Camera talk...

[nac]

yes nac it had some fungus...but it has increased a lot more in mumbai due to humid conditions I can not take artistic shots with it..the fungus will show in bokeh

What do you think? Cleaning or sell and upgrade?

BTW, Got the tripod. I will post my first impression in a couple of days...

 

[sujoyp]

I will show it to some lens service center...lets see how much they charge ...selling is not a question as nobody will buy it...upgrade is also not an option coz nikon 17-50 2.8 cost around 40k and tammy 17-50 VC USD also cost a lot.

congrats for tripod...hope it fulfills what u intend to do

 

[kkn13]

Your budget defines what is "good". Vanguard starting price is 3k, Manfrotto is even higher.
I assume your Velbon is a much better one than these cheapo tripods. If Velbon is gone kaput after one year, I don't know how long these cheapo ones will last. Comments like these have put me away from buying these tripods. I was kinda convinced to buy one, and here comes a comment

yeah I was actually rather happy with mine but simple things like the "plastic contacts" holding the legs in place and to keep it from not "expanding further" shows how poorly made all these tripods are made
whats shocking is the fact that even the more expensive varieties of tripods seem to develop this issue and a small part like that giving away could put a lot of risk to your mounted camera
why they dont make these tripods all metal is beyond me
I paid 1.7k for the velbon btw and it was super light and portable and could be squeezed into my stock canon camera bag itself along with my camera and 3 lenses

should I give Vanguard a try?

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BTW, Got the tripod. I will post my first impression in a couple of days...

which one did you go in for?
please do post a few pics/review of it if possible

 

[nac]

I will show it to some lens service center...lets see how much they charge ...selling is not a question as nobody will buy it...upgrade is also not an option coz nikon 17-50 2.8 cost around 40k and tammy 17-50 VC USD also cost a lot.

congrats for tripod...hope it fulfills what u intend to do

You never know, some may okay with fungus if you price accordingly.
Me too hoping it's atleast an okay decision if not good. So far my impression is not great and not worse either. Will have more time in the evening to try it.

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why they dont make these tripods all metal is beyond me
should I give Vanguard a try?
which one did you go in for?
please do post a few pics/review of it if possible

If they make it with thick iron or something heavy, you have to hire someone to carry it for you

Should you go for Vanguard? You should decide that. You have first hand experience with a tripod before. Now you know what you need better. Whether you should stick with the compact one or go for heavy tripod. They say carbon fibre weighs less and you have to pay premium for that. I would rather go for heavy aluminum for lesser price than carbon fibre. Incinerator bought something premium. But he went from 600D to 7D M2 to D810 and he can justify the price he paid for the tripod. You need it for your 1200D and how deep is your pocket? If you're spending lot of money, do some research before buying.

I bought Photron Stedy 560. Just last week I was discussing about buying tripod. If you scroll back, you will know why I went for this one. Yeah, sure I will post my impression in two days. I have never used a tripod before (tried for few min long time back doesn't count), so I will need some time to try my hands on with this one.

 

[sujoyp]

@kkn bro there are two things...either u have a full metal tripod which is heavy and can not fit in bags and not easy to carry ..or you have a light tripod which fits in bag along with camera and you can carry easily...both are not togather .

Only if you can spend 15k then carbon fiber tripods achieve both these ...stable and light ...now u know why they cost soo much.

 

[kkn13]

@kkn bro there are two things...either u have a full metal tripod which is heavy and can not fit in bags and not easy to carry ..or you have a light tripod which fits in bag along with camera and you can carry easily...both are not togather .

Only if you can spend 15k then carbon fiber tripods achieve both these ...stable and light ...now u know why they cost soo much.

oh any suggestions on a budget light and portable tripod for now?
15k is something Id rather spend on a lens I guess

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You never know, some may okay with fungus if you price accordingly.
Me too hoping it's atleast an okay decision if not good. So far my impression is not great and not worse either. Will have more time in the evening to try it.

- - - Updated - - -


If they make it with thick iron or something heavy, you have to hire someone to carry it for you

Should you go for Vanguard? You should decide that. You have first hand experience with a tripod before. Now you know what you need better. Whether you should stick with the compact one or go for heavy tripod. They say carbon fibre weighs less and you have to pay premium for that. I would rather go for heavy aluminum for lesser price than carbon fibre. Incinerator bought something premium. But he went from 600D to 7D M2 to D810 and he can justify the price he paid for the tripod. You need it for your 1200D and how deep is your pocket? If you're spending lot of money, do some research before buying.

I bought Photron Stedy 560. Just last week I was discussing about buying tripod. If you scroll back, you will know why I went for this one. Yeah, sure I will post my impression in two days. I have never used a tripod before (tried for few min long time back doesn't count), so I will need some time to try my hands on with this one.

oh :surprised:
Tripod is generally the first accessory people buy with their first proper camera
I think Ill try out another budget tripod for now and see
pricey tripods is not my thing as yet, I want a fisheye or macro next so am saving up for that

 

[sujoyp]

I just wish I could sell of my tripod which is sitting idle coz it cant handle my D7000 ...but courier is not possible in case of tripods ...

 

[nac]

I just wish I could sell of my tripod which is sitting idle coz it cant handle my D7000 ...but courier is not possible in case of tripods ...

Post an ad and say no shipping. Some Mumbaikar may buy it.

 

[sujoyp]

naah ..let it be..I can keep that tripod ..they say every photogrpher should have one of them

 

[nac]

naah ..let it be..I can keep that tripod ..they say every photogrpher should have one of them

Just finished shooting the tripod.

 

[sujoyp]

so where are the pics

 

[nac]

Hands-on with Photron Stedy Pro 560


*farm1.staticflickr.com/600/23532509881_60b7e4df2d_c.jpg
​

You all know I have no good opinion about cheapo tripods. So it may reflect in my impression and I can't help it.

• This tripod shouldn't be sold separately, it's a bundle pack along with Nikon DSLR. So Nikon thinks that this tripod is good enough to handle DSLR.
• Strap of the case is smallest you will ever find. It so tight and close to you as if an arrow holder.
• Accessory hook is made of plastic. I don't think we can hang something heavy like dumbbells.
• The minimum height is little above my knee, with the next extension it goes up to my waist level, and next extension takes up to my chest level height. Finally the center column takes up to my forehead level.
• To hold the extended center column there is a lock which I didn't know it exists until lately.
• The handle like thing is on the left hand side. On the right, there is a thing to lock panning movement and a small knob to flip the base plate to position vertically for shooting portraits.
• They have supplied one spare quick release. Most likely before anything happens to quick release, my camera's tripod mount will go kaput as it's made of plastic.
• One bad thing about the camera design is I can't access battery or memory card when it's attached to quick release.
• Just now found that tilting movement can also be locked by adjusting the tightness of the handle. A multi purpose handle.
• The bottom most extension is like PVC wiring duct. It's so thin, doesn't require much pressure to bend the leg. Got to be so cautious. Even the next extension doesn't seem much stronger. Shouldn't lean on to the tripod or stand with tripod's support.
• The last extension doesn't need to be hollow. They can make it with a solid metal or something.
• This 1kg+ is not giving any confidence that this will last long.
• They left the handle's end open. You will see that in the picture clearly. May be it's missed, but definitely not in the package or may be this is how they designed it.
• Yes, it can very well handle my 300g+ camera without a sweat.
• Does this can take a DSLR? I don't know. If I ever go to Mumbai, I will try it with Sujoy's D7000 attached with Sigma Tele zoom.
• This pan and tilt head is not smooth, so you can't expect it to be good for shooting videos.
• This one can't do splits, I mean legs can't go horizontal. Spreader restricts that kinda movement.
• With no legs extended it is as stable as one can expect it to be. It's still good with next leg extended and with last leg, it loses some confidence. With center column extended it's definitely wobbling.
• I put a 3kg plate on top (I didn't dare to put heavier weight ), head didn't drop. But it was in normal flat position. I don't know how if it would hold if I tilt.

You can see how short or tall it can go in the images below.

Spoiler

1. Shot with same focal length and distance
*i102.photobucket.com/albums/m108/tkphotos1/Tri%201_zpsfq1mgty4.jpg

2. Tried to fill the frame. So used different focal length and/or moved closer as it gets shorter
*i102.photobucket.com/albums/m108/tkphotos1/Tri%202_zpsscopxx9b.jpg

3. Put a bubble top next to it to give an idea about height of the tripod.
*i102.photobucket.com/albums/m108/tkphotos1/Tri%203_zpsesikfkqt.jpg

 

[sujoyp]

nice testing nac ...but I am not going to put my D7000+sigma 150-500 on this...never

btw guys I bought a used Nikon 35mm 1.8G DX lens it was getting sold for 5.5k which is good deal as new is 9k now. I am playing with that.

here is the pic...later in weekend I will play
*lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v9EowX78jM0/VmhQ4E2l5hI/AAAAAAAASJk/pZxBLOTURTQ/s512-Ic42/DSC_0032.JPG

 

[nac]

nice testing nac ...but I am not going to put my D7000+sigma 150-500 on this...never

btw guys I bought a used Nikon 35mm 1.8G DX lens it was getting sold for 5.5k which is good deal as new is 9k now. I am playing with that.

We will talk about that when I come to Mumbai

Finally got wide angle prime. I am guessing that you will like this one and keep using it while 17-50 keeps himself warm in your backpack with silica girls

 

[sujoyp]

even I want to do this...let 17-50 relax till I go for landscapes...35mm is good for many things...and that blurry bg and bokeh will post some pics very soon

 

[Gen.Libeb]

Finally got wide angle prime.

You bought a DSLR ?

 

[sujoyp]

gen he is talking about my 35mm 1.8 purchase ...its a wide angle prime lens

 

[izzikio_rage]

35mm is great for landscapes and startrails etc. Fast enough for street photos too

Nac, that is a great review. But perhaps you are expecting too much from the tripod. Just use and enjoy

 

[nac]

You bought a DSLR ?

Something I want to buy for a very long time, but doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon.

Nac, that is a great review. But perhaps you are expecting too much from the tripod. Just use and enjoy

Thank you. May be, but the tripod not supposed to wobble. Difference between gitzo and cheapo should be about durability, smooth function, ass, features, adaptability but definitely not stability. What's the purpose of tripod if it wobbles. But I am yet to try it in real. I will know if it's good to keep the camera at maximum height for long exposure shots when I do that. The possibility of me using max height is also very less as it is above my eye level.

 

[sujoyp]

Nac I am telling you again...dont expand the center column to max...just use 20-30% of center column ...it will feel more stable...and u should not exert any load on the tripod by hand or body weight...its just to keep cam stable not to support you

again comming back to stability...you should do some research on diameter of each extended legs of your triipod...and compare it to gitzo (non carbon fiber) ...you will come to know that the alumunium tripods of branded are thicker, heavier.

A quick search tells me your thickest column have diameter of 27mm and of a manfrotto 055 have 30mm-26-22 ...your whole tripod weights 1350 gm and manfrotto legs alone weights 2.5kg so you can see