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Posted: 10/22/2018 2:40:14 AM EDT
Recomend a good tripod for nikon d7500 and telephoto lens. It must be stable for astrophotography and also useful for treking through the woods.8
Link Posted: 10/22/2018 4:36:14 AM EDT
[#1]
Manfrotto is what you seek.
Link Posted: 10/22/2018 5:06:11 AM EDT
[#2]
Link Posted: 10/23/2018 6:25:17 PM EDT
[#3]
I've got two tripods

Manfrotto 290 aluminum.  Came with their 3-way head but then I decided I needed a ball head and got their MSQ6 ball head, which is ARCA-compatible (which I highly recommend; getting an ARCA-compatible head)
Ball heads are much better for quickly changing your frame, but not as good if you're slowly panning.  The 3-way just got too cumbersome for me in shooting stars/moon/sun.

This is a pretty stable tripod, and light enough to haul for sort outdoor jaunts.  Not as stable as one weighing more, but that weight/stability tradeoff is a fine line.  This is my main tripod and works great for around the farm and for car trips with no-too-far walking.

Also got a Manfrotto BeFree compact travel aluminum tripod with a ball head and RRS ARCA mount.  This is not as stable as the 290, but it's awesome for travel and hiking as it's lighter, smaller, etc.  I've used all my lenses with the travel pod EXCEPT the 150-600; that might be pushing it a bit too much.  Got this for my Hawaii trip and now throw it in the truck when taking the camera to work.
Link Posted: 10/24/2018 7:02:11 AM EDT
[#4]
+1 on Zack's post.  I have a 10# (or more) tripod dedicated simply for using large telephoto lenses.  My main tripod is a Benro Adventure 2 carbon fiber with Manfrotto XPro magnesium ball head, and soon (hopefully Christmas) a RRS clamp on top.  Super lightweight but strong as hell no matter what I put it through.
Link Posted: 10/24/2018 12:09:45 PM EDT
[#5]
The Sirui carbon fiber tripods sit at a nice confluence of feature/weight/size/price.

I have a T1205X that has been sufficient for a D800 in light win
Sirui recently redesigned their product line, so I can't really speak to the newer ones.
ds.  I find it suitable for wide-view astrophotography.  Folds down to 15" with the head still in place, and 2.0 lbs without the head.  My only gripe is the one piece center column, and that I need to carry the shorter center column when I want to shoot at camera heights less than 15".

It's a very lightweight tripod that isn't going to offer the stability of heavier tripods, but if you are planning on taking a tripod into the backcountry, it fits the bill.

Oh, this is also very dependent on how tall you are.  If you are taller than 5'10, you need to go with a taller/larger/(and heavier) tripod … or you'll just be hating life.
Link Posted: 10/24/2018 12:10:32 PM EDT
[#6]
What type of telephoto lens?
Link Posted: 10/25/2018 11:12:34 PM EDT
[#7]
I was given a Nikon AF-P 70-300mm E VR Ed by my neighbors family a few months ago after their father passed away and seems to work on the nikon d7500 body. Eventually over time looking for something longer and better glass.

As for a good tripod i will check into what others mentioned, money is no issue, but treking through the woods and such hoping for dual purpose being lite and able to be stable enough for night sky photography.
Link Posted: 10/25/2018 11:22:15 PM EDT
[#8]
You want a very stable and rigid tripod for that application.  That implies it will be stiff, massive, heavy, and expensive.

You're just not going to get a satisfactory result with a lightweight or budget tripod.

Your wallet needs to bite the bullet because you're going to have to go in dry and gut it.
Link Posted: 10/25/2018 11:58:02 PM EDT
[#9]
yea true, not afraid to spend the cash once, difficult thing is there are almost no camera stores around without traveling half the day out of state.
Link Posted: 10/30/2018 8:31:31 PM EDT
[#10]
Honestly, you'd be well served with something along the lines of the Manfrotto 290 I mentioned earlier and a RRS ball head.  That head will cost 3 times what the pod costs, though.

You could go up a level with Manfrotto if you want something even more stable, but I've had great success with my 290 even with the 150-600.

This is the 290 with Manfrotto's QR ball head (which takes ARCA plates, make sure to get that capability!!) and the 150-600 with a homemade solar filter.

Solar Rig by FredMan, on Flickr

Using mirror-up remote and giving it a few seconds to settle gets me this kind of sharp image.

Sun Spots 20170904 by FredMan, on Flickr
Link Posted: 10/30/2018 9:02:28 PM EDT
[#11]
@Fredman I was looking at that plate to put on my XPro ball head ($30 conversion instead of $150 for RRS) but everywhere I look it says it doesn’t work well with RRS plates. Have you tried it?

Basically I’m looking at a RRS L bracket as a Christmas present, but will need to convert my Manfrotto head to Arca.
Link Posted: 10/30/2018 9:03:25 PM EDT
[#12]
Link Posted: 10/30/2018 10:10:35 PM EDT
[#13]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
@Fredman I was looking at that plate to put on my XPro ball head ($30 conversion instead of $150 for RRS) but everywhere I look it says it doesn’t work well with RRS plates. Have you tried it?

Basically I’m looking at a RRS L bracket as a Christmas present, but will need to convert my Manfrotto head to Arca.
View Quote
It's worked perfectly with both RRS L-plates I have (D7100 and D500), and works just fine with the knock-off ARCA plate I have for the foot on the Tamron, AND the chicom ARCA plate I use for the GoPro.

I actually ended up getting two components:

The ball head itself:  Manfrotto MH054M0-Q2 054 Magnesium Ball Head with Q2 Quick Release

That head includes the Manfrotto QR plate, which I detest now that I've seen the true wisdom of ARCA,

And the ARCA plate adapter for the head:  Manfrotto MSQ6 Q6 Top Lock Quick Release Adaptor with Plate (Black)

Head was something like $160, adapter was $40, and don't get me started on the RRS stuff (the afore-mentioned L-plates, then a clamp because I needed something for the travel tripod).

As you well know RRS is buy once, cry once.  And it's niiiice.
Link Posted: 10/30/2018 10:20:08 PM EDT
[#14]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

I need to make a filter like that to fit my 400.

my lil thousand oaks filter ain't cutting it anymore.
View Quote
Easy peasy.  Buy a 12x12 sheet of the Thousand Oaks solar film for $35 or so, get some nice thick currogated cardboard, and have at it.

Sandwich the sheet between two pieces of cardboard.

The camera-side cardboard gets just to just the size of the hood (just put hood on cardboard, trace outline, cut with exacto knife).  The sun size cardboard gets cut just a wee but smaller in diameter ( I put the camera-side cardboard on the sun-side after cutting the camera side, ran around the inside of the hole with a big fat sharpie, and cut along the inside of the sharpie line).

Doing it this way gets you a friction fit on the hood, and you can't put it on "too far" because the sun-side cardboard is too small to pass the hood.

You also get the HUGE benefit of the whole contraption shading your camera from the sun.  Leaving that black body and lens in the burning hot sun with no shade and it's gonna get hot after a while.  That big-ass piece of cardboard is like a parasol for the whole shebang; very handy when you're spending hours getting sun shots like I did for the eclipse.  Something like 3 or 4 hours with the camera in direct sunlight.

Solar Filter Top by FredMan, on Flickr

Solar Filter Front by FredMan, on Flickr

Solar Filter Back by FredMan, on Flickr

I've also made some filters out of foam board that fit just inside the hood; no sun shading and you have to get good at cutting narrow rings out of foam board, but they work well.

I had enough material from one 12x12 film sheet to make 4 filters.

ETA, don't worry about a waviness or minor wrinkles in the filter material, they do not affect the image.  The Thousand Oaks film is 16-stop; it lets through 0.0015% of the light, blocking 99.9985% of what's coming in.
Link Posted: 10/31/2018 10:08:00 PM EDT
[#15]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
It's worked perfectly with both RRS L-plates I have (D7100 and D500), and works just fine with the knock-off ARCA plate I have for the foot on the Tamron, AND the chicom ARCA plate I use for the GoPro.

I actually ended up getting two components:

The ball head itself:  Manfrotto MH054M0-Q2 054 Magnesium Ball Head with Q2 Quick Release

That head includes the Manfrotto QR plate, which I detest now that I've seen the true wisdom of ARCA,

And the ARCA plate adapter for the head:  Manfrotto MSQ6 Q6 Top Lock Quick Release Adaptor with Plate (Black)

Head was something like $160, adapter was $40, and don't get me started on the RRS stuff (the afore-mentioned L-plates, then a clamp because I needed something for the travel tripod).

As you well know RRS is buy once, cry once.  And it's niiiice.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
@Fredman I was looking at that plate to put on my XPro ball head ($30 conversion instead of $150 for RRS) but everywhere I look it says it doesn’t work well with RRS plates. Have you tried it?

Basically I’m looking at a RRS L bracket as a Christmas present, but will need to convert my Manfrotto head to Arca.
It's worked perfectly with both RRS L-plates I have (D7100 and D500), and works just fine with the knock-off ARCA plate I have for the foot on the Tamron, AND the chicom ARCA plate I use for the GoPro.

I actually ended up getting two components:

The ball head itself:  Manfrotto MH054M0-Q2 054 Magnesium Ball Head with Q2 Quick Release

That head includes the Manfrotto QR plate, which I detest now that I've seen the true wisdom of ARCA,

And the ARCA plate adapter for the head:  Manfrotto MSQ6 Q6 Top Lock Quick Release Adaptor with Plate (Black)

Head was something like $160, adapter was $40, and don't get me started on the RRS stuff (the afore-mentioned L-plates, then a clamp because I needed something for the travel tripod).

As you well know RRS is buy once, cry once.  And it's niiiice.
The XPro ball head is the newer version of what you have, and I love it.  That said, it’s a pain in the ass to have to keep swapping plates or adjusting the tripod to get the shots I’d want.  An L bracket on the camera would save me a ton of time and effort, so it’s on the Christmas list.

But it’s good to know that the MSQ6 works with RRS stuff.  Their first generation had issues because of a crappy spring so they wouldn’t entirely lock up on RRS stuff or would completely bind up.  Going this way would save me $100+ over the RRS clamp, so I’ll have to think on it.  The MSQ6 isn’t being sold by B&H anymore btw, it’s not showing as discontinued by Manfrotto, but even Amazon only has 1 in stock.  Guess I’ll have to think fast.
Link Posted: 11/1/2018 5:20:28 PM EDT
[#16]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

The XPro ball head is the newer version of what you have, and I love it.  That said, it’s a pain in the ass to have to keep swapping plates or adjusting the tripod to get the shots I’d want.  An L bracket on the camera would save me a ton of time and effort, so it’s on the Christmas list.

But it’s good to know that the MSQ6 works with RRS stuff.  Their first generation had issues because of a crappy spring so they wouldn’t entirely lock up on RRS stuff or would completely bind up.  Going this way would save me $100+ over the RRS clamp, so I’ll have to think on it.  The MSQ6 isn’t being sold by B&H anymore btw, it’s not showing as discontinued by Manfrotto, but even Amazon only has 1 in stock.  Guess I’ll have to think fast.
View Quote
I'm not saying the MSQ6 clamp is RRS quality, but I've never had an issue with mine in about 2 years.  One sort of handy feature is that even after you loosen the screw you have to hit the release button; it won't go sliding off the clamp all by it's lonesome.

The huge thing I like about the MSQ6 is that plates "snap" into place, none of that sliding in from the side or having to open the clamp jaws way the hell open.

Fit the rear of the plate into the clamp, tilt it forward, and when you hear the snap just tighten it down.  I have no idea what happens when the spring breaks, hoping you just lose the quick release function and not the whole shebang.
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