Comments on: Acratech Joins PixelatedImage http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2008/10/acratech-joins-pixelatedimage/ The Blog of Photographer David duChemin // Gear is Good. Vision is Better. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:57:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Chris Plantehttp://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2008/10/acratech-joins-pixelatedimage/comment-page-1/#comment-2532 Chris Plante Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:44:37 +0000 http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/?p=1374#comment-2532 Thank you, David. I am soon leaving for Thailand. Being more of a landscape guy than people guy, I have struggled with which tri-pod to take, my monfrotto or cheap table top which WONT hold my camera steady. I have decided to take the monfrotto and deal with the weight. Thank you, David. I am soon leaving for Thailand. Being more of a landscape guy than people guy, I have struggled with which tri-pod to take, my monfrotto or cheap table top which WONT hold my camera steady. I have decided to take the monfrotto and deal with the weight.

]]> By: Davidhttp://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2008/10/acratech-joins-pixelatedimage/comment-page-1/#comment-2530 David Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:29:19 +0000 http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/?p=1374#comment-2530 Hey Chris – Not a bad question at all. It all comes down to balance. You’re right – a light tripod is usually garbage and not much better than useless. But when traveling, it comes down to priorities. For me the question when traveling fairly light, and NOT being a landscape shooter is, do I bring NO tripod or a short sturdy one. If you do a search here on the blog you’ll find a couple articles about the ideal travel tripod and the question of compromise that represents. For me I’d like one a little shorter and that would allow me to save weight. For the few shots I take with a tripod, I can put it on a table or squat down to use it. Some shooters use a tripod so often and for such long exposures, or with long lenses, that a heavier tripod is a must. I’m just not one of them. But in the studio, and at home, I have big solid tripods that cost a lot of money.A higher-end set of sticks will not make you a better shooter. It will support longer lenses and longer exposures and give you sharper images with a lighter tripod to carry, but your wallet will be lighter too. If the one you have now is suitable for your needs, then put your hard earned cash elsewhere. But for me, I travel so much I want the lightest/strongest I can afford. The basic triangle, of which you can choose two, is Sturdy, Lightweight, Cheap. Hey Chris – Not a bad question at all. It all comes down to balance. You’re right – a light tripod is usually garbage and not much better than useless. But when traveling, it comes down to priorities. For me the question when traveling fairly light, and NOT being a landscape shooter is, do I bring NO tripod or a short sturdy one. If you do a search here on the blog you’ll find a couple articles about the ideal travel tripod and the question of compromise that represents. For me I’d like one a little shorter and that would allow me to save weight. For the few shots I take with a tripod, I can put it on a table or squat down to use it. Some shooters use a tripod so often and for such long exposures, or with long lenses, that a heavier tripod is a must. I’m just not one of them. But in the studio, and at home, I have big solid tripods that cost a lot of money.

A higher-end set of sticks will not make you a better shooter. It will support longer lenses and longer exposures and give you sharper images with a lighter tripod to carry, but your wallet will be lighter too. If the one you have now is suitable for your needs, then put your hard earned cash elsewhere. But for me, I travel so much I want the lightest/strongest I can afford. The basic triangle, of which you can choose two, is Sturdy, Lightweight, Cheap.

]]> By: Chris Plantehttp://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2008/10/acratech-joins-pixelatedimage/comment-page-1/#comment-2523 Chris Plante Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:13:25 +0000 http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/?p=1374#comment-2523 Speaking of tripods and such. A newb question here: I was taught that light weight tripods were bad. Was I taught wrong? I was told that they need good weight to them so to prevent camera shake. A lighter tripod may shake when being stepped around. What is all the rage about lightweight tripods and ball heads then? I can understand the need for light weight when travelling but I assume camera shake would be more risky with lighter weight.I have a Manfrotto Gruppo tripod purchased about 8 years ago for $220. It's fairly heavy but not a monster. I have not had the privelage of using new higher end tripods. I would love to read an article about the comparisons of such a tripod I have and the newer expensive ones. I know not to purchase a "Wal-mart" quality item such as Optex but how can a high-end tripod make me a better photographer? Speaking of tripods and such. A newb question here: I was taught that light weight tripods were bad. Was I taught wrong? I was told that they need good weight to them so to prevent camera shake. A lighter tripod may shake when being stepped around. What is all the rage about lightweight tripods and ball heads then? I can understand the need for light weight when travelling but I assume camera shake would be more risky with lighter weight.

I have a Manfrotto Gruppo tripod purchased about 8 years ago for $220. It’s fairly heavy but not a monster. I have not had the privelage of using new higher end tripods. I would love to read an article about the comparisons of such a tripod I have and the newer expensive ones. I know not to purchase a “Wal-mart” quality item such as Optex but how can a high-end tripod make me a better photographer?

]]> By: trevor meierhttp://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2008/10/acratech-joins-pixelatedimage/comment-page-1/#comment-2518 trevor meier Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:16:21 +0000 http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/?p=1374#comment-2518 I've got the original Acratech Ultimate Ball-head. Lightweight and solid. It's a great pairing on my Gitzo basalt tripod. Fits in a backpack and gives rock-solid images even with longer lenses while being easy to carry around and work with. A precision piece of kit... I’ve got the original Acratech Ultimate Ball-head. Lightweight and solid. It’s a great pairing on my Gitzo basalt tripod. Fits in a backpack and gives rock-solid images even with longer lenses while being easy to carry around and work with. A precision piece of kit…

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