Question on Tripod and head

[Ariel Matias]

Hello guys,

I am planning to come home to Manila on December to buy real birding gears.

What do you think is the best tripod and head support I should purchase for a Canon 400mm f/5.6L plus Canon 40D?

I will also appreciate if you can give some info on where is the best place to buy.


Thanks and regards,
Ariel

[Romy Ocon]

Hi Ariel,

An aluminum Manfrotto tripod (any model with at least 6 kg capacity) is not much heavier and much cheaper than a carbon fiber one. The Manfrotto distributor here is Island Photo at Gamboa St., Makati (near AIM). If you intend to buy a larger lens in the future, you might wish to go for a minimum of 8 kg capacity. Just choose the model whose handling suits you when you're at the store.

As regards heads, ball heads are compact (I've the heavy duty Manfrotto 468RC4) but I much prefer to use a gimbal head in the field, even with a medium lens like the 400 5.6L. It's tough to frame with ball heads because of creep..... the framing moves a bit after you lock down the ball head. Only in the most expensive heads is the creep minimal. Hence, I'd recommend the Manfrotto 393 (aka 3421) gimbal head, also sold at Island Photo.

Here's my user report on this gimbal head:

birdphotoph.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=review&action=display&thread=351

Romy

[Ariel Matias]

Thanks Romy for giving this very valuable information. I will follow your advice.