On 11/27/2012 3:40 PM, usher99@xxxxxxx wrote:
> ... As far as ground level eventually went for this:
> http://tinyurl.com/c6rvmk7 I believe Walt used a Cullman
> extension arm that clamped to a tripod leg. That center column set up is like
> having one built in; though trying to do
> a high mag stack with the Zuiko 38 on the OM bellows with cross pol flash on
> dew laden grass, I still had to invert
> the ctr column and mostly accomplished acquiring a few grey hairs and wet
> clothes.
[Subject line from an old Walt thread on this subject.]
I think you guys are going about this the hard way. It's not the old days, nor
the future, and in the present, there are
some rather nice solutions.
Here we have one tripod, with small ball head, and one camera, no extras,
accessories or modifications. Is that low
enough for you?
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Tech/Misc&image=IMG_1116croofm.jpg>
It's a Manfrotto 190cxpro3.
<http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/548524-REG/Manfrotto_190CXPRO3_190CXPRO3_3_Section_Carbon_Fiber.html>
They make various models with the same center column design. Pull it all the
way up, pushing a little button at the end
of travel, and it goes sideways. Legs lock at four angles, including, as you
can see, flat. Leg length uses flip
locks. CF and magnesium, so it's light and doesn't support vibrations.
It's rated for 11 lbs. It's solid for OMs or E-thingies with non-extreme
lenses, Pens and E-M5 with any
µ4/3 lens yet made. The band shots with the 75-300 @ 300 (600 mm eq.) I
recently posted were made at full leg extension
with center column raised. Really big, heavy lenses, especially with big pro
body, would be less solid. But much of that
is my modest, light head.
I've used Mike's Gitzo briefly. Wonderful tripod, beautifully made and really
solid. But, the center post tilt design is
more awkward, it's much heavier, and much slower to set up and take down - and
(through the end of the year) it costs
about three times as much.
I ran into a woman with a bunch of Nikon gear and this tripod at a garden a
while ago. When I showed her what the center
column does, she was amazed - had had no idea.
As to angle finders, etc., if you need that, and shoot digital, you need a
camera with at least a tilting screen. It's
much better, with far more angular flexibility and greater magnification. If
you are committed to 4/3, augment that E-1,
E-5xx or E-4xx with an E-6xx, E-30, E-3 or E-5, all with articulated screens,
and free yourself! They are cheap used!
BTW, the lion is a lens aficionado, peering carefully at the M.Z lens. :-)
Go Low Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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