What
tripod
by J. Ramón Palacios
tell
a friend about this article
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Accessories
Both
Manfrotto and Gitzo offer a series of interesting accessories.
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Manfrotto 166 (Bogen 3146) tripod apron |
The
above shown 3-compartment apron is useful to temporarily place
stuff while shooting in the field (filters, lenses, hoods, etc.).
But I found it even more useful as a way to add stability to
the tripod when loaded with rocks. Gitzo offers a similar product,
the G088S small and G088L large canvas aprons.
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Manfrotto
tripods come with rubber caps, but offers a set of retractable
spiked feet with Cat. No: 055SPK (Bogen 3256)
for most aluminum units.
There
are also versions available for the Carbon One tripods
of this brand. |
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But
the most popular Gitzo carbon fiber tripods did not
have an OEM spikes option.
And
that's why Markins has designed these lifetime-durable
Titanium
spikes shown at right. |
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Another
interesting accessory is the compact leveling head
base Manfrotto 438 (Bogen 3502), allowing for fast
leveling in uneven terrain; it fits between the tripod
base and the tripod head and adjusts 10°. |
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Leg
protectors or wraps not only protect the legs and
insulate your hands when using an aluminum tripod
in cold or too hot weather, but they also cushion
it for comfortable carry over the shoulder.
They have a zipper system so they can be easily fitted
and will not slip down in use while offering good
grip. Or you can opt for the great looking Nikonians
OP/TECH wraps as shown at right.
Of
course you can save with a less elegant but practical
solution: pipe insulation foam tubing, fastened with
plastic ties or tennis racket tape.
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Bags
are tempting, however most Nikonians I've met seldom use
them. I had two bags gathering dust for long. When traveling,
tripods go inside luggage; in the field they go on the
backpack, over the shoulder or in a sling strap. However,
now that I have tripods longer than my suitcases, I use
them for travel with the tripod inside hard carboard tubing
for added protection. |
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The Most Important Accessory
All
the money spent on a good tripod goes down the drain
if
you don't top it with
a good head. You may choose a three-way pan-tilt or
a ball
head, but get the best you can and make it a pro
one. Avoid the small or medium sized ball heads. My
partner Bo
Stahlbrandt, and award-winning Nikonians like Marsel
van Oosten, Philippe
Clement, Claus
Brandt, Ernesto
Santos and Bob
Johnson, like many other Nikonians now, are
happy Markins
converts. At the 6th Annual Nikonians Photo Adventure Tour,
21 Nikonians had Markins ball heads on their tripods,
out
of a total of 25 participants. |
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