Short answer, no, this is not overkill..

My rule of thumb is I try to spend as much on the head as the legs. By the way, I also have a D200 and I have used it on a tripod with the 70-200VR. It is heavy and you are very wise to seek to persue a quality tripod..

Legs first. I have both a Carbon set (Gitzo) and Aluminum (relatively inexpensive but very heavy duty) from Amvona. Though I really love the light weight of the Carbon tripod, I find myself going back to the Aluminum leg set whenever I don't need the portability. Reason being, Aluminum is a bit stiffer, but weighs more generally speaking. So consider your use and buy accordingly..

Your choice for Carbon legs is just fine. It is light, compact and the four section design allows you a great deal of flexibility..

If you can handle the extra weight, Manfrotto has several sets that are great for under $250. Amvona/Dynatran is a lesser known brand that is basically a knock off from the big boys. Their leg sets are great values. If you do look at their stuff, don't buy from their web site, You can get their products very consistantly on their Ebay auctions for as little as 1/4 the price as on their website. I say this knowing full well that someone will knock me for even mentioning this brand. Here is my thought.

Also, we are not talking state of the art technology when talking about Aluminum leg sets. They are tubes and levers that have been around for decades. Heck, if you don't need carbon, go get one of these leg sets and get the heaviest duty and fanciest head you can afford!.

Tripod heads. Don't compromize here. The head is what holds the camera and you want it to handle your heavies combination with ease..

I had a head very much like this one and found it difficult to use. However, it does have two advantages that should be considered. It works really well for panaramas if you do not have a dedicated panarama head. Second, because of it's complexity, it does force you to slow down when composing a shot..

Ball heads are very simple and fast to adjust. A good ball head has a tension nob that prevents you from accidently dropping your camera forward or backwards impacting the tripod or post. Personally I use a Ball head, the Giottos MH 1300-657 which - according to their claims on the box - has a maximum load of 20kg(44lb). It is a great choice and I believe that it is a bargin for the quality, I believe around $200. Giottos also has a good line of leg sets. Gitzo 1378M is a great ball head made of Magnisium and is around $300 or so and should hold your rig just fine.

The one I would steer you away from are the Manfrotto heads. While I like their leg sets, I just am not that thrilled with the two I own, thus I switched to the Giottos..

Of course there are a myriad of options, but these are the ones I am familiar with. I will leave you with the wisdom taht I was given when I started out in Photography, the next most important thing to a good lens on your list of priorities when developing you camera system is a good tripod that you will use. What ever you get, be sure that it is something that you will use. It is worthless, if you leave it at home, it does you no good! It is the best VR you will ever buy.So wit h all that in mind, good luck and enjoy your new tripod!Rog..

Brian,.

Nothing wrong with the equipment you list but do you need to spend that much? That may depend upon how much carrying of the tripod you will do..

If, like me, you will simply carry it a few yards from car trunk to photo location the expense of the carbon fibre legs may not be justified. But if you are treking and/or doing lots of air travel then your choice makes sense..

Chose a height that is comfortable for you WITHOUT the centre column raised more than an inch or so (Otherwise you are mounting a monopod on top of a tripod). If you really want to save weight you can get a setup that eliminates the centre column.

The Manfrotto 055 range is pretty good both in aluminium and carbon fibre variety. But for weight saving look also at the smaller 190 series..

As for a head you should definitely go for a ball head and one with a separate pan lock. It is worth spending money on a good head. If you are using a long lens a lot then a separate friction control for the ball is a must. I have the older Manfrotto 468RC2 (not to be confused with the cheaper lighter 486RC2 which I use on my monopod) that has since been replaced with a fluid lock model that gets very good reports. There would be no point in matching my beast with light weight legs but the newer model is magnesium..

I do not know the model but the Gitzo sounds fine. Make sure you have a maximum load weight that is approximately twice that which you envisage (including flash). You do not want to be at the margins of stability..

But with a head I suggest you begin by looking at what QR plate you want to use. I use the Manfrotto RC2 which I have on three heads, two tripods and a monopod. If I were starting again I would at least want to consider the Manfrotto hexagonal QR. Gitzo have different system. Many would recomend Kirk plates. You are not tied to a QR from the ball head mfr.



Finally do explore the potential for a monopod. They are highly portable and, with a light head (As I said before I use a Manfrotto 468), very flexible.) It will take the weight off your arms of the D200 70-200mm combination. They come in many varieties from those with a mini tripod base to a treking pole. With a monopod you definitely want something that will come to eye height..

Chris Elliott.

*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.

Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..

For recurring or indoor panoramic work, I suggest the Nodal Ninja for a low-cost-high-quality head..

If you're really planning to do panoramic work only occasionally, and all of those shots are outdoors (where the subject is >20ft away), then you probably can deal with hand-held results..

For near-home work, I went with a Gitzo G2220 Explorer and for travel, a Feisol model tripod that's lighter and packs smaller. That's not to say there aren't fifty other varieties which are quite good at comparable prices..

[ e d @ h a l l e yc c ] http://www.halley.cc/pix/..

Bill McBain wrote:..

I have been looking at these:.

Gitzo G-1376M Magnesium Universal Ballhead with Independent PanningLock & Quick Release.

Probably nothing substantially wrong with these but you never see much discussion of them. When you pay $250 for a head you are getting close to being into the range of the good ball heads with adjustable tension and Arca Swiss release plate compatilbility. I've seen these and they seem rather big. clunky and expensive. What would this do that a Bogen 488rc2 wouldn't - for a lot less?.

Bogen / Manfrotto 055MF4 Magfiber Pro Carbon Fiber 4-SectionTripod Legs.

These are good middle of the road CF legs. Perhaps neither as light nor as expensive as some of the others, maybe more expensive than the Feisol..

I was wondering if this setup is overkill?.

Legs are probably fine, I'd revisit the head..

Also, I would like to be able to do some panoramic work. Should Iconsider a pano-head as well? Will this fit the bill?.

Pan/tilt can be easier but the big things with panoramas are getting the center post vertical (to get the base horizontal) and there are several ways to approach that besides tweaking the legs a lot. There are some assemblies which mount to either the tripod or the head to allow easier adjusting of level. The Nodal Ninja and some other heads make it easier to set and repeat angles and nodal points..

If setting up for longer shots and limited foreground, then you may not need a specialized pano head...

I am pretty settled on aluminum legs - I won't be traveling far ,so carrying isn't an issue - but I am concerned about loads - using nikon d80 and a 70-300mm vr lens with a sb 800 how much should does all that weigh ?

Hey,.

In terms of weight I've been looking at B&H or adorama at the product description..

For the setup you mention I get this:.

D80: 21 oz70-300 af-s vr: 1.6 lbSB-800: 12.3 oz.

So you're in a little under 5 lbs with everything. I've heard weight-wise you don't want to put 13 lbs of gear on a tripod that can support 13 lbs exactly. Having a little wiggle room will help you and so I think you'd be safe with a setup that can hold anything over 10 lbs..

Good luck and let me know what you decide on.....

Bill.

Http://flickr.com/photos/mcbill..

Bogen / Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod Legs (Black) with 488RC2 Midi Ballhead (Quick Release) - Supports 9.5 lbs (4.3 kg).

Is that overkill ? .

D-slr newbie - but want room to grow and learn - will be shooting the kids (5,6, and 8) - and pretty much everything I can find time for -..

Bill McBain wrote:.

I was wondering if this setup is overkill?.

No such thing where tripods are concerned. At the risk of being shouted down again, have a look here. It would seem that you're going the right way with your choices so far..

Http://www.bythom.com/support.htm.

Rob.

If you're bored...http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/gallery.

'Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything.' Sydney Smith (1771-1845)..

Wow, there are some really good posts in this thread. What you list here is not overkill. I strongly believe that the tripod is much like the camera that you bought. Does it fit you. And will you use it! You don't have to spend thousands, but be sure to get the best equipment you can afford! It will make a big difference!.

The one thing I forgot in my earlier post was mentioned by another, if you can, get a Tripod that is at a comfortable height without the post extended. This might not be possible if you are tall, but the less you extend that post, the better.Good luck you guys, you have some great advice here.Rog..

One of the few bad thngs about this lens is that it doesn't have a tripod collar. So this means that it isn't going to be balanced over or close to it's center of gravity unless additional precautions are taken. Some folks have considered using a longer bracket or bar to set the camera off to the rear of the head somewhat. This probably helps with balance, I'd wonder about vibrations though..

But it does mean that you probably have less leeway in choosing heads and tripod leg capacity. It may show up sag or flex more readily than some other lens choices might. I think the Bogen 488 series should do OK but any flex in the head, qr system, spider and legs will be more apparent...

I also have an 18-200, and was wondering if I'll have it sagging until I get upgrade to a quality wide-angle. I use the 70-200 for midrange, but haven't yet purchased the 12-24 I'd eventually like to get..

Http://flickr.com/photos/mcbill..

It's a smaller and lighter lens than the 70-300 so I'd think it would be a lot less likely to have sag or similar problems. Especially if working at the wide end where it's not extended much...