a big head and a little luck

[hoax]

When I ordered my camera I had seen reviews that mentioned that with 'some' tripod heads it would be possible to open the lid to replace the battery/memory card. I already owned a tripod, so I tried picking up the smallest/most basic manfrotto ball-head I saw(484) and hoped for the best.

But even tho its a really small ball-head, I still couldn't open the lid, and switching cards was a huge PITA.

I decided to buy a new ball-head with quick release hoping it would make things a little faster, and from the pictures at B&H I was expecting something about the same size as the first one.

Package arrived today, I opened up the box to find a HUGE ball-head, the quick release plate was almost as big as the camera

Oddly enough, with this new huge plate, I can now open up the camera with the plate attached!











Then I went to check the package for the new external flash...and I knew it would be small but:



much smaller then I expected, not that it matters anyway. still need to buy some batteries to test it out.

maybe I should start reading item dimensions to avoid all the surprises

[MaxxxRacer]

lmao.. That is one hardcore tripod for the DP1.

[evil-98]

lol.. nice ball head

[Dave_Sz]

lmao.. That is one hardcore tripod for the DP1.

I was thinking the same. Seems way overkill...

[hoax]

LOL... I know... I know..

lets just say the quick release system from manfrotto changed a lot since I last owned it.... I saw the pics on B&H and thought the release plate would be about the same size as the old ones I had. I am very impressed with the new system tho, we just need to ignore how silly the camera looks on top of it.. but once I saw the lid opened with the plate attached, I could care less about looks.




this one also arrived yesterday. not sure if you guys seen this one before or not, but its a really nice table tripod. the velcro strap is used to attach it to other tripods, or furniture etc. its weights nothing, and is as portable as it gets. would make a killer tripod for off shoe flash units






and its also small enough to change memory cards with the tripod attached

[MaxxxRacer]

LOL... I know... I know..

lets just say the quick release system from manfrotto changed a lot since I last owned it.... I saw the pics on B&H and thought the release plate would be about the same size as the old ones I had. I am very impressed with the new system tho, we just need to ignore how silly the camera looks on top of it.. but once I saw the lid opened with the plate attached, I could care less about looks.

Personally I am not much of a fan of tripods. They just limit me too much. And even if I had a bag to carry it around it would still be a pain.

[hoax]

back in the SLR days I avoided tripods at all costs too. but now that 'fast' is no longer an option, they are becoming a lot more useful.

if only I had the option of renting nice lenses once in a while.. I would instantly switch to DSLR. but without rentals, I would never be able to afford enough lenses to keep me happy.

[Dave_Sz]

Personally I am not much of a fan of tripods. They just limit me too much. And even if I had a bag to carry it around it would still be a pain.

How can a tripod be limiting to someone?

[Nate P.]

How can a tripod be limiting to someone?

They are big, bulky, and take up a lot of space. They take time to set up and stow away.

[MaxxxRacer]

dave, the ever faithful armchair critic

[Dave_Sz]

yes thank you. When I read something that makes me say WTF I just have to point it out.
It just sounds ridiculous for someone to say a tripod is limiting. You don't just use or carry a tripod just to let others see you have one. You have a tripod cause you need one.

[MaxxxRacer]

yes thank you. When I read something that makes me say WTF I just have to point it out.
It just sounds ridiculous for someone to say a tripod is limiting. You don't just use or carry a tripod just to let others see you have one. You have a tripod cause you need one.

Here is a perfect example dave. When I was at the wild animal park, there was another amateur photographer who was with his family. Here is his equipment list. Canon 1dS Mark3 (i think it was mark 3 anyway) with 300mm f2.8 mounted to it on a manfroto tripod, Canon 5D with 24-70 around his neck and a backpack fulll of stuff.

With all that gear the guy couldnt do much other than take a few really well setup shots. candid photography is out of the question with that setup. Tripods are great when you need them, but for the vast majority of the time you just dont need them. It would have made sense had the guy taken a monopod so that the weight of the 300 f2.8 wasnt making him ready to pass out, but TBH pros use that lens handheld quite a bit, or if they are fixed to one position like they are at the olympics you see a monopod, but you almost never see a tripod.

The other issue with tripods and the amateur photograher is that when you are taking photos, its usually when you are out doing some activity (like going to the zoo). IDK about you but when I am out with my family or friends i dont want to be lugging around a gigantic and heavy tripod with me at all times (much less a backpag full of gear)

[Dave_Sz]

So we pretty much agree then.
The guy should've definitely had a monopod if not just hand held it. You either need a tripod for something or you don't. No way should it be limiting YOU in any way. It's an AID after all...

[MaxxxRacer]

LOL, I guess we do.

[Freonor]

saying that a tripod limits you is silly. its there to provide stability and support. if you want to use it to take candid photos you just haven't understood what it's field of use is.. it's like saying a fork is limiting when eating soup. Of course it is! It's not meant for eating soup :P

anyway tripods are great for studio use, long shutter use (night shots), landscape, HDR