1 post tagged “photography”
Today I went on the lookout for a small tripod for my video camera. I have a Manfrotto with a Kirk ball head for my photography. Living up to that will be hard. I want the stability, flexibility but with half the weight and well under $100. From a previous sale, I have a FLM ball head that is designed for smaller legs and mount. I would love for the legs to fit this as well.
Anyway, I headed down to a Ritz Camera in the local mall. They had lots of great but HUGE tripod legs there, however, nothing to meet my needs. I headed to the other side of town to the Ritz "Super Store". This place actually had less as far as variety. I spoke to the young lady there who, from past experiences, I knew to be pretty knowledgeable. She pointed me to a very small and lean tripod set (legs and head). The Quantaray 8500. I have used Quantary filters and other small items in the past and they seem like a very good value. After examining the setup for a little while and making sure the head could detach from the legs for my ball head (not bald head), I made the purchase. I paid $59.99 for the 8500 and could not be more happy.
It is very stable and very flexible. You can indeed exchange the pan and tilt head for a ball head. For video I may switch back and forth depending on my needs. Very well build and very light. 3.5 lbs with the head.
The legs extend via compression collars like Gitzo and some Manfrotto legs. I am not sure if I like this or not. I think I will be OK after a little getting used to. The center column setup is great. It is a 12 inch shaft that is threaded in the middle. This lets you convert it into a 6 inch shaft. I paid an additional $50 to purchase a short shaft for my Mafrotto legs. This in combination with the legs lets me get real low to the ground. Also, you can insert the shaft in reverse. In this configuration along with the ball head, you can virtually touch the ground with the camera. This is perfect for doing macro photography and cool ground effects with video.
