[dcstep]

Has anyone had experience with these?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...N_AH1_KIT.html

I'm thinking of buying one for my daughter as a medium-duty tripod. She'll be using it with a 5D MkII and mostly doing night exposure and maybe some macro stuff. I like the idea that it's a complete solution, can be easily user cleaned and it's Arca-Swiss based. (Manfrotto kills me with all their various quick-release schemes that don't interface with each other or anyone else's QR plates).

It comes from an English company, but I bet it's made in China to their specifications. I'm ok with that, so long as QC is good.

Dave

[Chewy734]

Dave,

I have that exact model, but it has 4-section legs. I really like how compact and light-weight it is. Plus, the look rally cool and I've have multiple people come up to me asking about it (since it's rare to see one).

I have had no problems whatsoever with it, except that I wish I bought a heavier-duty RRS ball head because of my 1D X. That being said, PM me if you're interested in a slightly used 3LT.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

Dave,

I have that exact model, but it has 4-section legs. I really like how compact and light-weight it is. Plus, the look rally cool and I've have multiple people come up to me asking about it (since it's rare to see one).

I have had no problems whatsoever with it, except that I wish I bought a heavier-duty RRS ball head because of my 1D X. That being said, PM me if you're interested in a slightly used 3LT.

Thanks for the response.

I've already ordered the whole kit for my daughter's birthday. She'll be using it with a 5D MkII and relatively light lenses for now. B&H had a deal for the "Brian" with ballhead included for $324. It should be great for travel, but the five-section legs will mean a lot of twisting to get set up and it may not be as steady as hoped. We'll see.

In that price range, I also likeed the Manfrotto stuff, but they use their own proprietery quick release plates, none of which work with the industry standard Arca-Swiss plates. I used Manfrotto for a while and gave up over their stupid multitude of quick release systems, with no adapters allowing to use one with another.

My own Induro C-414 with Arca-Swiss Z1 ballhead has much more massive than the 3-LT.

Dave

[Chewy734]

That's great Dave. Honestly, it worked great with I had the 5D3, but for the 1D X, I feel I need something stronger, especially when I put the 70-200 on there on a windy day. I think she'll really enjoy using it.

Got any suggestions? I'm looking for something not heavy and somewhat smaller (e.g. 4-section is better than 3-section legs for me). Same goes for the ball head... something good/strong, but light.

[The1]

Nice, looks like one that's tall enough for me

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

That's great Dave. Honestly, it worked great with I had the 5D3, but for the 1D X, I feel I need something stronger, especially when I put the 70-200 on there on a windy day. I think she'll really enjoy using it.

Got any suggestions? I'm looking for something not heavy and somewhat smaller (e.g. 4-section is better than 3-section legs for me). Same goes for the ball head... something good/strong, but light.

No, I don't have a "not heavy" solution. My Induro C414 is 8-ply carbon fiber with a pretty heavy Arca-Swiss Z1 ballhead that I occasionally use with a Wimberley Sidekick to hold my 500/f4. I bought the 4-section version so that it'll fit in my large suitcase. I mainly use it for night photography, where it's rock-steady.

Induro makes really high quality tripods. You might look at their models one step down from the 414.

Dave

[dcstep]

I received the 3-LT yesterday and would say that it's a relatively lightweight travel tripod/ballhead combination. The build quality is impressive and the flexibility is such that the user needs to study the maker's instructional video to get the most out of it. I wouldn't use it with any lens larger than a 70-200/f4 and that would be stretching the limit. You'll need a remote release and you'll have to be very careful to add significant weight if there's any breeze. The five sections will be a bit of a pain, but that's how you get such compactness.

I'm pleased with it as tool for my daughter to do her long exposures with a 5D MkII and her 40/f2.8 pancake and whatever zoom she ends up buying. Heavier will be easier to use, once you lug it to the site.

Dave

[Caspita]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

That's great Dave. Honestly, it worked great with I had the 5D3, but for the 1D X, I feel I need something stronger, especially when I put the 70-200 on there on a windy day. I think she'll really enjoy using it.

Got any suggestions? I'm looking for something not heavy and somewhat smaller (e.g. 4-section is better than 3-section legs for me). Same goes for the ball head... something good/strong, but light.

Gitzo makes some amazing legs, I use it with my Marking ballhead and RRS Quick Release. RRS makes a mean looking set of legs as well as ballhead. Most people don't want to spend that kind of money though.