At 23:51 2/26/00 , Acer wrote:
>For tripod, I'm definitely going to buy used if I can find something good,
>or wait a bit longer and get new if there's nothing that suits me. I'm 6ft
>tall, and would like to minimize center column extension. Not sure yet,
>but likely heading the Bogen way, or Gitzo. Weight is not much of a
>concern as long as it's stable (sorry Giles, your boulders don't come in
>anodized black :) besides, california is land of earthquakes).
One of the most popular, especially among us taller types is the Bogen 3021
leg set. It is:
* sturdy enough for most medium format
* tall enough you don't have to bend over
* light weight for its height and camera weight it will support
* among the least expensive in its class.
The next model down is the 3011 which is two inches shorter, but IMHO it is
just not as sturdy as the 3021.
FWIW, the Gitzo's are great, but they are horribly expensive, even used!
>As for heads, don't tripods come with at least a standard pan/tilt head or
>it is "each sold seperately"?
In the Bogen, Gitzo, high end consumer and professional tripod world, heads
and legs come separately. Having said that there are combos of head and
leg sets that seem to work well. Since you mention a pan head (versus ball
head), one of the ones commonly used on the 3021 legs is the Bogen 3030
head with a quick release (3029 is the same without the QR). For a couple
extra bucks, having the QR is very handy! It is quite sturdy enough for
35mm until you get into heavy long telephotos or medium format. Next up
from there and more expensive are the 3047 and newer 3410. They will
support a medium format easily, but are more expensive.
B&H sells leg/head combos. If you are looking used, here is a benchmark:
New, the 3011/3030 combo goes for $127.95 and the 3021/3030 for $146.95 on
page 58 of their March 2000 catalog. The combos with 3029 heads are only
$7 cheaper making the QR feature very inexpensive by comparison. BTW, if
you find these combos used, you gotta snatch 'em quick! They do not hang
around long if they're in decent usable condition.
>Lightmeter: probably buy used again, simply to increase
>bang-for-the-buck; as long as things are functional, I'm happy. I suppose
>most handheld types are both reflective/incident. The lower it can read,
>the better as I have a penchant for night available light shots. I'm open
>to both the older analog/dial variants and new digi-output models.
At the upper end of used meters, a Gossen Luna Pro S goes for about
$90-$100. The more sensitive Luna Pro SBC goes for about $120-$140. The
older "S" model requires a pair of PX-625 Hg cells (newer ones use SR44 Ag
cells), but Gossen makes an adapter that can be had from B&H for under $20
for SR44 cells. The "SBC" uses a 9v battery. EV range on both is -4 to
+17 @ ISO 100 with a CdS cell in the "S" and a Silicon Blue Cell in the
"SBC." The difference is the CdS can be dazzled by bright light requiring
recovery time (like the OM-1[n]) and the SBC reacts instantly. Be careful
of advertising literature; sometimes the "range" given is the EV scale
markings, not what the meter will do at a specific ISO.
Others I've found don't have the bottom end range, typically somewhere
between EV -2 and +3, and top end is +17 or +18 for nearly all @ ISO 100.
This includes the Sekonics and Minoltas. FWIW, the Weston Master V
(1967-1974) had an EV range of +3 to +17 @ ISO 100. Pretty low for a
Selenium! [Note: EV 0 is defined as f/1 @ 1 second; meter EV ranges are
typically given for ISO 100]. If you need the low bottom end range, a
Gossen "S" or "SBC" is the only one I've seen at an affordable used price.
Hope this helps out!
-- John
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