Clyde and Richard spar over the Benbo:
> Not significantly faster to setup
> than my Gitzo or Bogen.
I bet this wasn't the main design aim.... By handling
it like an normal tripod, one might loose his nerves, but properly used
it is as fast as any tripod with the additional advantage of his
acrobatic capabilities.
One thing I like about the Benbo that I haven't seen mentioned: you
can lock the legs, which you cannot do with most other tripods, and
those that do let you lock them (via a center support) only lock in
one position.
I often lock my Benbo into a narrow tripod, then move it around with
ease, or even carry it short distances with the legs splayed. This
makes for significantly faster set-up (zero!) than a traditional
tripod, because the legs don't flop around when you move it.
All things have advantages and disadvantages. I don't think anyone
advocates a Benbo (or Uniloc) as the ultimate, be-all and end-all
tripod, but it is more versatile than most people think.
I do wish for a carbon design, with three section legs (even the
Trekker is too damn long) with lever cam-locks (instead of Gitzo's
stupid collar locks), and 3/8"/1/4" mounts, spring-loaded like
Manfrotto's, and a head-locking base like Manfrotto, and magnesium
for the metal bits, and make it take-apartable (I still have water
inside my Trekker), and a swivel column like Uniloc, and, and, and...
:-)
: Jan Steinman <mailto:Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
: Bytesmiths <http://www.bytesmiths.com>
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