 Marcia L. Getto |
Tripod for Macro images I need a quality tripod for "wet belly" macro work with my Canon 30D and 90mm macro lens. I have a good Manfrotto with a stem that can be reversed, but that requires uncomfortable physical contortions on my part. Any recommendations or personal experiences would be appreciated!
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robert G. Fately |
Well, Marcia, you could look at the Benbo or Unilok tripods - these have offset columns rather than center-columns. So you can set the legs (and they splay out quite wide), then move the column so the head is near the ground without being completely upside down. I think Gitzo has a similar arrangement on one of their models as well. however, the other advantage of the UniLok or Benbo is the legs telescope in the reverse of traditional legs - that is, the widest portion is on the bottom. This means that the bottom section of the leg is completely sealed and waterproof. Sure, you may want a wet belly, but maybe not a wet tripod leg!
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Jon Close |
You might find that an angle finder accessory for the viewfinder is helpful when the camera is mounted low. You can then compose more comfortably than lying flat on the ground to look through the viewfinder. The angle finder also has switchable magnification for precise manual focusing. See Canon Angle Finder C, or Hoodman Universal Right Angle Viewfinder. Even more versatile (and expensive) is the ZigView S2 angle finder which projects the image from the optical viewfinder onto a moveable 2.5" LCD.
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Marcia L. Getto |
It's not the "wet belly" I mind as much as having to stand on my head to see the camera settings. I believe somewhere I saw an attachment that allows the camera to be right side up as it hangs from the tripod stem, but haven't found it yet. Instead of extra gadgets, my thought was that a small tripod, or something like the Benbo, might work better. Thanks to both of you for the suggestions -- this is what's so great about the BP community!
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Suzanne Colson |
I do a lot of macro work and love my tripod for this type of work. I ended up with a Manfrotto Neotec 458B. I can remove the center column and mount horizontally adding quite a few options for positioning. What I like equally as much is the tripod head I ended up with. It it a used Gitzo 1575M Offset Ballhead. There isn't a position I can't get this into quickly and painlessly, portrait, landscape, etc, plus I can get the tripod very, very low to the ground. And I agree with you on the BP Community. This place has provided a wealth of information for me. Don't know what I would do without. Good luck!!
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