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Re: [OM] A tale of too many tripods

Subject: Re: [OM] A tale of too many tripods
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 9 May 2018 21:29:52 -0700
On 4/28/2018 5:44 AM, Jan Steinman via olympus wrote:
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>>

this thread led me to wandering the byways of the web, with the probably 
inevitable
result that a new to me Uni-Loc S1700 should be here in about a week…
Oh no! A moose wrestling with bagpipes! People would pay good money for a photo 
of THAT!

I'm not going to risk losing . . . :-)

But most of my tripod use is at home, and with 410 geared head
That Uni-Loc looks like a copy of the Benbo Trekker, which I found to be too 
light for studio work, and too long (fully collapsed) for field work.

I don't have a Trekker to compare with. Based on reading a bunch of forum posts and looking at pix on the web, it seems the Uni-Loc may be sturdier, and operate better. I haven't used it seriously as yet. Just futzing around, adjusting it to various heights, angles, etc., it doesn't seem at all like wrestling bagpipes; fairly well behaved. Might this be because of a more subtle locking mechanism? I find it easy to set friction so that I can adjust arms and legs without everything going loose.

I agree with part two. But, I didn't buy it for field work.

Too bad I didn’t know you were looking. I’d’a sold you my older, British-made 
Trekker.

I could have bought an original Trekker cheaper than the Uni-Loc, but my research convinced me that the Uni-Loc was a better bet. The folks who made the British Benbos sold, waited out their non-compete agreement, then started Uni-Loc, supposedly improving on details.

I find the old, British-made Benbo #1 to be a perfect fit for the 410 head, and sturdy enough for 
either a 4”x5” or a Kaidan Kiwi panorama head. I wouldn’t trust the Trekker 
with either of those. I also found the Trekker to be too light for weird positions with a bellows on 
it.

None of this is on any consequence to me. No 4"x5", nor Kiwis, just µ4/3 gear and Sony A7 with modest lenses. Not sure I ever do "studio" work, anyway, although I shoot indoors a fair amount.

The Uni-Loc came with a Prohead ball head, which weighs the same as a 410, so I imagine it would work. However, my 410 is on the Velbon Carmagne 630, and I don't feel like swapping heads for each use. The Prohead is pure overkill for my gear.

At the moment, I'm using an old Beike ball head, BK-03, I think, but before the level on the receiver plate was added. Infinitely lighter and cheaper than the Prohead, and others I have, but with the twin lock knobs and gentle, progressive locking, I can set tension/drag with one, so the camera moves when I push it, but not on its own, and lock it down with the other.

Haven't yet used it with a big lens, but so far, it goes, then stays, where I want it. I imagine I may never use it with a big lens. Straightforward tripod use is with the Velbon.

Straggle Legged Moose

--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
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