Travelling light(er) with big lenses

As much as I love my big 500 f4 lens, Canon EOS ID mk II camera, Gitzo 1548 tripod, and Kirk BH-1 head, the combined weight of all this gear is a bit horrendous.

Current setup:

The actual weight carried is even worse than this of course, as I will usually have a couple of tele- extenders, memory cards, spare batteries, lunch, a drink, and possibly a bag hide and chair in addition !

This rig is fine when transported in a Lowepro lens trecker 600 rucksack and the hike is not too far, but I have been missing too many good photo opportunities as my gear has been packed away. What was needed was a lighter set-up that could be carried on a tripod over my shoulder and would be immediately available if a bird or animal appeared unexpectedly in front of me.

I now feel that I have achieved my goal - my new setup is (or to be strictly accurate will be) 21% (or two kilos) lighter with negligible loss in stability for my equipment. That's a big improvement.

New setup :

The Markins's only weakness is that the panning knob doesn't grip as tightly as it should. It is not a deal-breaker though, I still thoroughly recommend this head.

To buy one and read more about Markins, you will need to visit Nikonians.

Gitzo GT 3530S 6x carbon fibre tripod

The greatest weight reduction that I achieved was made by replacing my trusty Gitzo 1548 tripod with a smaller model Gitzo from the new 6X range - the GT 3530S. This almost halved the tripod's weight at a stroke. But how good is it you ask ?

The 1548 is just phenomenally rigid, but is actually overkill when using image-stabilised lenses like the 500 f4. I have never really liked having 4 leg-sections to undo, and I have never got on with the horrible twist-grips on the legs that have to be tightened or slackened in a set sequence if the next leg is not to undo instead of the one you want.

The 3530S is made of a new, lighter but stronger carbon-fibre weave and is the replacement for the Gitzo 1325 (not the 1548). Despite increased performance over the 1325, the 6x model is 0.31 kg lighter. It is only 3 sections, so is much quicker to set up, and the new G-Lock twist-lock legs are a joy to use. So much faster than the earlier models.



The tripod does not go as tall as the1548, but as I am 5ft 9inches tall, that is no problem for me, however, there is an LS model which goes higher (146 cm vs 128cm) if you need the extra height.
Finally, there is a 3540 model which has 4 leg-sections if you prefer.

So how does the 3530S compare to the 1548 ? Well, when loaded with a big camera and lens, it feels very rigid still. I can feel just a little flex if I hold two of the legs and push/pull them in opposite directions when the tripod is fully extended. This movement was not present in the tank-like 1548, but in practice I can see no image degradation when using the long lens and 2x extender with IS activated. So I am very pleased - a 1.3 Kg reduction in weight is more than I could have hoped for. With lighter equipment of shorter focal length without IS, I don't think you would be disappointed with this tripod.

I don't know how it would fare with a 600mm f4 lens on board - it could still be fine as the extra weight would add additional stability, and the G-lock legs appear immensely strong, but I have no experience of it.

I should comment at this point that I (and most other nature pros) do not use a centre column with the tripod. as convenient as it is to adjust height, the decrease in rigidity is too high a price to pay.

Click here to visit Gitzo .

Canon Eos 1D mk III

* This article was written on the 20th March 07. It is now September, and I do not yet have the 1DIII referred to in this article.The reason is, I cancelled my pre-order following considerable controversy over the autofocus performance - particularly in AI servo. This is best summarised in the following article by Rob Galbraith. As the main purpose of the 1DII/III is for action images, this does not make happy reading. Some people claim to have no issues with their MkIII's. I have also seen plenty of images from people claiming that their's is fine, but the posted images are not sharp to my eyes! So, until Canon update the firmware or hardware as necessary to rectify this, I am not buying. Instead I have bought a 40D to replace the 20D - and it is a superb camera - with no AF issues that I can detect. I like the huge 3" screen, the improved autofocus, the improvement in noise performance and image quality, the quieter shutter, the liveview histogram, the extra two megapixels and the self-cleaning sensor - this list goes on. This camera is like a junior 1DIII with the extra benefit of the 1.6x sensor (for telephoto work) and lighter weight. I think it is a little gem. A correctly-focussing 1DIII should have awesome autofocus speed/tracking and even better image quality - so I have not written it off yet!

Suffice it to say, that at the time of writing (20th March 07) I have just pre-ordered the new 1D mk III camera which promises to be a sensational wildlife camera. When I first heard that it had 10.2 Mp - just 2 megapixels more than the 1D mk II I was a little disappointed. (12 Mpixels would have been nice for extra "crop-ability") but Canon have intelligently balanced more megapixels with improved image quality, less digital noise and increased processing speed in preference to straight-out increasing the number of Mpixels - bravo Canon for not jumping on the megapixel bandwagon! Any more megapixels on the sensor would have forced them to be smaller and closer together at the detriment of image quality.

The number of improvements with the new camera are just amazing. Highlights include 10fps motor drive, automatic sensor cleaning (bliss), 1-2 stops improvement in noise at high ISO, 14 bit images, improvements to autofocussing, live preview on 3" screen, silent single shot mode, user-calibration correct for front/back focus on individual lenses, the list goes on and on.

One other thing that I will mention - as we are talking about weight - is that the camera itself is a little lighter than the 1D mk II, but it is the battery (having changed to a smaller, lighter, more powerful lithium ion type) that makes a big weight saving - the new combination is 0.252 kg lighter to be precise. - Every little helps!

For more information on what I hope will be the worlds best wildlife camera, here are a few links:

Canon website information

Detailed "white paper"

Hands-on preview

Demonstration of what 10 frames per second sounds like

To save even more weight

My trusty 20D back-up camera may lag behind the 1D range in functionality, but it still offers equivalent image quality to the 1DII in a very light body. Additionally it has the benefit of the extra reach with telephoto lenses thanks to the high pixel density of it's 1.6x crop factor sensor. So it still has a place in my armoury ! The Canon 400D and the Nikon D80 have even higher pixel densities than the 20D in an even lighter body - so could be better still, but noise performance at high ISO may not be as good - as so many pixels have been crammed onto the smaller sensor.

Gimbal Heads for super-telephoto lenses

There is no question, that when using the 500mm and 600mm super-telephoto lenses, that a gimbal head is the way to go. Once the weight of the camera and lens is balanced (by moving it back and forth in the quick-release plate clamp, it effectively becomes weightless. It goes just where you point it, and doesn't try to flop from side to side like a ball head. The set-up is highly maneuverable - ideal for fast action or even birds in flight.

Wimberley

The Wimberley full gimbal head version 2 is widely recognised as the best gimbal head available, it is lighter than the original mk I version but it is still heavy - 1.43Kg , not to mention very expensive for what it is at £499 in rip-off Britain. To that you will still need to add £50 for a QR plate. A head of this calibre is required with 600mm lenses. Another expensive and weighty alternative is Kirk's "King Cobra".

Full Wimberley head	Wimberley sidekick

The Wimberley sidekick (0.6kg) is designed to fit into the quick release clamp of a ball head such as the Markins M20 . This combination weighs 1.168 Kg - 19% less than the Full Wimberley. The combination of Markins M20 and Sidekick is about the same as the full Wimberley - so I wouldn't suggest this combination unless you already own a good ball head.
On the plus side, the sidekick does not have to reside on the tripod all the time, and is compact, so will fit into a generous coat pocket. It is therefore more versatile than the fixed gimbal, and can save weight if used with a light ball head. It is adequate up to the Canon 500mm f4 - but not the 600mm.

On the minus side, it puts a lot of strain on the ball head, and I don't recommend it on the Kirk BH-1 if you intend to carry the rig around on your shoulder as it all too easily slips and sags - which could result in a catastrophe when on the move. The Kirk snap collar, a £22 piece of plastic which can be slipped into prevent this happening if the lens is attached directly to the ball head becomes useless when the ball is turned into the cutout in the head to accomodate the sidekick.

The Markins head locks down far more effectively without slippage than the Kirk, so I am looking forward to trying out the Markins-Sidekick combination - as it must be a contender for the lightest gimbal head out there.

Manfrotto 393 (Bogen 3421)

A much cheaper alternative to the Wimberley at a mear £99 is the Manfrotto 393 head (known as the Bogen 3421 in the US).
It can be used with 500 or 600 mm lenses or reputedly even with the Sigma 300-800mm. It is often shown inverted - as in the above picture, but I prefer it in the alternative closed position as seen below:

Manfrotto 393	Kirk QR platform mounted on the Manfrotto platform

The minuses of the Manfrotto 393 are firstly weight - the same as the full Wimberley, and secondly it does not accept an Arca Swiss type quick release plate without modification. In the second picture above, you can see that I have added an additional Kirk platform onto the Manfrotto QR plate using the screws that come with the Manfrotto. - more expense and a little more weight ! It is such a pity to have to do this, as the quality of the Manfrotto quick-release is superb - it has a silky smooth runner, locks down tight, and has a sprung-loaded button which has to be depressed in order to remove the lens - a great safety feature. If you don't currently use an Arca Swiss style QR plate system, then the Manfrotto is a no-brainer!

Another small minus is that the Manfrotto is supplied at a fairly loose panning setting, which allows some flex in the setup with a big weighty lens. This is not a problem though, as if you remove the rubber cover from the panning knob you will see a small hole, inside which is an allen screw. If this is slackened with an allen key, the knob may be tightened to remove the slack and then re-locked.
Once adjusted, it is hard to imagine how the full Wimberley head could be any better - the Manfrotto is extremely rigid, operates smoothly and is very well made, although it is a little bulky. If only it was made from aluminium to save weight it would be unbeatable.

The Manfrotto is extremely good value and highly recommended if you are prepared to adapt it a bit initially.