Your most IMPORTANT piece of gear……..
“There are two kinds of tripods; those that are easy to carry, and good ones…..”
Bill Fortney
This once “infamous” quote is getting revised, because Really Right Stuff has finally made a big, solid, sturdy tripod that is , well, easy to carry! After years of admiring Jim Haverstock’s, and Jack Graham’s and many others Really Right Stuff tripods, I made the leap and bought my own!!! Why am I so excited? Because this is the one thing other than a camera, lens, and memory card that you must have to make tack sharp images, and RRS has made it possible to have a serious tripod without breaking your back to get it to where you want to shoot. I’ve owned Manfrotto, Gitzo, Induro, and many other brands, and I think all are good, all are better than not using a tripod, for sure, but honestly this is the finest tripod I’ve ever owned! I had a Gitzo 1348 which served me very well for many years, but it has the old style twist locks that over time will give you great looking forearms if you really want a workout!
On the recent trip out to the Pacific NW, I got to play around with Jack’s RRS TVC-33 Series 3 and simply fell in love with it. It works smoothly, is rock steady and shockingly light! I had to have one, and now I do.
I topped it off with a new BH-55 LR ball head.
I have owned one of these bad boys for many years and it was still working perfectly but was getting pretty beat up, so I treated myself to another and will gets the original refurbished and I will mount it on another tripod, not sure why though, since I doubt much of anything else will get used now that I have the new TVC-33 Series 3. I do have an Induro CT-214 when I want to go very light, but I see a smaller version of the TVC-33 in my future!
Why such an emphasis on tripods? No matter how steady you think you are, or how high a shutter speed you can shoot, you will still introduce some movement into the image, and that costs you sharpness. Then there are the times you want to shoot slow speeds to show motion rendition, and you certainly can’t do that hand held. No, if you want critically sharp images you must use a solid tripod!
Really Right Stuff is a sponsor of my workshop company, and it is the tripod and head I bought with my own money! That is the most ringing endorsement a person can make!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
Extra advice: I bought extra feet (just in case – I have seen folks loose them), and used a little Loctite (the Blue kind) on the threads of the rubber feet to add a little additional protection from loosing any of them. It’s not a bad idea, whatever tripod you use, to occasionally check how tight the rubber feet are! You can buy Loctite at your Auto supply store, Hardware store, or Walmart.
One last thing: I’m adding a set of LegCoat pads to make throwing it over the shoulder easier.
http://www.lenscoat.com/legcoats-c-23_4.html
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2014 at 1:19 pm
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This we agree on, I’ve carried this same RSS set up for several years,couldn’t imagine using anything else. But at 5.2 lbs it does take some carrying.
Yes, but for the structural strength, nothing else at that weight compares!
Does the unit truly LOCK down, so that it will not rotate around the degree marks? My Vanguard will creep with a full load if it’s not balanced with a lens tripod mount.
Yes, that is one of the reasons I love it, when you lock it, it stays there, even with heavy lenses.
I love my mefoto carbon fiber globetrotter. Works great for me!! 🙂
What works for you is what you should use!
Bill, I like RRS products and really don’t shoot without a tripd. Joe does a great job (tho I wish RRS tripod/ballhead stuff was in stores so you could see them up front). With reduced weight of the camera and body I wonder if a Series 3 isn’t a bit of overkill? Like you I want to reduce weight and bulk in the field. That said, I am keeping an eye for a good combination of strength and portability. Shelled out good money for my Gitzo 1228 — 17.6 lbs capacity — which so far meets my needs (even with my 500mm f/4) and has done so for many years. But I am looking for something that can beat it. RRS Series 2 has a 40 lb. capacity — good — but folded length of 23.6 inches. Like your cheeseburger search, I keep looking for the great combination of size and capacity.
Dick,
You can never do overkill in the support system. Yes a Fuji on that monster is going to look like overkill, but the benefit will be like putting a Nikon D800 on a big old 4 series! Actually that’s not a bad idea! The RRS unit is actually not that heavy, and I have saved a lot weight with the Fuji system.
I’m sure you can get away with something smaller, and if your technique is exceptional and sounds like yours is, you would be good to go. I need all the help I can get!
Thanks for clarifying Bill, I was wondering if that was an overkill. Expected you to go with something lighter. That set up is on my radar as my next purchase as my current set up is marginal
I think it is a great option, by the way just got your book, Wes and I will sign it and get it out this week!
Bill, I am getting ready to buy one of these bad boys and remembered your post. I am interested in your thoughts on 3 section vs 4. You got the 3, seems there are trade off’s as with a 4 you get a smaller overall unit when compressed, but you are also having to deal with one extra lock each time, per leg! Thoughts appreciated.
Doug
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