I've had my TL-120 for nearly a year now (thanks Steven!), and so far I've been using it on a $80 video tripod (fluid head) that is far from ideal and is falling apart. It seems like false economy to put an expensive camera atop a cheap tripod, but I'm not really sure what to get. I think I'd like a geared head, but I checked my local photo store and they only have ball heads and pan-and-tilt heads. What tripod head do you TL-120 shooters use? I was thinking about the Manfrotto 410 or possibly 405. I find it hard to make a decision without seeing the head in person.

I've kept a look out at camera fairs etc for old-style wooden tripods. They're super-rigid yet light weight at the same time. At the Photographica in London earlier this year I waited till the end (The Sterescopic Society had a table there) and asked what the lowest price was on a nice light wooden tripod and he gave me a lower price than I expected which I accepted immediately and then he threw in a couple of brass tubed lightweight tripods as well!

I have all three here in Wyoming and I'll use them with long lenses for the eclipse tomorrow :)

The bottom line? Don't despise older technology :)

Bob Aldridge

 

It's just like the answer to the timeless question, "What's the correct camera?"  The answer? "The one you have with you when you need it." It's my opinion that your tripod legs are chosen by what your wallet and your back will bear. Your head is chosen by what your camera weighs and how deep your wallet is.

I made many successful images over many years with a Slik 'Snap' tripod. It was the finest thing $50 would buy. It was aluminum, and had a plastic ball head. It held my Spud well, and was light enough to cart around in my back pack. I eventually retired the original head. I still have the 'Snap' (so I should not refer to it in the past tense), but it spends more time as a light/flash stand than a camera base. My biggest complaints about the 'Snap' were:

  Single angle legs

  When collapsed, too tall to hide in my pack

I eventually saved up my money and bought a Gitzo three-section, carbon fiber, traveling tripod. It folds small enough to go completely in my pack or suitcase, weighs less than the old 'Snap', is far more stable, has two-angle legs, and an invertible center column. I use it with a Manfroto ball-head with an RC-2 square-plate quick release. I know the Arca is the 'standard', but I just never got around to conforming. 

The thing to consider is; the TL120 is a brick, but it is a compact brick. Its lenses, while heavy, are close to the body and don't provide the long lever like a telephoto does. If you are using a cable release, and aren't working in a very windy environment, you can make do with a much lighter tripod/head than you might think. When the wind picks up, I'll add weight to my Gitzo in the form of bag of rocks suspended from the center column. If you do this, you need to make sure the wind can't whip that bag around, or it will just make things worse! (Ask me how I know.) The same assembly with works for my TL120 is often not stable enough for my APC DSLR with a 200mm lens.

For packing around, I'd shun fluid-filled and geared heads. They don't solve problems I have in the field. I find a scene, compose in my head, set up the tripod, monkey with the alignment, rig the cable release, and then shoot. A good quality ball head meets those needs. Yes, there have been times I'd thought I'd like a geared head to help me make final adjustments, but I know my back is glad I'm not carting one around for those occasions.

I did come very close to buying a _leveling_ head, but once again I chose light weight over features. The correct tripod/head is the one I have on hand. By the time I stuff a TL120, DSLR, meter, film, clothing, food, tripod, and maybe a second TL120 in my pack, I'm glad I have a solid, unexciting, not-too-heavy ball head.

If I were boating, or driving to my destinations, my weight trade-offs would probably be different. Since my gear travels on my back, it's got to be light enough and small enough to make it to the destination.

To answer your specific question:

  Gitzo 1451 "Traveler" (Series 1) legs

  Manfroto 494-RC2 head

John Thurston

Juneau, Alaska

On Aug 20, 2017, at 8:03 AM, iandvaag@gmail.com [MF3D-group] <MF3D-group@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

I've had my TL-120 for nearly a year now (thanks Steven!), and so far I've been using it on a $80 video tripod (fluid head) that is far from ideal and is falling apart. It seems like false economy to put an expensive camera atop a cheap tripod, but I'm not really sure what to get. I think I'd like a geared head, but I checked my local photo store and they only have ball heads and pan-and-tilt heads. What tripod head do you TL-120 shooters use? I was thinking about the Manfrotto 410 or possibly 405. I find it hard to make a decision without seeing the head in person.