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On cricket, maths, tripods and nature - part 6 of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

by Mike McNamee Published 01/12/2009

Tripod matters - holding the brute up Local cricket matches (and indeed Test matches) start around 11 or 12am and can go on until early evening, seven hours is reasonably normal. Only heroes can hold a 600mm or 800mm lens for that length of time and very few people can hold steady with such a weight.

A tripod is better than a monopod for comfort - this is cricket remember and the batsman is always close to his crease, rather than all about the pitch. For soccer or rugby the additional mobility of a monopod is far better. We have been reviewing the Manfrotto 535 Pro tripod paired up with the Wimberley head.

Although the Wimberley is rightly famous with bird photographers it works superbly for cricket. The nicest thing was that the head could be levelled with the Manfrotto ball-support so that the rotation about the vertical axis was 'true', enabling smooth tracking of the batsman as he moved forwards and backwards.

When the lock-wheel pinches tight it does so without the annoying rotational shift that you get with other heads which is enough on an ultra-telephoto to remove the subject from the frame completely! Because the counterbalance of the head is so light we were also able to track the lofted ball all the way to the catcher (only to have a stray fielder step right in front of our field of view at the last moment). See the full feature on tripods next.

In common with modern design, the leg hinge allows three positions for low-level shooting, namely 16 inches, 24 inches and 30 inches each with an ability to claim an additional seven inches by extending the centre column. Fully extended, the base of a camera would stand at 65 inches off the ground.

The legs are extended by releasing the snap action clasp which was secure during use with or without gloved hands to operate it. The three section arrangement carries the penalty of a longer unit when collapsed down. Fully closed it was longer than the largest LowePro bag favoured by Paul Gallagher.

Manfrotto 535 MPRO

We asked to review this tripod following advice from Bogen's Vic Solomon at the Rutland Bird Fair. Intended for use with ultra-telephoto lenses, we accepted the weight of the 34mm diameter legs but the use of carbon fibre did reduce this to a minimum. The unit carries a 75mm ball socket to which your chosen head is attached.

This is a gem of a feature as we wished to add a Wimberley head and it could be levelled off reasonably easily (if manoeuvring an 800mm lens is ever easy!).

You slacken the rubber stem underneath the tripod and roll the head into position until it is level. Providing you do this with some care the Wimberley will move and maintain a constant horizon as you track, say, a moving bird. Like the Giotto the hinges allow for three low-level positions, namely: 11, 20 and 27 inches to the bottom of the head.

The tripod weight (5.1lb; 92.3kg), has a maximum rated load of 44lb and a folded length of 29 inches. It was provided in the natty 'quiver' opening carry bag which is useful if you tend to throw your gear about in the back of an estate car.

In use we found the entire set-up just about manageable. It weighed in at 22lb which is the weight of a small child. This was carried for four hours over a cross-country route of about 4 miles. After that length of time the 34mm leg resting on the shoulder felt like a pointed scalpel - the things we do for you, dear reader (and next time we will be wearing the powerlunch shoulder pads Posh Spice has promised us, failing that look at the Stealth Gear review in this issue).

For somebody of your editor's stature (think small!) the reach to the first locking clasp is a little too far. The tripod was never used with the second leg at any stage, two sections were always high enough.

• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 1
  
• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 2
  
• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 3
  
• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 4
  
• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 5
  
• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 6
  
• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 7
  
• On cricket, maths, tripods and nature page 8
  

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