Hi, Bob, and thanks for your answer. I was a bit short in my original question. The situation is: I currently own a 144 tripod with 029 head (3 way head). I use it for stationary subjects, and with 35mm gear only. I was oferred to trade it for the 3262 ballhead, including an additional plate. I'm happy with my 029, but having a ballhead would be more convenient, being compact, a lot lighter (1 kg less), making my 4 kg tripod, an 3 kg tripod. Comparing specs, the 029 is far superior, it can load almost twice the weight (7,5 kg vs. 4 kg), being recommended for all formats, and the 3262 is recommended just for 35mm and a lightweight MedFo. I mean, this is more than enough for me now, just owning 35mm, but I'm unsure about losing the extra capability if I go MeFo someday. What do you think?
Albano Bob Walkden wrote: I have a Manfrotto 352RC, a Manfrotto 168, a Manfrotto 029, a Manfrotto 222, a Leitz ballhead and the fixed head on a Tiltall. Of these the best and most useful for my purposes are the Leitz and the 352RC in that order. I only shoot 35mm, so I don't know how good or bad these are for larger formats, but I've used the 352RC for shooting wildlife in South Africa with an LX, winder and A 400mm lens with T6-2X converter, and the results were excellent. It's not really a question of 'is it good, is it strong'. You need to define the uses you propose (sorry if you've done that, I missed the start of the thread). I used it most to support the lens, while still being able to track animals. When I've needed to tighten it, eg for long exposures or for static subjects, the 352RC, the Leitz and the Tiltall have been the best in the sense that there is least shift in position and alteration of framing, which is what happens with the 029 pan/tilt head. The 222 is the grip ballhead, which was hopeless because you can't track - it tightens up when you release the grip, so you need 3 hands to make everything work; it's also taller than necessary for stability. The 168 is just complete crap. It's meant to be for larger, heavier cameras, but the controls require some kind of superhuman coordination, and it still shifts when you tighten up. All in all, the more experience I have of other tripod heads the more I like the 352RC. But better than the 352 RC is the Leitz head, which you can buy separately from their table-top tripod. But best of all is a large, heavy beanbag. - --- Bob (the man with 6 heads) - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
