Tripod and head for 400 F/5.6 USM

[Narayan Pai]

Hi ,

can you please recommend a tripod and head for canon 400 mm F/5.6 used with 450D (For bird photography)

I was thinking about Manfrotto tripod and maybe a ball head and my budget is 400 USD ....i guess Gitzo would be more expensive.

I would be like to use the tripod most of the times since I don't have sturdy hand.

Thanks in advance and would appreciate your feedback.

Narayan

P.S : I am a beginner and just started using the DLSR since september this year :)

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Narayan,
Have you tried a monopod? For birding with your lens, a monopod can be useful. Manfrotto or Gitzo monopod and ball head will be within your budget.

Manfrotto tripods are cheaper and would be fine for the 400 f5.6. I have used manfrotto before I shifted to the 400 f2.8 IS. Gitzo is costlier. You can check for the variety of tripods at www.photosystemsindia.com and www.manfrotto.in

You can check with Jayesh at Bangalore, he had a few new tripods (but old stock) and cheaper about 8-10k INR.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Narayan Pai]

Hi Sabyasachi,

thank you for the feedback. yes i guess a monopod would be a good choice. do you recommend a ball head or any other type ? i would be looking for manfrotto make . as i mentioned it's basically for bird photography.

[Pao Dolina]

Romy Ocon uses at Manfrotto 393 Gimball head (more appropriate for long lenses) and a Manfrotto 475B/3421 tripod. It should be way below $400.

The gentleman to the left is Romy

[arash_hazeghi]

400 f/5.6 is a HH lens, it doesn't require a tripod. But if you want to get one any way, any lightweight Man, Gitzo, Slik tripod is good for this lens. I sometimes put it on a Slik pro 713CF.

[Danny J Brown]

I agree with Arash. You don't need a heavy tripod for this lens. I use a Feisol CT-3301 tripod for lightweight lenses such as this. It is a beautiful, carbon fiber tripod and has the same quality as my Gitzo tripod. Check it out on the Feisol website. I purchased it directly from them for $215 plus shipping. By the way, it is light as a feather but super stiff and stable.

I use a Markins M10 ballhead, which is rather expensive but you could use a Manfrotto 488RC2 which is much cheaper. Keep in mind that Manfrotto ballheads do not have Arca Swiss clamps and you might regret that later as you get into photography more. So many decisions.........I feel your pain.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Narayan,
I agree with Arash that 400 f5.6 is a handholdable lens. However, I always use a support system if possible. A monopod helps when you are on a trek as hands can be unsteady after exertion.

The 475B tripod as suggested by Pao costs about 19k in India. Along with head it would be way over your budget.

I would suggest that you pick up a monopod and the 488 RC2 head is good for your lens.You can check the www.photosystemsindia.com for a general idea about price. The dealer price is often slightly cheaper. The total price would be within 10k.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Narayan Pai]

Sabyasachi, Pao ,Arash and Danny .....thank you all for your feedback ...i really appreciate it.

The 680B/682B manfrotto monopod with 488RC4/C2 ball head looks good to me.... i hope i have made the right decision :).... coz with Arca Swiss clamps it will go out of my budget .

Cheers

Narayan

[Alfred Forns]

Most of the time best to HH but if it goes on a tripod can't think of a better head than a Mongoose !!!

[Sivaprasad]

I have 400 f/5.6 lens and almost always go Handheld. But I also own a Manfrotto 055xPROB tripod w/ 488RC2 ballhead. Having used this setup for a while, I don't recommend a ball head for bird photography, may be useful for landscape or portrait photography. You will often find it slow for field use especially when tracking small birds. Often times the lens would dip after you tighten the ball head by just a tiny bit which may quickly get very annoying.

I recommend you look at Jobu gimbal heads such as the Jobu Jr2. There are some mockups of this design available in India at a reduced price. I have now upgraded to the jobu and much happy with it.

[alain vandal]

Except for occasional bird in flight shot, I always use a tripod with the 400mm. It is much more easy and tireless to follow a very small bird like the warbler in the bush.Also as the light at the end the day are not always good and the lens not so fast, the tripod are a must. I use with succes for many years the Manfrotto 055 basic and a 501 video fluid head. Now I use a used Gitzo 1325 find for "relatively" cheap that are more stable, less prone to vibration, and a bit more featherlight with the 1D3. I also use now the Black widow light wich I found better in very cold temperature (regular -20c we have here in winter) than the video head. with the 450D and the 400mm f5.6, the 055 and Jobu (jr or BWL) are plenty adequate.

[Jay Abrams]

I have the 400/5.6 and recently upgraded from a manfrotto 3021 with 488RC2 to a Manfrotto 055cxpro3 and Kirk Bh-3 head. The new setup is a lot lighter and this head allows much more micro adjustment than the old. I got frustrated with the 488RC2 and the lens was always swiveling on the plate. The custom plates made by Kirk and others for the Arca Swiss type system are far superior and, although this costs more, is well worth it in the long run. The really right stuff heads are excellent by reputation, but cost even more than Kirk.

[Narayan Pai]

Thank you all for your feedback.

cheers

Narayan

[Phil Battley]

I've always used a Manfrotto 128RC video head for my spotting scopes and found that fine for the 400 5.6 lens. I've never used a ball head. For levelling I tend to just loosen the tripod ring and revolve the lens when needed.

Cheers, Phil

[Narayan Pai]

How about Manfrotto 682B self standing monopod with 488RC2 ball head or 393 gimbal head ?

cheers

Narayan