I caved as well, recently. I have a new (used) tripod on the way.
As much as I really like my current tripod, it lacks the height I want sometimes… So now a new one will take its place.
The one I’m getting is an older Benro.
My GAS weakness is f/4 constant zooms. I am a sucker for them. I see an f/4 constant zoom and immediately think that it is the perfect compromise between price, size/weight, and image quality.
Too bad that is not always true. And that they are pretty rare in APS-C, basically a few Fujifilm and Sony ones I know of.
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f/4 zooms on FF are like f/2.8 on APS-C in size and capability though.
Personally I love my f/3.4 35-70 on FF though, a bit more than f/4 but not the size of f/2.8.
Yes, I know. But I am specifically thinking about crop sensors.
On micro 4/3 my preferred aperture for street and landscape are usually between f/4–f/6.3. Just a hint of blur to emphasize the subject if needed, but otherwise provide context; keeps the package small and the image quality still nice. On APS-C this would be f/5 and narrower, but those are a rarity. Hence f/4.
To be fair, there are some f/3.5–f/5.6 lenses that include, say, 28mm-100mm ff equivalent. But not many. So my needs may not be typical.
I do as phones are not really the right tool for a couple treks I am looking at. Its a request that is a bit tangential to a camera group, but this group is knowledgeable across such a wide variety of interests it was worth asking.
I agree with you on the f/4 advantages … but that’s also why I have also a hard time to decide, I like fast lenses on the one hand, but on the other hand usually I am going mostly with my bike or hiking, and I want to have it as light as possible => more GAS, buy both is probably the solution 
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I ended up procuring a heavy-duty Manfrotto tripod and their ‘pistol-grip’ ball head on the recommendation of John Fielder, a Colorado-based landscape photographer who gave a workshop on the topic at the Royal Gorge some years ago. Works fine for the few times I use a tripod, mostly for group family shots where my wife wants me in the frame.
My need for a tripod dropped considerably after I bought the Z 6 with IBIS, lets me shoot down to 1/10sec with the 70-300 lens. I’ll need it if I pursue Milky Way captures, a thing gradually squirming its way into my stream of consciousness…
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GAS is that virus that, once contracted, never leaves your body. Symptoms die down and you may have some weeks, months or years of respite, but there is no cure. Take comfort in the fact that there are many of us afflicted, so you are never alone…
My annoyance with ball heads is that you can’t generally keep 1 axis constant while adjusting others. You know that problem where you just need a little vertical adjustment but then your horizon goes wonky, or vice versa? So is that solved with your p0?
I really like them too, and I think they make even more sense on full frame because it provides that bit of extra flexibility with depth of field. They are still really good with APS-C with the F5.6 DoF equivalent, but by the time you get to Micro 4/3, you’re essentially shooting at F8, which is great for a lot of landscape and street applications, but doesn’t offer as much flexibility if you want a shallower DoF.
The market has been very fixated on faster lenses in recent years, but I wonder if the renewed enthusiasm for more compact kits will result in more F4 zooms. I’d happily get F4 or even F5.6 zooms if they could be made pancake. I think my ideal lens (EDC/walkabout) would be a 24-120mm pancake with whatever F number needed to get it there.
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AFAIK what you are looking for may not exist. Standalone GPS devices are a dying breed in any case (Garmin is the only reputable brand remaining that I know of; of course there are tons of Chinese clones), they cost as much as a phone, but usually only work with the maps you get/purchase from the manufacturer.
And I would not expect much from the screens; if you are familiar with TI graphing calculators, you know what I am talking about.
Why is a mobile phone not suitable for your application? Knowing that would make it easier to help.
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DPReview is not entirely positive, and I see it’s a crop-only lens, that limits the enthousiasm somewhat. Phew.
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I’ve never had any difficulty getting exactly the adjustment I wanted.
The p0 and p1 are expensive but I found them to be that good.
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This is great. Thanks. I’ll try it out on my next hike. Was able to import GPX files and it already has a lot of the hiking trails marked.
Maybe I’ll get to try them one day. Each of my heads comes with a compromise.
- The ball head has the usual problem of imprecise adjustments. It’s quick to get in the ballpark initially, but subsequent adjustments can be really frustrating.
- The geared head is slower to work with initially because you need to set 3 axes individually. But then when small adjustments are needed, it’s wonderfully precise.
- The levelling head + 2-way head is a bit quicker than the geared head once you have levelled the tripod, but it still requires 2 adjustments as opposed to 1 (ball head) for subsequent adjustments.
I’m not sure if there’s a hybrid ball head + geared adjustments, but this is probably the best solution. Do your Arca Swiss ones work a bit like that? Or is it just that the tightening mechanism is more gradual than a typical ball head? I find most ball heads I’ve tried just go really floppy once loosened.
Is it essentially an alternative to Organic Maps? For those who have tried both, what are the main differences?
I use Mapy.com (previously known as Mapy.cz), since it’s OpenStreetMap based and therefore great at both tourist and a bit of urban navigation. Also, its origin is just over the border in Czech republic.
I’ve used OSMAnd, but found it had just waaay too many features for what I needed. It was useful for OpenStreetMap development, but in practice it felt clumsy. Idk how much has changed after 5 years…
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That is what I hate too. And a pan/tilt head seems just so perfect for the job
My Tamron 17-70/2.8 lives on my a6500. It doesn’t get used much, but if I do go on a trip, that’s the camera that goes with me.
The p0 and p1 have an extremely gradual tension adjustment that is super smooth. They both also now have minimum-tension settings (p0 didn’t, p0+ does. p1 had no drop slot but did have min tension, p1+ has both)
There is in fact a p0+ hybrid with a small range of geared adjustment atop the p0+ ballhead. It’s over a thousand bucks though.
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My Really Right Stuff ball head has been nice, I can adjust the tension on the ball head really well, so a few turns of the knob makes it really loose for coarse adjustment, but a slight tuns means the head doesn’t move on its own but I can move it with slight force from my hand.
The price of this ball head is… Uhm… Up there. But it is nice. I thought my last siriui ball head was nice, until I got this one.
It does seem that price is much more of an indicator of quality with tripods and heads than in other areas (like filters, but that might just be my eyes!)
As I’m a mid-range guy, I also buy in the mid-range, and so I have Leofoto heads primarily. They’re good and a big step up from the budget end, but I guess I’d need to spend double to get the really good stuff.
But I have to say, I really do like the Leofoto carbon-fibre tripod I bought. I went for the 3-section tall version, which means I only have 2 twist-locks on each leg to adjust, yet it still extends up to my eye level without a central column. It’s very light and super sturdy. Maybe not quite as flexible or compact as a 4-section tripod, but as far as I’m concerned, the fewer twist locks to deal with, the better!
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I went from some benro aluminum legs and a very beefy siriui ball head to a RRS carbon fiber legs and the RRS head. The difference in weight and stiffness is crazy.