Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Tripods
metal screws are weak and if you twist the knobs a bit hard, it will slip. Same thing
goes for the ball head locking levers also. (They should have used an all metal knob
or designed a better plastic to screw connection.) Because of this I'm hesitant to
tighten reallly hard since I dont want to damage the knobs. Unfortunately this has
cost me dearly. One fine day as I was mounting my Nikon with 70-200 2.8 AF
zoom, the center column twisted since it was not fully tightened, and whack, my
lens came crashing down to the floor. Booo hooo hooo sniff sob... (how come those
guys who trash their 300mm,600mm on their big balls dont cry?)
I am not a pro and I dont take the tripod to far off places, so for those of you who
do, maybe you want to consider other brands. But still, I will say that the Uniloc
System 1700 is an interesting piece of equipment since it can be set up like no
ordinary tripod.
About the Arca-Swiss B1 ball head, I will plonk down the money by taking a
second morgage on the house and buy it through mail order from B&H. I will have
my head examined after that. (Why of why dont RRS have email and more pics on
their web page.)
-- Mat Nikon, June 3, 2000
Recently I just replaced my 3265 ballhead with the Bogen 3435QR. After couple
months of usage, I must say this is the ballhead that I should have bought long ago.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the 3265 for its quickness and easy to operate. But as
my equipment got heavier, the limitation of 3265 started to show. The 3265 can
only handle up to 5lbs. When I position my camera in the vertical position, the
3265 would twist and turn. On the other hand, the 3435QR is a whole different
ballhead. The Teflon coating makes it so smooth and easy to operate and rotate.
The head is rock solid whether my camera (EOS A2 w/ 28-70L or 8-200L lens) is
in vertical or horizontal position. It weighs about the same as the 3265 but can
handle up to a massive 22lbs. The head can be operated with just a twist of the
knob. It also has a tensioner adjustment ring so you can adjust the friction of the
ballhead IAW your equipment. I used this ballhead in combination with the 3205
tripod on a recent hiking trip at Yellowstone. It was a joy because the combo is so
lite and compact. For $195 at B&H, 1/2 the cost of other "professional" ballheads, I
think this is the head to beat. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a
professional, rock solid ballhead but without the $$$!!!!
-- toan Nguyen, July 13, 2000
I have the Manfrotto 055. I Bought it so I that I would have a tripod that would be
at eye level without the centre column extended. it wobbles!! It shakes ; Most
dissapointing. With a 500 mm mirror lens I have difficulty obtaining good results
http://www.photo.net/equipment/tripods/philg (39 of 53)7/3/2005 2:21:13 AM