Quote:
Originally Posted by gordon g
..........All tripod/head combos are a compromise - I'd be interested in how other people do things.
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Well Andys wallet is in a different league to mine - ( Acratech GV2, Arca Swiss B1, Markins M20, Markins M10, Wimberley Sidekick, Indian Wimberley MkI
).
For monopod use I finally replaced my well worn 1980's Benbo ballhead with a lightweight ballhead in the shape of a Manfrotto 486.
For home/studio I use the 405 geared head which is a really nice bit of kit. Never take it out and about now though after a costly accident ( mounted on a tripod it slipped out of the car head first and wrecked some gear teeth ).
The longest lens I have is a 400mm so I am able to get by in the make do and mend camp, albeit with a not so cheap Manfrotto 501 head.
Origionally bought for scope use only, I have done a few mods to allow an easy change over from scope to camera.
The 4 x 40 riflescope with fine crosshairs is used as an aiming device - Works brilliantly with an angled scope particularly when targeting specific stars/birds or anything small and tricky to get on to quickly. Line up the riflescope and the star or whatever is dead centre in the spotting scope. Great when trying to find and track the moon with the camera too ( 400mm plus stacked tc's ).
I turned the side cheeks round to allow viewing of vertical stars. Before this it would not achieve particularly high angles without fouling the rotational lock. This also gave me an easy mounting point for a threaded spigot, so I can add screw in counterweights for use with the camera when dealing with high elevations. I also added the Manfrotto long sliding plate 357 to allow for better balance with the camera mounted.
Modified 501 pics attatched so everyone can have a good laugh.
Don