New member needs help

[lurechunker]

I am new to the forum and asking for help. Our granddaughter plays basketball and I would like to photograph her. I kayak and would like to photograph birds. Is the EOS 760D the camera for me? Other? What lens or lenses? How can I protect my equipment form damage from saltwater? Thank you.

[John_SD]

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@TCampbell wrote:

Often I want to get thet tripod VERY low to the ground and the standard height center columns prevent me from getting the camera as low as I want.  The better tripods have leg assemblies that allow you to adjust how wide the leg will spread.  You can basically get the tripod to "do the splits" - with the legs so wide that the tripod's shoulder assembly is just barely above the ground height. 

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The cheap but surprisngly steady Vanguard Veo tripod I have now only gets to a minimum of about 14.7". But I have yet to find a use for that ability in the field, as I don't have time to fiddle with it and my subjects don't usually stay still. Maybe I can make use of it in low light while shooting a landscape. 

Most of what I shoot low to the ground are snakes, bugs, scorpions, tarantulas, and the occasional turtle that I come across while desert hiking. Most of them are on the move and so when I see them I quickly hit the ground on my belly and position myself to try to get eye-to-eye with them as much as reasonably possible. Sometimes I misjudge and they veer off at an agle that makes the shot no good. But in any event, the only ones that seem to pose are the lizards (on rocks and cacti), until they decide to take off like a bat out of hell. They are very skittish. Generally, I find that my tripod is useless in the field. YMMV. 

[jrhoffman75]

"One last thing about a gimbal head, they are very expensive. Cheap ones are cheap"

Very true. If one has a good ball head and only needs a gimbal infrequently the Wimberley Sidekick is an option to consider. Less than half the cost of a good gimbal. 

[Waddizzle]

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@jrhoffman75 wrote:

"One last thing about a gimbal head, they are very expensive. Cheap ones are cheap"

Very true. If one has a good ball head and only needs a gimbal infrequently the Wimberley Sidekick is an option to consider. Less than half the cost of a good gimbal. 

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I have serious doubts about those things.  You will lack the ability to adjust the load up and down, which tells me that you will likely run into issues properly balancing your gear with one.  

You also cannot control easily adjust it side to side, in order to get the CofG over the ball head.  No doubt, you will get very different results using a camera body without a grip, compared to a body with one.

[jrhoffman75]

I don't understand. 

[Waddizzle]

Exactly, John.  Your goal is to get the Center of Gravity, CoG, aligned with the vertical panning axis and the horizontal tilting axis.

Look at how the actual gimbal head mounts the camera with the CoG over the CoG of the tripod.  The Sidekick will be a hit or miss proposition to get the Center of Gravity of your gear over the CoG of the tripod, which is the axis of rotation for panning..  

Look at how the actual gimbal head gives you a height adjustment of the quick release bracket.  This lets you get the CoG of the camera aligned with the axis of  rotation for tilting.  The Sidekick's design automatically aligns this for you, which is similar to how the real gimbal allows you to raise or lower the platform.  

With the Sidekick, you will need to get lucky to align your CoG with the panning axis.  I've seen photos of people who have installed shims on their ball heads, in order to align their load.  If you change lenses, then you may need to change your shims.

Finally, I don't see how a gimbal could work well with a lens that significantly changes its' length.  Sure, it will still pan and tilt all day long.  It just may not stay where you point it, which I thought is the whole point of using a gimbal.  That luxury is why you're paying the big bucks.  I think those Sidekick gizmos are not a good investment.  

[EDIT]. Benro and Induro made a couple of inexpensive gimbals and adapters.  The Benro gimbal was cheaper, but it also lacked the vertical adjustment of the platform height, so that you can align with the tilt axis.

[Waddizzle]

I notice how all of the sample photos of the gimbal make use of a tripod with a mounting plate, instead of center column.

[lurechunker]

Will a Wemberley Sidestck on my MyFoto Globetrotter be adequate for the Tamron 150-600 G2 with 80D..... about 6 pounds?

[Waddizzle]

I suspect that it could get unstable, and possibly tip over, if you raise the center column.  In fact, I suspect that it could be unstable with the center column lowered.  I assume that you have a ball head.  How stable is it with the ball head?

Consider this.  How much does the tripod weigh, compared to how much your camera/lens would weigh?  Be sure to add the weight of the tripod head to that of your camera/lens setup, too.  You may want to consider adding some weight bags to the MeFoto's legs with the gimbal.  

Personally, I'm most sure if the MeFoto has a wide enough stance, because it gets much of its' height from raising the center column.  But, I don't use a gimbal, so I really couldn't say for sure.  If I remember correctly, your MeFoto was a carbon fiber model.

I have a similar tripod, a Benro Series 1 carbon fiber that I use when I want to travel small and light.  Benro, Induro, and MeFoto all have the same parent company.  I don't use my Sigma "C" with it.  The legs just seen too light, making the entire setup top heavy.  And, that's for a fairly stationary setup.  You're talking about swinging a gimbal.

[RobertTheFat]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

I suspect that it could get unstable, and possibly tip over, if you raise the center column.  In fact, I suspect that it could be unstable with the center column lowered.  I assume that you have a ball head.  How stable is it with the ball head?

Consider this.  How much does the tripod weigh, compared to how much your camera/lens would weigh?  Be sure to add the weight of the tripod head to that of your camera/lens setup, too.  You may want to consider adding some weight bags to the MeFoto's legs with the gimbal.  

Personally, I'm most sure if the MeFoto has a wide enough stance, because it gets much of its' height from raising the center column.  But, I don't use a gimbal, so I really couldn't say for sure.  If I remember correctly, your MeFoto was a carbon fiber model.

I have a similar tripod, a Benro Series 1 carbon fiber that I use when I want to travel small and light.  Benro, Induro, and MeFoto all have the same parent company.  I don't use my Sigma "C" with it.  The legs just seen too light, making the entire setup top heavy.  And, that's for a fairly stationary setup.  You're talking about swinging a gimbal.

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I apologize if somebody has already pointed this out, but one way to increase the stability of any tripod is to hang a weight (something as simple as a bag of rocks) from the bottom end of the center column, if any, or underneath the head. Many tripods have hooks for this purpose. The weight increases the tripod's effective mass and lowers its center of gravity, making it less likely to turn over and a bit less likely to wobble.

[Waddizzle]

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@lurechunker wrote:

Will a Wemberley Sidestck on my MyFoto Globetrotter be adequate for the Tamron 150-600 G2 with 80D..... about 6 pounds?

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For reasons that I stated above, I do not like the Sidekick, or any similar gadget.  Those type of gimbal adapters do not have adjustments to allow you to actually balance your setup, which, IMHO, defeats the whole point of using a gimbal.

I think you would be better of spending a little more on a real gimbal and a short center column.  Leg weights could be good, too, along with a portable chair.  Your tripod is fairly short without the center column raised   I think a beefier tripod is really what you need to use with a gimbal head.