Hi All

I am looking for a professional tripod to support my XL-2. I am going to concentrate on birds
photography. I am after a tripod that will give me the lowest possible angle of shooting. almost flat on the ground. Any suggestions....?
I would really appreciate your advice.

Thanks
Ido

Ido, hasn't this already been discussed?

If not, simply go online to the sites for the tripods that have already been suggested to you and read their stats. They will tell you how low the tripods can go.

Jay

Buy a nice head and screw it to a piece of plywood.

Another option very low that allows you to skoot on sand and stuff is a groundshot plate.

I use one for still photography but have never tried it with video

http://www.naturephotographers.net/gs/gsgroundshot2.html

a little more expensive than the plywood suggestion though

For very low, on the ground shots, use a couple of bean bags. They are not to heavy.

If image reversal is not a concern to you, a mirror placed on the ground, will give you some interesting angles.

Ido,

I think you need to look at this in two parts, the head and the tripod. The Wimberly gimbal head would give you the maximum flexibility for fast setups. But a XL-2 might not fit it since it is a larger cam. The Wimberly is much different than a video head so you might want to go some place and try one out first. Also some of your local bird watcher group members may have one that you can look at. Here is a link that shows it.

http://www.naturephotographers.net/gs/gswimberleyhead.html

It is very pricey but worth it. I don't own one but have used a friends and really like it.

As for the legs there are probably several that will do. Just depends on your price range. I use the Monfrotto 3221 wilderness legs. Very sturdy but light enough to carry long distances. No spreader to get in the way and can be adjusted almost down to ground level if you remove the center column and use the included short plug for attaching the head.

Hope this helps,

Mark