only let down if compared to the 055. If there is a wind blowing and we go to Titchwell I will put my scope on that as it as it is far more stable than the 055 in those conditions. No wind or light winds I will use the 055 for its lack of weight.

I have the D2X on my shopping list and due to its pixel density I will not be using it on the 055, and only on the Benbo when I require to get at something the Slik will not allow.

Don

I can remember several occasions when a high tripod would have been useful to get the shot, most of these were on wildlife or landscape long walks where the extra burden of a pair of stepladders would have been just a wee bit too much!

nirofo.

I've just got back from a business trip to the Netherlands which involved a long train journey. I'd just got on the train when a guy followed me into the carriage. He was clearly a pro photographer doing studio work. He was hauling a large 'sack barrow' type trolley up the carriage steps onto the train. I went to help him pull it up but he declined my offer of help. The barrow was loaded with two large lighting stand tripods, two 1.5m long, 0.3m diameter padded carry cases with studio flash heads and brollies in, and a 0.4m cubic camera bag with camera in. Must have weighed a lot, but he was well practiced at hauling it around.