On Jun 6, 2008, at 8:48 AM, Fernando wrote: > I did my homework and came up with this list of characteristics (in > order of importance): > > 1 – Has to be quick to setup > 2 – Should be able to handle the weight of a K10D (790g) + FA Limited > (heaviest is the 31 = 346g) or DA16-45/4 (368g), so a total of 1.2kg > 3 – Ball head > 4 – Better if it's on the smaller side > 5 – Would like to spend around 300 u$s/Ca$ (no Arca Swiss I guess…) > > Nice to have (in order of importance): > 1 – Lightweight > 2 – Can handle a DA* 50-135/2.8 (in case I buy one in the future) > > I'm leaning towards a $200 Manfrotto 055XB (which has quick action > legs and is suitable for 2.3 kg) paired with a $85 486RC2 compact ball > head (suitable for 6 kg). > > Any suggestions? > Am I forgetting something? > Are these quick action legs any good / useful?
That's a good basic set of legs and head. Not the lightest, but worthy of many years use. If setup speed is important to you, you might consider the Manfrotto 322RC2 grip action ball head instead of the 486RC2, but it's not designed to carry as heavy a load. Either head would do fine with the K10D + 50-135/2.8 lens. There are many subtleties in legs and heads. Lever action vs twist leg locks, head movement precision, elevation potential, etc etc. What you've chosen is a good broad spectrum setup. As you learn more from using it, you might want to upgrade legs, head, or both ... or you might find them just fine for your use and use them for many years just as is. Lighter weight, more potential elevation and more load capacity are the obvious directions to improve upon, but you'll spend disproportionately more money to obtain them. All depends how important they are to you. My tripod is a Feisol CT3442 Tournament legs with optional column plus a Markins Q3 Emilie head plus A-S QR camera/lens adapter plates. Very light, very strong, taller than the setup you chose, but about $800. Godfrey -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
