Canon 40D bundle kit

The Gitzo is far more rigid, despite being much lighter. It's much more flexible - the legs can tilt far more, almost a 90 degree angle. Well, it can go 90 degrees but I don't really see the point. The centre column can bet turned around so the camera hangs underneath the tripod for macro stuff. It's got a hook under the centre column so that you can hang something heavy on it to weigh it down - useful if you're trying to get a steady shot in windy conditions. And it can do both the larger tripod-head screw and the smaller camera-mount screw.

And damn, it looks good!
 
Just for clarification: I don't mean to say the Velbron isn't any good. It's surprisingly sturdy for such a cheap tripod. But you get what you pay for...
 
ldmelsa said:
and it's fine for long exposures, yes? (you can use the 2sec timer anyway)
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Yes, most of the long exposures in my flickr feed was done with the Velbon. The thing that bothers me is the head (it's not removable). Panning horizontally requires the tripod to be absolutely level, and that's pretty tricky. The biggest problem, I think, is that the tilt adjustment, all the way down, isn't completely level. I have never had any luck getting it completely level - I have a hotshoe-fit spiritlevel - on uneven surfaces - rocks by the sea or what ever.

So I wanted something that I can put a proper head on.
 
Serqet said:
Thanks Frankie! They have some really good deals. 50D specials look awesome! I'm so tempted ;)
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When buying from overseas and shipping here always remember that you WILL pay 14% VAT and most likely 10% customs. This is applicable to the cost of the items excluding shipping. Further if you ship with UPS they charge an extra handling fee of around R100. My calculation I usually use to check if things are worth it is as follows:

total = ((<item price> * 1.24) + <shipping>) * <exchange rate>

My calculation on the 50D body from b&h brought it within a few hundred rands of the local price, which I would have rather paid for the protection of a local warranty.

On ebay I have seen really low prices but I also think about what I'm really risking. For example if I buy the 50D and save R2k (R15k local vs R13k on ebay), I'm risking 13k however and I'd rather pay the extra R2k to mitigate that risk.
 
I'm glad you guys asked about the tripod. Having to take it out of the bag made me realise I never included it in my insurance quote. Out of side, out of mind...
 
I have a Velbon. I bought it a long time ago but it was for my digital video camera. It works for SLRs too. Don't get it. It's not sturdy at all!
 
I've still got my cruddy Vivatar pan and tilt as well as my Nat Geographic - neither are particularly sturdy but they get the job done. The NG one definitely has portability on its side.

I dont really shoot enough with a tripod (sound strange from someone who dismisses IS/OS?) to warrant dropping big bucks on one. I've got my red Pod and other bean bags which I'll happily make do with for now.
 
mercurial said:
I have a Velbon. ... Don't get it. It's not sturdy at all!
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Don't dismiss Velbon simply because it's Velbon. The tripods we're talking about are their cheap entry level ones. They have some higher-end kit too. My tripod head, btw, is a Velbon.
 
koffiejunkie said:
Don't dismiss Velbon simply because it's Velbon. The tripods we're talking about are their cheap entry level ones. They have some higher-end kit too. My tripod head, btw, is a Velbon.
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I'm not dismissing it because of it's name. I never even knew my tripod could work for SLRs until a few months ago when I searched for it online, even though I had the tripod for at least a year. It's simply not sturdy at all. If you're saying yours is sturdy, then perhaps we have different models of Velbon.
 
mercurial said:
If you're saying yours is sturdy, then perhaps we have different models of Velbon.
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That's what I'm saying. Mine is sturdy enough to carry the 40D and 24-105L (which is a pretty heavy combo). And that's a low-end model. The limitations for me were size, weight, and the flexibility of the head.
 
Serqet said:
What's the difference?
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The sturdier and heavier the tripod, the less prone it is to vibration. Try a lightweight tripod in a normal South-Easter in CT and you'll get a pretty wobbly pic ;)
 
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