75 or 100mm bowl at DVinfo.net

Paul Doherty · October 17th, 2009, 01:07 AM

I'm using an XL-H1 which depending upon the lens/accessories in use weighs about 4-6 kg. I'm about to upgrade my tripod and wonder whether (all other things being equal) I would be better off with a tripod with a 100mm bowl as opposed to a 75mm one.

I regularly use high magnifications (40x or so) for birds in flight and perhaps a 100mm bowl is better from that point of view. Some informed comment would be very welcome.

Many thanks

Paul

Brian Drysdale · October 17th, 2009, 03:10 AM

Personally, given the option for long lens work I'd go for 100mm, they're usually more stable legs and tend to resist the "winding up" torsion that can spring back on you at the end of a pan. However, I'm a bit odd in that use my old Ronford F4 on my Sachtler Horizon head's 150mm carbon fibre legs with prosumer cameras like the JVC HD 100 and the Z1. One big advantage being that it's so fast to set the thing up, the legs just drop without having to be pulled out.

Shaun Roemich · October 17th, 2009, 04:15 AM

As Brian says, it's not necessarily the bowl size that works better but the larger build of the legs in general. So don't buy a CHEAP 100mm bowl tripod instead of a well built 75mm but I suspect you'll do much better with a 100mm set-up.

Christian Magnussen · October 17th, 2009, 06:39 AM

Even though quality 75mm legs are pretty good, I would go with 100mm legs if you use a lot of tele, but don't skimp on a 100mm tripod either. The dead cheap ones tend to flex more than a good 75mm and will wear out much faster...so skip any Libec gear...

October 17th, 2009, 01:07 AM	#1
Paul Doherty Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sherburn, England Posts: 136	75 or 100mm bowl I'm using an XL-H1 which depending upon the lens/accessories in use weighs about 4-6 kg. I'm about to upgrade my tripod and wonder whether (all other things being equal) I would be better off with a tripod with a 100mm bowl as opposed to a 75mm one. I regularly use high magnifications (40x or so) for birds in flight and perhaps a 100mm bowl is better from that point of view. Some informed comment would be very welcome. Many thanks Paul

October 17th, 2009, 04:15 AM	#3
Shaun Roemich Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia (formerly Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canada Posts: 4,088	As Brian says, it's not necessarily the bowl size that works better but the larger build of the legs in general. So don't buy a CHEAP 100mm bowl tripod instead of a well built 75mm but I suspect you'll do much better with a 100mm set-up. __________________ Shaun C. Roemich Road Dog Media - Vancouver, BC - Videographer - Webcaster www.roaddogmedia.ca Blog: http://roaddogmedia.wordpress.com/

October 17th, 2009, 03:10 AM	#2
Brian Drysdale Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Belfast, UK Posts: 6,152	Personally, given the option for long lens work I'd go for 100mm, they're usually more stable legs and tend to resist the "winding up" torsion that can spring back on you at the end of a pan. However, I'm a bit odd in that use my old Ronford F4 on my Sachtler Horizon head's 150mm carbon fibre legs with prosumer cameras like the JVC HD 100 and the Z1. One big advantage being that it's so fast to set the thing up, the legs just drop without having to be pulled out.

October 17th, 2009, 06:39 AM	#4
Christian Magnussen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 191	Even though quality 75mm legs are pretty good, I would go with 100mm legs if you use a lot of tele, but don't skimp on a 100mm tripod either. The dead cheap ones tend to flex more than a good 75mm and will wear out much faster...so skip any Libec gear...