Ball Mount = Awesomeness!

I don’t want to talk it up too much, but I have an amazing talent. . . .Get ready for this, ok?!

I am probably the fastest person I know when it comes to leveling a tripod by changing the height of each individual leg, one at a time. “That sucks!” I hear you scream and you’d be right too. I hate it, always have, and I never knew what I was missing until I discovered the joys of a ball mounted tripod head about a year ago when using a friends’ kit. That’s right, just one year ago. . .I was completely oblivious until then and green with envy thereafter every time I manually bubbled my tripod by adjusting each individual leg.

Please note: Trademark Strobist technique called "Can't be buggered, it's too late for this" used.

So today in a nice matte brown cardboard box, all the way from trusty B&H in NY, came a new tripod. The Manfrotto 525MVB. Now I know any die hard tripod nuts would get all snobby on me and start expostulating on how Manfrotto are really not that good and I should have gone for something like a Miller, Sachtler or one of those other deliciously out-of-my budget brands. Please don’t say that. . .I know that. . .Don’t you think I crave one of those? Fact is, what I have been making do with up until now, has been fantastic. Yes, the lowly Manfrotto 055X Pro B sticks. They don’t have a ball mount, are meant for still photography but did a great job for the 2 years I used them and were infinitely better than the previous $70 Velbon tripod that I used for the 3 years before that. My 503HDV head is by no means the best head in the world either, but hey, it works really well for me and I love it. I’m just stoked I’ve got a ball mount now! No more dicking around with each leg to get a level shot! That’s a revolution right there. . .

Initial impression of these things are that they are nowhere near as sturdy as the Miller Legs that look really similar (This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it kind of did! ) The ball mount is nice, but I don’t like the skinny handle. I wish that was a bit meatier and felt better in the hand. It does seem very sturdy with the camera on it and it doesn’t weigh a tonne which is great. Sad thing is the tripod bag that I bought with it doesn’t really fit the tripod with the head on it. Pretty silly of me. I think I got the wrong bag. I assumed, stupidly, that the bag designed to carry that specific tripod would also allow for a head to be mounted on it. Unfortunately the only way I can get said tripod with head attached into that bag and close it is to jam the fragile head down the unprotected end of the bag and nestle the sturdy feet into the hard cover plate that protects the head of a tripod that I obviously don’t have that does fit in that bag in the right position. Got it? Well, I’m confused now too. . .

Anyway, I think it’s going to take some getting used to. This spreader thing is a bit different. I have two shoots tomorrow that I’ll be giving it a whirl on so I’ll update this post on how it goes. . .

Ball mounts. . .who’d have thunk it, eh? What’ll they think of next!?

*UPDATE*

After 2 days using it on multiple shoots, I’ve come to the conclusion that this thing is awesome! I am absolutely loving it. It’s sturdy as hell, easy to balance quickly and nice to use. My first impression was off, the skinny handle is actually pretty good and it’s got a nice grip on it. What’s really cool is you can carry the whole tripod, camera and all around by holding that same handle. It’s centered, balanced and makes it very easy to lug around with one hand.

I do wish the legs slid a bit more easily up and down because it would be nice if you could pop the locks on the legs and lift the tripod and the bottom stayed on the ground. It’s minor issue though and could change as it wears in.

Being able to quickly adapt to the lie of the land, and also unlock the spreader to get really low is fantastic. I simply would not have been able to achieve a shot I got today with my old tripod, so I guess it’s already paying dividends.

Overall, it’s a good rig. Let’s see how it stands up to some punishment next week!

More soon. . .

**UPDATE** 17/5/09

After using the tripod for well over 6 months, I can say I’ve been really happy with it. It’s performed really well and paid for itself a hundred times over. Today, the spreader broke. I am pretty sure I’m at fault here though, I am not very gentle with the spreader. In fact I have often thought it was so tough that it could never break, which now seems very naive. Usually I unclick the leg locks and stand on the spreader to drop the legs. This has obviously led to it weakening and today, breaking through the plastic in the centre where one of the struts joins the central pivot point. It’s definitely one of the weakest points in what is an otherwise sturdy design. A new spreader just set me back A$100. It’s a shame they don’t make these things bulletproof. Of all the parts on a tripod that are going to take a beating, the ground spreader is it.

Considering this tripod has had close to 8 months of heavy use, I’d say a $100 spreader is not too bad a maintenance fee. Everything else on the tripod is still in great working order, even after being submerged in saltwater, clogged with sand or covered in mud at some point. I’ve put it through it’s paces and after giving it a good clean it still works like new.

I’ll be keeping these legs and looking to move up to a better Manfrotto head soon. The 3 year old 503HDV has seen alot of action and despite still working well could do with a refresh.

More soon. . .