On 4/28/2018 5:44 AM, Jan Steinman via olympus wrote:
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>>
this thread led me to wandering the byways of the web, with the probably
inevitable
result that a new to me Uni-Loc S1700 should be here in about a week…
Oh no! A moose wrestling with bagpipes! People would pay good money for a photo
of THAT!
I'm not going to risk losing . . . :-)
But most of my tripod use is at home, and with 410 geared head
That Uni-Loc looks like a copy of the Benbo Trekker, which I found to be too
light for studio work, and too long (fully collapsed) for field work.
I don't have a Trekker to compare with. Based on reading a bunch of forum posts and looking at pix on the web, it seems
the Uni-Loc may be sturdier, and operate better. I haven't used it seriously as yet. Just futzing around, adjusting it
to various heights, angles, etc., it doesn't seem at all like wrestling bagpipes; fairly well behaved. Might this be
because of a more subtle locking mechanism? I find it easy to set friction so that I can adjust arms and legs without
everything going loose.
I agree with part two. But, I didn't buy it for field work.
Too bad I didn’t know you were looking. I’d’a sold you my older, British-made
Trekker.
I could have bought an original Trekker cheaper than the Uni-Loc, but my research convinced me that the Uni-Loc was a
better bet. The folks who made the British Benbos sold, waited out their non-compete agreement, then started Uni-Loc,
supposedly improving on details.
I find the old, British-made Benbo #1 to be a perfect fit for the 410 head, and sturdy enough for
either a 4”x5” or a Kaidan Kiwi panorama head. I wouldn’t trust the Trekker
with either of those. I also found the Trekker to be too light for weird positions with a bellows on
it.
None of this is on any consequence to me. No 4"x5", nor Kiwis, just µ4/3 gear and Sony A7 with modest lenses. Not sure I
ever do "studio" work, anyway, although I shoot indoors a fair amount.
The Uni-Loc came with a Prohead ball head, which weighs the same as a 410, so I imagine it would work. However, my 410
is on the Velbon Carmagne 630, and I don't feel like swapping heads for each use. The Prohead is pure overkill for my gear.
At the moment, I'm using an old Beike ball head, BK-03, I think, but before the level on the receiver plate was added.
Infinitely lighter and cheaper than the Prohead, and others I have, but with the twin lock knobs and gentle, progressive
locking, I can set tension/drag with one, so the camera moves when I push it, but not on its own, and lock it down with
the other.
Haven't yet used it with a big lens, but so far, it goes, then stays, where I want it. I imagine I may never use it with
a big lens. Straightforward tripod use is with the Velbon.
Straggle Legged Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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