The last few days have seen us holding our breath near the River Thames (pronounced Temz) on the outskirts of Oxford, England. Extremely heavy rain last week means the river is now flooding, and within yards of our back door. The water table is so high that the garden is flooded, with no direct access by the river! With high pressure now keeping precipitation at bay, the sun was out with icy temperatures of just above freezing.
What better conditions to tempt me out to have a go with my new Manfrotto 190 tripod. Suiting up for cold and water, the rest of the family wanted to join in. The Mrs managed to dig out her MX loaded with Delta 400 and placed the SMC 35mm 2.8 on the front. My son Stefan resisted all attempts to get him to bring his Z-10. Considering he spent the time smashing his wellies through ice-covered fields, perhaps no bad thing. My Manfrotto is the 190 CL B, which means that it's one up from the bog-standard 190, but nowhere near as grandiose as the PRO or the NAT. (ref: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/BINS&SCOPES/TRIPODS/manfrotto.html for reasonable definitions). However, it suits my needs very well. Not as heavy as the 055, I feel I can carry it all day. I now have the 486RC2 ball head which is a decent size and provides very secure and positive locking. Complete with quick release mechanism made of sturdy metal, it felt very capable and at no time was I concerned with losing the camera and lens into the drink between shots. The legs are straightforward circular with secure clamps that take a fair amount of effort to unlock, but happily snap shut quickly and securely. A fast system of allowing the legs to move right through 90 degrees with a single lever push (per leg) means that any terrain can be accommodated. The centre column is triangular and will not rotate in situ. It is reversible. The feet are rubber slip-ons and in an ideal world, adjustable rubber/spikes (as on the NAT) would ensure stability on any surface. I'm more of the school that believes in jamming the thing home as far as possible. In icy, wet, muddy grass, either foot would do. The whole thing looks very posh in black (190 CL B). I wanted something light enough to carry all day, strong enough for my camera/lens weight (Pentax MX / Canon D60), and most importantly, fast and easy to use (with gloves), and no fiddly bits of any kind. I'm really happy with the Manfrotto and heartily recommend it. Three results from an hour's stroll through icy water: http://www.macads.co.uk/snaps/landscapes/images/pic31.html http://www.macads.co.uk/snaps/landscapes/images/pic32.html http://www.macads.co.uk/snaps/landscapes/images/pic33.html Cheerio, Cotty ____________________________________ Oh, swipe me! He paints with light! http://www.macads.co.uk/snaps/ ____________________________________ Free UK Macintosh Classified Ads at http://www.macads.co.uk/ ____________________________________
