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Old November 20th, 2006, 10:25 AM   #106
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Mae sos andres vargas?? I did a quite simple thing. I bought some bogen stiks and a used o'connor fluid head from ebay. Works great, total $750
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Old November 20th, 2006, 07:47 PM   #107
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about this head

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Bray
Opinion are going to vary highly on this. I have the 3221 legs with a 501 head. I like the setup. I have seen a lot of people badmouth this combo. But to each his own.
Combo is priced decent and does the job that I need.

Thanks for the reply Adam! I wanted to ask you.... based on your own experience would you say the 501 bogen/marotto suffers from stiction. This is the usual complain about this particular head i wanted a second opinion. tnx
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Old November 20th, 2006, 07:52 PM   #108
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Do not get the 501, get the 503! You will need the counter balance, and it is full fluid. It may not be perfect, but it is real good!

Mike
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Old November 20th, 2006, 10:10 PM   #109
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Vargas
Thanks for the reply Adam! I wanted to ask you.... based on your own experience would you say the 501 bogen/marotto suffers from stiction. This is the usual complain about this particular head i wanted a second opinion. tnx
Yes, it does.
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Old November 21st, 2006, 10:07 AM   #110
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I really recomend using bogen-manfrotto tripod with another fluid head. The most important thing about a tripod is the fluid head, a clumsy head gives bad results. A system's performance is measured by the worst of its parts... A good o'connor fluid head is robust and its really dificult to make it break. You should get an o'connor 30 or even a 50... they price low on e-bay compared on the new ones.. and they are great. Just be careful with the bowl size.
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Old November 21st, 2006, 12:09 PM   #111
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Teutsch
Do not get the 501, get the 503! You will need the counter balance, and it is full fluid. It may not be perfect, but it is real good!

Mike
Thanks mike but what about stiction does the 503 have that problem too?
i wouldn't like to star a panning with a bumpy move every time.
you mentioned it's not perfect. Based on your experience, are there any particualr flaws to this head you'd like to tell us about
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Old November 21st, 2006, 03:40 PM   #112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Vargas
Thanks mike but what about stiction does the 503 have that problem too?
i wouldn't like to star a panning with a bumpy move every time.
you mentioned it's not perfect. Based on your experience, are there any particualr flaws to this head you'd like to tell us about
I can't vouch for everyone, but My 501 had stiction, my 503 does not. Oh, and I have two 503's.

Mike

P.S.: I'll add one more thing, duh, I guess that's why the P.S. Huh! Anyway, I have heard some say the 503 isn't that smooth, I think they may be "confused," on how to set it up and may be tightening or loosening the lock down lever rather than the tension lever. Make sure you are using the right one.

Mike
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Old May 21st, 2007, 12:21 AM   #113
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Advice on choosing better tripod kit for XL2

I have XL2 ,70~200 IS, Manfrotto 055CB + 701RC2. I find quite difficult to freeze focus at 200mm because of high magnification & the wind as well as my hand shake. And would like to go for 400/600mm in future. So I am planning to go for either 503 or 519 with 525MVB.
Now I want your advice on this, Is there any better option than the one I choosed.
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Old May 21st, 2007, 06:30 AM   #114
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There are indeed much better options.
But before you spend the cash, might I suggest hanging a sandbag from your current tripod to stabilize the shot.
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Old May 21st, 2007, 09:22 AM   #115
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I do agree, but the problem arises when you follow the bird, its quite dificult to sharp focus. Even the pulse can make the jarring. While panning & even tilting no free movement, slight jerking is there.
my budget is for above kit, If better choices are there. plz name it.
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Old May 21st, 2007, 10:03 AM   #116
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The 519/525mvb kit is roughly $1200, and at that price you can indeed find much smoother options. The Cartoni Focus is roughly the same price, but offers a few notable upgrades - a 100mm bowl - more stable connection between head and legs, stiffer legs, and far smoother movement. I personally do not like the build quality of the lower Cartoni products, but if treated gently, they should be fine, and certainly the price/performance is excellent for that tripod.

Also, my personal budget favorite is the Vinten Vision 3 - a 75mm bowl, but the head is smoother and more durable than anything within 2x its price. There are tons of reviews online of all these setups, but definitely search around because Bogen/Manfrotto is hardly the only game in town. Through clever marketing and decent prices, they have made themselves the most recognizable name in lower-end camera support, and they'd certainly like you to believe that you must stick with their line.

Last but not least, don't forget that a smooth head only goes so far. You have a LOT of weight pulling on the lens mount of your camera. If you haven't already done so, make some bracket to connect both the camera and the lens to the tripod plate. The 70-200 has a nice collar on it already, so you won't need a fancy rod system just for support. A simple steel plate drilled and countersunk can do the trick, otherwise I'm sure commercial versions exist. Once you have both points anchored, it may also help to find the fore/aft balance point, and try to align that with the balance of the tripod. That way, the tripod is working evenly throughout its tilt motion, and you can use a lighter touch to control it...and therefore less vibration.

Just remember - ANY flex between the sensor and lens will show up as vibration in your shot, especially when magnified 100x. That goes for any other accessories you have strapped to the camera as well. Make sure everything is cinched down, batteries are tight, filters are tight, etc...
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Old May 23rd, 2007, 12:26 AM   #117
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Thankyou Jeron, The Vinten vision 3 head costs $969.95, Cartoni focus head costs $799.95 & 519 head costs $868.95 & also as a complete kit which will be the better one.
Regarding lens support I developed a sliding support for lens as well as for body. which is giving a solid stability.
Ashok Mansur

Last edited by Ashok Mansur; May 23rd, 2007 at 10:02 AM.
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Old July 16th, 2007, 08:06 AM   #118
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I ended up going with the Bogen 516 fluid head and the Bogen 3046 tripod
from BH photo


http://prohosted.com/bogen516.jpg

Last edited by Martin Smith; July 16th, 2007 at 08:13 AM. Reason: Photo
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Old August 29th, 2007, 03:15 PM   #119
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Best tripod for XL2, budget 800$

I want a fluid head tripod that won't wiggle if theres a bit of wind and I'm zoomed all the way in... Let me know if you can help me out!
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Old August 29th, 2007, 05:15 PM   #120
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Scott:
I run my XL2 on a Bogen/Manfrotto 351 tripod with the 503 fluid head. It's rock-steady, no problems with unintended camera motion with the 20x zoom all the way out. The fluid drag is adjustable so you can set it to a sweet spot for your preferences. I bought mine as a package (head, tripod, and carry case) for $485.00. I've used B/M tripods for years as a still photographer and never personally had any complaints about the quality and construction.

Before that, I was using a Davis and Sanford Mark II tripod with the D&S FM-25 fluid head. I found it for a good price at a used camera store, missing a few small parts. A couple of hours at a friend's machine shop, and it had two new solid aluminum handles, a nice brass clamping knob, and a new mounting stud. Monster of a tripod, better suited for a studio, but capable of holding an elephant steady. I went with the Bogen as a field tripod because it collapses up smaller, weighs less, and is easier to level with the bowl mount. You give up some convenience as to camera height adjustment without the center column, but I can set up and level the head in ten seconds. With the D&S, I'd spend a couple of minutes fiddling with leg length adjustments trying to center the bubble. I'm keeping the D&S to use as a base for the crane I plan on building.

Regards;
Martin
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