Tripod-Technical Question

H

hganzler@earthlink.n

Active member
Hi. I am going to buy a new tripod. I will be buying one that has the Bogen/Manfrotto 503 fluid head. My question concerns the tripod itself. Some come with 75mm half ball heads and some without. What is the advantage of the ball head? I will be using the tripod with the DVX100A. I'm probably going to get the 503 with 755 MFV legs. It doesn't say that it comes with the half ball head. Is that a problem? Thanks. Henry
 
The ball head is for quick setup and leveling. With the ball leveler the tripod itself does not have to be level, you can level the head independently and quickly with the ball. Very handy to have if budget serves.

With some heads you need an adapter to go from the ball to 3/8 - About $40
 
Thanks

Thanks

Thanks for a very fast and helpful reply. I think I would like to add a ball head to the Bogen Manfrotto 503 pan head. Does anyone know if that's possible? Can a ball be added to any tripod and pan head? Thanks. Henry
 
hganzler@earthlink.n said:
Can a ball be added to any tripod and pan head? Thanks. Henry
Click to expand...

The legs need a 75mm or a 100mm bowl. If the head has a 3/8 hole you just add an adapter like below

1610358dj.jpg
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/526/1610358dj.jpg

Hope that makes it clearer
 
GenJerDan said:
Ditto on the legs here.

With the added bonus that it looks like a Gatling gun when folded up. :)
Click to expand...
That's usually what I base most of my purchases on; whether or not they look like a gattling gun when folded up. Man....you should have seen this sweet pair of pants I bought the other day. I have the 755 MDeVe legs, and they have a little 50mm mini-leveling bowl, and they work really nice. A bigger tripod like the 525 is going to give you alot more stability (and look like a gatling gun when folded up), but if you're looking for something light, compact, and really fast to set up, take a look at the 755 legs.
 
Thanks again for all the good information guys. The decision to go with the 755 MDeVe legs or the 525 legs is a tough one for me to make. I want the stability of the 525 legs but, since I do a lot of shooting in the mountains and while traveling, the lighter weight of the 755 is attractive. Choices, choices. Right now, I'm leaning toward the 755 because of it's lightness and ease of set-up. But I sure want good, shake-free shots, so if I'm making a big mistake, somebody please correct me. Thanks again. Henry www.mindfulproductions.com
 
You're deffinetly not making a mistake, especially if you want to shoot in the mountains. I shoot mountain biking alot, and frequently ride my bike with the tripod strapped to the backpack...having a smaller tripod is a godsend in this type of situation. The tripod itself is still rock solid, and in conjunction with a 503 head, you will deffinetly be in good shape.
 
You can only add a ball head adapter to the 503 head if you have tripod legs with the ball receptacle. Bogen has a 75mm and 100mm ball adapter which will work with the 501 or 503 or any other head that has a flat base. If you don't have a ball receptacle on your tripod legs than Bogen has an adapter that fits the flat base tripods so you can level the head without adjusting the legs. It's a must when filming .
 
Thanks again for all your help folks. I've ordered the Bogen/Manfroto 755 MDeVe legs with the 503 head. Since I don't do that much studio work, but spend most of my time outdoors and travelling, I opted for the lighter weight tripod. Henry
mindfulproductions.com
 
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