Went out II

[Bobobird]

Thanks Jeff. Appreciate the feedback.

Thanks Mike, I am not sure exactly which position that is.

[FlyingSquirrel]

This is the low tripod. Ordered it from a friend's shop for slightly over the B&H price.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_Section.html.

I also have a full size Manfrotto.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...bon_Fiber.html
The legs can be splayed almost flat but the centre column has to be raised and moved into a sideways position. Allows really low level work. But the legs even one section are pretty long to get it into position between large rocks etc. Found this out the other day with these shots hence the need for a table top version.

I'll be interested to hear your opinion of that micro tripod after you try it in the field in some real life situations. I have that same micro one; bought it years ago, never used it much as it didn't have much control and positioning was tough. Not very stable for any sizable gear either. I don't know if it will do what you need, but I certainly hope it works out for you.

That's a nice CF tripod that you have there. I can understand the frustration of larger tripods and positioning the legs between obstacles for close up shots ("threading the needle" as I call it ). I just ordered a macro focusing rail to lessen the frustration, so I can roughly position the tripod and then have side to side and fore/aft camera movement. Also will help me with focus stacking shots in the field.

As far the center column, that is too bad that you have to turn it sideways. I still love my dinosaur of a tripod, the trusty Bogen 3221W. It's tough and heavy, but does a good job and rarely lets me down. I am the type of person, in general, that does whatever I need to make my gear work for me. Hence, I took a hacksaw to the center column, leaving only about 3" of column for the tripod legs to lock onto. I can lay that baby out completely flat for ground-level shooting, no problems. I doubt most people would do that to their $400+ Carbon Fiber, though. We'll see what happens when I buy a new pod sometime in the future Here's my current setup