Have TRIPOD will TRAVEL - Recommendations needed

[PrincessInOz]

And in case anyone is looking for reading material....



TechRadar gave me the best overview of all the models (not including the MeFoto): http://www.techradar.com/au/news/ph...tripods-and-camera-supports-15-tested-1046066

From Adorama: http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013051/article/Buying-Guide-Five-Tripods-for-Travelers


About the Benro Travel Angel: http://www.thephoblographer.com/2011/03/26/review-benro-travel-angel-a-1691tb0/

If money was no object, I would get one of the Gitzo travel tripods: http://www.thephoblographer.com/2012/04/04/review-gitzo-traveler-tripod/


Specifically about the MeFoto: http://www.thephoblographer.com/201...nro-mefoto-transfunctional-travel-tripod-kit/
And you can go seek Tom's review independently about the MeFoto. I tried to link and it seems like it's not Disfriendly.


Reviews of the Manfrotto 496RC2 compact ball head.

http://www.digiretus.com/dosszie/cikkiro.php?SORSZAM=212

http://www.adorama.com/BG496RC2.html




I'm sure that there are a heap of other references out there; but these ones were the ones that I looked at and came back to re-read again.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Yay for your tripod arriving!
Hoping to get mine later this week.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hope yours gets there soon too, Wanderlust.

 

[MarbleBob]

I picked up the MeFoto Backpacker (green!) several weeks ago at Amazon when they had a Lighting Deal for it ($30 off). It works well for my lighter micro 4/3 camera, and I'm very happy with it. Given the prices, these MeFoto's seem to have a lot going for them!

We are going on a 17 day road trip this summer from St. Louis to California, with major stops in San Francisco Bay Area, Yosemite, Disneyland/SoCal, and Grand Canyon. (Thanks again to PrincessInOz who provided some great tips on San Francisco in a separate thread!) We'll be on the go quite a bit with three kids (in a packed vehicle), and I wanted to find a good, small, light, and affordable tripod for the trip. I think this fits the purpose perfectly.

(I also just bought a Nodal Ninja 3 panoramic head that fits nicely on the MeFoto. I've been inspired by some of the 360x180 degree Yosemite photos that I've seen. Especially the ones by Dennis Stover at http://www.dlsphoto.net/Yosemite2011Fall/Yosemite2011Fall.htm Go click on one to see what I mean )

 

[cjstarr]

(I've been inspired by some of the 360x180 degree Yosemite photos that I've seen. Especially the ones by Dennis Stover at http://www.dlsphoto.net/Yosemite2011Fall/Yosemite2011Fall.htm Go click on one to see what I mean )

Now this is something I need to learn how to do!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I picked up the MeFoto Backpacker (green!) several weeks ago at Amazon when they had a Lighting Deal for it ($30 off). It works well for my lighter micro 4/3 camera, and I'm very happy with it. Given the prices, these MeFoto's seem to have a lot going for them!

We are going on a 17 day road trip this summer from St. Louis to California, with major stops in San Francisco Bay Area, Yosemite, Disneyland/SoCal, and Grand Canyon. (Thanks again to PrincessInOz who provided some great tips on San Francisco in a separate thread!) We'll be on the go quite a bit with three kids (in a packed vehicle), and I wanted to find a good, small, light, and affordable tripod for the trip. I think this fits the purpose perfectly.

(I also just bought a Nodal Ninja 3 panoramic head that fits nicely on the MeFoto. I've been inspired by some of the 360x180 degree Yosemite photos that I've seen. Especially the ones by Dennis Stover at http://www.dlsphoto.net/Yosemite2011Fall/Yosemite2011Fall.htm Go click on one to see what I mean )

Thanks for sharing the link of Yosemite. Gonna go check out that Nodal Ninja panoramic head.

 

[MarbleBob]

I can't wait to make some spherical panoramas of Fantasyland this summer!

I've done a lot of research on panoramic photos lately, and the Nodal Ninja 3 seemed to fit my camera/budget the best. I have a 7.5mm fisheye and it works really well with it. I'm still learning the stitching software (I'm using the free Hugin), but I've been able to get a perfectly smooth spherical panorama of my living room with little difficulty. The other idea is to get large panoramic photos with it from taking several vertical rows of images and then stitching them into a giant photo. This pano head is great for that too. I'm sure you could get some awesome shots in Sedona/Grand Canyon with that!! If you decide that you are interested in the Nodal Ninja's, then be sure to check out their selection of factory irregulars. I bought one and saved like $40 on it. They are supposed to have cosmetic defects (rough spot on paint or something), but their quality control for regular items must be off the charts, because I couldn't find any blemishes on the one I received

One last thought to share... I started down this path on accident. Somehow found this video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouOEM4cKKGc where they guy walks you through the whole process. The first video shows how to take the pictures and you'll see that he has a Nodal Ninja. (He shows how to take spherical panos without a pano head, but I didn't have much luck with his string method.)

 

[HPS3]

I have a Nodal Ninja but haven't had a real chance to use it except in the living room. I tried PTGui but I had major problems with the fan on the ceiling and the tripod legs.

 

[MarbleBob]

I have a Nodal Ninja but haven't had a real chance to use it except in the living room. I tried PTGui but I had major problems with the fan on the ceiling and the tripod legs.

I did the same thing, and had the same troubles with the top (zenith) and floor (nadir) in my living room. I used Hugin (poor man's PTGui) and figured out how the concept of control points worked. You basically select the top picture one on one pane and then one of the horizontal photos on the other pane. You manually look for items that appear on both, like the corner of a ceiling fan blade, and then add a pair of control points (one on each matching spot). I put two or three control point pairs on several of the top/horizontal photos, and then did the same for the bottom photo. Then I clicked the "re-align" button and everything stitched together perfectly. No errors whatsoever. Admittedly, I haven't figured out how I want to go about removing the tripod from the final image, but I'll probably sink another $35 into the effort and get the Nodal Ninja Nadir adapter that allows the camera to swing out over the tripod for a second floor picture.

 

[mikegood2]

Hey PrincessInOz and WanderlustNZ, after a few weeks how are you liking your MeFoto Backpackers?

I'm still waiting, over 3 weeks, for the orange to come in to my local camera store. They are getting multiple shipments a week and have gotten in at least one of every color except the orange.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hey PrincessInOz and WanderlustNZ, after a few weeks how are you liking your MeFoto Backpackers?

I'm still waiting, over 3 weeks, for the orange to come in to my local camera store. They are getting multiple shipments a week and have gotten in at least one of every color except the orange.

Still no orange?? And here I am thinking it's not easy being green!



I'm really enjoying playing with the tripod. It's been cold and wet and I haven't yet taken it out for a major night time shoot yet. I took it to the beach and it held up pretty well in the breeze.

I haven't gotten used to the tripod head so I've decided to pull the pin on getting the Manfrotto head.

I'm waiting for July; when there will be fireworks on Friday nights in the city. That'll be my major night time testing period.

 

[mikegood2]

Nope, not yet.

Really wasn't that much of a deal until this week. Amazon is still back ordered, one of their 3rd parties stores was out of start until a day or two. I want to help support my local store because I fell guilty that I've tried items there in the past only to buy it somewhere else. I think I'll give them till the weekend and decide then.

A Little less than a month away from my trip and want a few weeks time to play with it before our vacation.

 

[mikegood2]

Well, I just placed an order from Amazon, 3rd party retailers who got 6 in this morning , and will have it Saturday! Gotta love Amazon Prime. My local store has two days for one to get in or they are out of luck.

The Orange RoadTrips are hard to come by. For the last few weeks Amazon, B&H and Adorama have been out of stock. Every other color has been in stock most of that time and my local dealer has also received every other color. I called MeFoto direct this morning and they said that the Orange has been very popular, and don't expect their next shipment until June. I'm sure I would have been fine with another color, but I wanted the Orange and it looks like O finally got it!

 

[mikegood2]

Well I finally got my Orange MeFoto RoadTrip today and other than a few issues opening the package I am impressed with it, but realize that it will take a little getting use to.

When I first opened my package, I realized that the MeFoto box was making some noise, like something was loose. I carefully opened it up and out fell silica gel pellets from one of those small pouches that had ripped open. Luckily the tripod was OK but I did have to get a broom to clean up the kitchen floor.

As far as the tripod is concerned, my first though is that it was heavier than I imagined. The bag is nicely constructed and it fits in it nicely. It also has a nice strap and two loops that a carabiner could go thru. Once I unzipped the bag and saw the orange finish, I was happy that I waited for it It truly is a beautiful color.

When I opening it up it did felt overly stiff, not a complaint just an observation, but I'm sure it will loosen over time and I prefer it this way as opposed to feeling too loose. As far as folding out the legs, it does seem a little strange, but I'm sure that will change quickly. When fully opened its nice and sturdy. Strangely, it feels considerably lighter when it's up then when it's put away. It took me just under a minute to set it up and took around the same to put it away.

As far as the monopod is concerned, it will come in handy but takes about 45 seconds to put together and you then have to do something with the remaining legs. The head appears to be nicely constructed, but it will take a little while to get use to. The panning aspect is nice and smooth, but it would be nice to be able to tighten it a little more. Also, the three dials will take a little time getting use to.


<b>Pros: </b> Color, weight, sturdy, nicely constructed, small (when closed), monopod option, and nice full height ( I'm 6' 3" and only have to slightly lean down)

<b>Cons: </b> Weight when closed, takes awhile to setup, ball head screw requires a coin to tighten down completely, the part you have to remove to create the monopod doesn't attach anywhere and remains loose. Concerned it could get lost.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Well I finally got my Orange MeFoto RoadTrip today and other than a few issues opening the package I am impressed with it, but realize that it will take a little getting use to.

When I first opened my package, I realized that the MeFoto box was making some noise, like something was loose. I carefully opened it up and out fell silica gel pellets from one of those small pouches that had ripped open. Luckily the tripod was OK but I did have to get a broom to clean up the kitchen floor.

As far as the tripod is concerned, my first though is that it was heavier than I imagined. The bag is nicely constructed and it fits in it nicely. It also has a nice strap and two loops that a carabiner could go thru. Once I unzipped the bag and saw the orange finish, I was happy that I waited for it It truly is a beautiful color.

When I opening it up it did felt overly stiff, not a complaint just an observation, but I'm sure it will loosen over time and I prefer it this way as opposed to feeling too loose. As far as folding out the legs, it does seem a little strange, but I'm sure that will change quickly. When fully opened its nice and sturdy. Strangely, it feels considerably lighter when it's up then when it's put away. It took me just under a minute to set it up and took around the same to put it away.

As far as the monopod is concerned, it will come in handy but takes about 45 seconds to put together and you then have to do something with the remaining legs. The head appears to be nicely constructed, but it will take a little while to get use to. The panning aspect is nice and smooth, but it would be nice to be able to tighten it a little more. Also, the three dials will take a little time getting use to.


<b>Pros: </b> Color, weight, sturdy, nicely constructed, small (when closed), monopod option, and nice full height ( I'm 6' 3" and only have to slightly lean down)

<b>Cons: </b> Weight when closed, takes awhile to setup, ball head screw requires a coin to tighten down completely, the part you have to remove to create the monopod doesn't attach anywhere and remains loose. Concerned it could get lost.

Congrats. Nice summary of the pros and cons.

I bit the bullet and got me a manfrotto ball head. I'm still getting used to the set up but compared to my other tripod, this one is significantly lighter.

 

[PrincessInOz]

<b>Pros: </b> Color, weight, sturdy, nicely constructed, small (when closed), monopod option, and nice full height ( I'm 6' 3" and only have to slightly lean down)

<b>Cons: </b> Weight when closed, takes awhile to setup, ball head screw requires a coin to tighten down completely, the part you have to remove to create the monopod doesn't attach anywhere and remains loose. Concerned it could get lost.

So it's been the better part of a month and I finally got another opportunity to take the tripod out for another drive last night. This time with the Manfrotto head. The Manfrotto head was a dream to work with compared to the MeFoto (not that it was bad to begin with).


What did I photograph?

It was Winter Solstice the last couple of nights and in typical Melbourne style, we had a festival to celebrate.








I have to say that I'm still all thumbs where the set up of this tripod is concerned. It takes me a while to set up with all the twist locks and everything. There just seems to be so many of those twisty things on each leg! Don't get me wrong....they are easy to twist and lock but I'm hoping that I get faster at this over time.


I love the weight and the ease of carrying this tripod around. I had a couple of people come up and ask me about the tripod last night.....the colour was what attracted them. It also helps that the MeFoto isn't readily available in Australia and so the colour really stands out.


With the crowds, the relative lightweight of the tripod made it very easy to carry it around and negotiate my way around bodies. And the height isn't so tall/long that I can't manage the occassional diagonal twist to make my way through people. I suspect that this will be a real bonus at a Disney park.



We should have fireworks being set off in July (every Friday in July). I'm planning on taking the tripod out for another test drive.


Hope those of you that got the tripod around the same time I did are also enjoying the use.

 

[mikegood2]

So it's been the better part of a month and I finally got another opportunity to take the tripod out for another drive last night. This time with the Manfrotto head. The Manfrotto head was a dream to work with compared to the MeFoto (not that it was bad to begin with).

I think I may need to take a look at the Manfrotto head! Like you said, there is nothing wrong with the MeFoto head, it actually works well, but I'm still not use too which knob does what yet. I'm also left handed and as strange as this may sound, I wonder if its designed more for a right hander?

I have to say that I'm still all thumbs where the set up of this tripod is concerned. It takes me a while to set up with all the twist locks and everything. There just seems to be so many of those twisty things on each leg! Don't get me wrong....they are easy to twist and lock but I'm hoping that I get faster at this over time.

With the crowds, the relative lightweight of the tripod made it very easy to carry it around and negotiate my way around bodies. And the height isn't so tall/long that I can't manage the occassional diagonal twist to make my way through people. I suspect that this will be a real bonus at a Disney park.

I think I've had less problems with using the tripod than you have, but I know what you are talking about. I think I've come to the conclusion that it will take anywhere between 45 seconds to a minute to set it up.

As far as using it in the parks, other than the initial setting up it works very nicely. I found that when I was shouting at Epcot or the Magic Kingdom last week, I would keep it partially set up from place to place, but I did use two EMH nights focusing on shooting. Basically, I kept the camera attached and left two or three legs expanded and just walked from location to location. Worked out very nicely for me that way.

My bigger issue was that I was getting frustrated with people around me! I try to be courteous and thoughtful of others when using a tripod, but found more than a few people aren't the same way. I actually had a woman reach out for my tripod to move it! Luckily I stopped her before she did. Most of the people didn't bother me, but people who had dSLR's who walked right in front of the camera, or even worse, stopped to take a photo in front of my tripod did upset me!

We should have fireworks being set off in July (every Friday in July). I'm planning on taking the tripod out for another test drive.

Hope you have good luck with the fireworks and let us know how that worked out for you. Sadly, I didn't get to shoot any fireworks like I hoped to. Random storms the first few days (didn't want to risk my gear) and a sick SIL and niece impacted to other nights towards the end.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Sorry you didn't get a chance at shooting the fireworks, mikegood2, and I hope that every is better now.





Took the tripod out for another outing last night. This is the 3rd real outing and I'm happy to report that my thumbs are certainly getting faster and more used to the twist locks.













Seems like I'll have a few opportunities to practise. The city council are extending the Friday night Fireworks in July activity all the way through August as well.

 

[mom2rtk]

Lovely shots PiO!

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!