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Thread: Recommended tripod head for Canon 500mm?

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    Default Recommended tripod head for Canon 500mm?

    I have a Gitzo 1325 tripod and a Mongoose 2.5. Is this sufficient to hold the Canon 500mm?

  2. #2
    Flavio Rose
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    The following comparison of tripod heads by Arthur Morris may be of interest to you.

    http://www.birdsasart.com/bn254.htm

    For me, Mongoose 2.5 does not Google. The 2.3 was not recommended for such large lenses. The 3.5 definitely is.

    http://www.birdsasart.com/mongoose.htm

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    Many thanks for the link, Flavio - it helped a lot. BTW, mine is the Mongoose 2.3, not 2.5 - typo on my part. I didn't think the 2.3 would do, and after reading Artie's comparison, I'm sure of it.

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    I've got about 15,000 shots on my Arca-Swiss Z1 ballhead, combined with the Wimberley Sidekick. I don't sell either. They're really smooth. One advantage to the ballhead/Sidekick combination is that I can quickly take the Sidekick off and mount my other body with a wide-angle lens for scenics and other uses.

    This combination easily handles the weight of the 500mm plus my 7D and operates smoothly and safely.

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    Thanks for the good advice, Dave. I just got my 500mm this afternoon and, like you, will be using it with the 7D. I'm leaning towards the Mongoose 3.5 because I like the 2.3 so much and am sorry I can't use it with the 500mm. Decisions, decisions....

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    Gail,

    I use Mongoose 3.5 and gitzo 1325 combo. works great with 500mm and 7D.

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    Quote Originally Posted by David Stephens View Post
    I've got about 15,000 shots on my Arca-Swiss Z1 ballhead, combined with the Wimberley Sidekick. I don't sell either. They're really smooth. One advantage to the ballhead/Sidekick combination is that I can quickly take the Sidekick off and mount my other body with a wide-angle lens for scenics and other uses.

    This combination easily handles the weight of the 500mm plus my 7D and operates smoothly and safely.
    David, How often to you take the Sidekick off and work with a short lens mounted on the camera body atop the ballhead?
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    All. The Mongoose M3.5 is now the M3.6 with dead bolts on both the horizontal and vertical pan knobs.
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  9. #9
    Danny J Brown
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    I still use the Wimberley II and find it a miracle of engineering......so smooth, I have to keep it tightened a bit for dampening but still locks down so tight for shoulder carry that it has never slipped a millimeter. Man, I love my W - II. I'll admit it is a little on the heavy side.......like a Mercedes!:)

    DB

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    David, How often to you take the Sidekick off and work with a short lens mounted on the camera body atop the ballhead?
    I do a lot of shooting at dawn and dusk, so it happens several times per month. Usually it happens when I notice a great sky at sunrise or sunset and switch to the "scenic setup". When I'm cruising around Rocky Mountain National Park I'm likely to switch from the elk setup to the mountain view setup.

    It's really handy for me. I carry two bodies and generally have a short zoom or wide angle on the 5D2 and the 500mm f/4L IS on my 7D. Of course, I've got quick release plates on the 5D2 and the lens foot of the 500mm.

    Prior to buying the Arca-Swiss/Sidekick combo, I'd grab those scenic shots hand held. That required high ISOs and reduced the quality of some otherwise great shots. Now I use low ISOs and shutter speeds and my wired remote release with mirror lockup to get the best image possible for me and my equipment.

    Highly recommended.

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    Thanks David, For you, the Sidekick/ballhead combo is a good one. An option would be a much smoother and much more efficient Mongoose M3.6 for your 500, and the Giotto's tiny M1302-655 ballhead.

    How do I know that the Mongoose M3.6 is much better with a 500 than a Sidekick/ballhead combo? Because I have used both. I had tons of problems with the Sidekick slipping out of position. Not to mention that the Mongoose is far lighter than any Sidekick/ballhead combo, at least 50% lighter. In addition, it takes about as much time to spin off the Mongoose and spin on the Giotto's head (on the rare occasions that I do slow shutter speeds with short lenses on a tripod).

    I can guarantee that if you ever had your 500 on a Mongoose you might reconsider your "highly recommended" endorsement :)

    Heck though, not everybody believes me that why we do carry Sidekicks.

    ps: With the 24-105 IS in can make saleably sharp images at shutter speeds down to 1/4 sec. or so.... That's another reason why I rarely go to the tripod for the short shots.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    Thanks David, For you, the Sidekick/ballhead combo is a good one. An option would be a much smoother and much more efficient Mongoose M3.6 for your 500, and the Giotto's tiny M1302-655 ballhead.

    How do I know that the Mongoose M3.6 is much better with a 500 than a Sidekick/ballhead combo? Because I have used both. I had tons of problems with the Sidekick slipping out of position. Not to mention that the Mongoose is far lighter than any Sidekick/ballhead combo, at least 50% lighter. In addition, it takes about as much time to spin off the Mongoose and spin on the Giotto's head (on the rare occasions that I do slow shutter speeds with short lenses on a tripod).

    I can guarantee that if you ever had your 500 on a Mongoose you might reconsider your "highly recommended" endorsement :)

    Heck though, not everybody believes me that why we do carry Sidekicks.

    ps: With the 24-105 IS in can make saleably sharp images at shutter speeds down to 1/4 sec. or so.... That's another reason why I rarely go to the tripod for the short shots.
    All I can say is, "If the Mongoose M3.6 is smoother than the Arca-Swiss/Sidekick setup, then it must anticipate your moves before you even think them" or "It must be so smooth that it can get me a date with Kim Cattrall."

    I can only speak to my setup with the 7D/500mm combination, which is perfectly balanced and moves with little to no effort, smoothly, without any binding or catching. I can adjust the vertical and horizontal tension whenever I desire a little resistance. I don't find myself longing for further refinement. The Z1/Sidekick is solid, well built and precise in adjustment. With the ball tightened down, there is absolutely no slippage.

    The ballhead probably is very important in this formula. I've heard that the earlier versions of the Arca-Swiss B1 actually would stick. This doesn't happen with the A-S Z-series. Another great ballhead to consider for this application is the Really Right Stuff top of the line. I don't know how the Giotto compares to the A-S and RRS, but the quality of the ballhead IS, indeed, half of the equation when using the Sidekick, so the ballhead choice shouldn't be taken lightly.

    Anyone that's peaked at my Photostream will see many shots with my 24-105mm at ISO 6400 on the 5D2. There are times when I want to handhold, such as when I'm doing night, street shooting on my way to dinner at K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen and don't want to have to figure out what to do with the tripod at the dinner table. Still, there are other times when I'm shooting scenics that I want to pull out all the stops and get the very best saturation, contrast and accuracy in a scenic by turning the ISO down to 100 and taking one of those images that show incredible details at 500%. It's kind of like trying to capture incredible feather details or see deeply into the eye(s) of a wild subject. It's the same kind of thing, just a different sort of passion.

    I COULD carry a ballhead around in my vest and screw off a gimbal head whenever I switched from super tele to scenic; however, I prefer to carry the ballhead on my tripod and make a fast switch whenever I feel the urge. The Sidekick combined with a high capacity, top of the line ballhead is a very nice solution for someone like me in this regard.

    Clearly, there's more than one way to skin a cat, or shoot a bird. I just wanted to throw the ballhead/Sidekick option out there as a very good alternative for those, like me, that might change their shooting style and objective while out in the wild. :)

    My "highly recommended" endorsement stands, without even trying the Mongoose because the Sidekick works so well that I don't need to try the Mongoose. I suspect that it's very good in its application, but it's not what I need. The ballhead/Sidekick works so well that if the Mongoose is better, it's just icing on the cake, but not something that fits my shooting style.

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    Quote Originally Posted by David Stephens View Post
    All I can say is, "If the Mongoose M3.6 is smoother than the Arca-Swiss/Sidekick setup, then it must anticipate your moves before you even think them" or "It must be so smooth that it can get me a date with Kim Cattrall."

    I can only speak to my setup with the 7D/500mm combination, which is perfectly balanced and moves with little to no effort, smoothly, without any binding or catching. I can adjust the vertical and horizontal tension whenever I desire a little resistance. I don't find myself longing for further refinement. The Z1/Sidekick is solid, well built and precise in adjustment. With the ball tightened down, there is absolutely no slippage.

    The ballhead probably is very important in this formula. I've heard that the earlier versions of the Arca-Swiss B1 actually would stick. This doesn't happen with the A-S Z-series. Another great ballhead to consider for this application is the Really Right Stuff top of the line. I don't know how the Giotto compares to the A-S and RRS, but the quality of the ballhead IS, indeed, half of the equation when using the Sidekick, so the ballhead choice shouldn't be taken lightly.

    Anyone that's peaked at my Photostream will see many shots with my 24-105mm at ISO 6400 on the 5D2. There are times when I want to handhold, such as when I'm doing night, street shooting on my way to dinner at K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen and don't want to have to figure out what to do with the tripod at the dinner table. Still, there are other times when I'm shooting scenics that I want to pull out all the stops and get the very best saturation, contrast and accuracy in a scenic by turning the ISO down to 100 and taking one of those images that show incredible details at 500%. It's kind of like trying to capture incredible feather details or see deeply into the eye(s) of a wild subject. It's the same kind of thing, just a different sort of passion.

    I COULD carry a ballhead around in my vest and screw off a gimbal head whenever I switched from super tele to scenic; however, I prefer to carry the ballhead on my tripod and make a fast switch whenever I feel the urge. The Sidekick combined with a high capacity, top of the line ballhead is a very nice solution for someone like me in this regard.

    Clearly, there's more than one way to skin a cat, or shoot a bird. I just wanted to throw the ballhead/Sidekick option out there as a very good alternative for those, like me, that might change their shooting style and objective while out in the wild. :)

    My "highly recommended" endorsement stands, without even trying the Mongoose because the Sidekick works so well that I don't need to try the Mongoose. I suspect that it's very good in its application, but it's not what I need. The ballhead/Sidekick works so well that if the Mongoose is better, it's just icing on the cake, but not something that fits my shooting style.
    What can I say but "Ignorance is bliss."
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    Heck though, not everybody believes me that why we do carry Sidekicks.
    .
    Really, how could anyone doubt you?

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    Quote Originally Posted by David Stephens View Post
    Really, how could anyone doubt you?
    I don't see how or why anyone would believe me with only 26 years of working with long lenses, the last 19 as a full time professional.

    I just love it though when folks who have not even tried what I suggest tell me that their way is better.

    Or when folks figure that I am suggesting this or that just to sell them something :)
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    As you say David, a lot depends on the ballhead with the sidekick. Mine works wonderfully with a Markins Q20. While it still works, I would not change this set-up. However, if I need to replace something, I will attempt to try out the alternatives. Without doing this I would not claim superiority and would always be open to change :)
    Last edited by Ben_Sadd; 12-19-2010 at 10:45 AM. Reason: added the ballhead model

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    I don't see how or why anyone would believe me with only 26 years of working with long lenses, the last 19 as a full time professional.
    Artie,

    You know, you really should put more time into your work ;)

    While we are on the topic of different heads and changing heads around, what do you use on the skimmer pod?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    I don't see how or why anyone would believe me with only 26 years of working with long lenses, the last 19 as a full time professional.

    I just love it though when folks who have not even tried what I suggest tell me that their way is better.

    Or when folks figure that I am suggesting this or that just to sell them something :)
    You're confused old man, I never said anything against the Mongoose. I've only pointed out the advantages of the Sidekick in an application like mine.

    At your age you shouldn't be surprised when people naturally maintain a healthy skepticism of the recommendation of the salesman that's making money off his suggestion. The Mongoose has enough independent reviews that I'm certain that it's a fine piece of equipment, particularly with the last couple of refinements. If I were you, I'd play up the reviews of others instead of this, "I'm old and shot six-zillion images with long lenses, so no one else could possibly disagree with me, unless they're 'ignorant'". It doesn't become you.:)

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    I can see my (what I thought was a) simple question has generated lots of discussion. As an update, I purchased the Mongoose 3.5. I am currently spending the weekend at Bosque del Apache and giving my new 500mm and the Mongoose a good workout and getting used to both. The Mongoose was an excellent choice, and I couldn't be happier with it. With the weight of the 500mm, I was concerned. But is is easy to use, light weight and as sturdy as a rock. Thank you all for your advice and comments.

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    Thanks for the follow up feedback.

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    Gail, Where did you get a 3.5 from?
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    It is of course, a 3.6, not a 3.5. And I got it from the BAA store.

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    Ah, many thanks :) Enjoy the holidays.
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  24. #24
    Wendy Griffiths
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    Would someone who has a Mongoose be able to show us with a 500/600mm lens fitted. I'm interested to see how the lens looks when mounted on the side - that seems to be the factor of interest, as to whether it places stress on lens, between mongoose and wimberley. Any photos in action available.

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    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Here is the 800 on the Mongoose. I use it every day :)

    I have lots more images at home but I am on the road...
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