Thanks Joe, This video sold me on this Benro tripod/Acratech GP ball head combination. I just got the tripod and ball head yesterday. What a great set up! What was even sweeter is the fact that the tripod with the GP ball head attached, fits in the carrying case that is included with this tripod. NICE!
The ball head is the most important part of the tripod setup IMO. Been looking for a new ball head for a while. I got sand in mine and the construction doesn't allow for a proper disassembly and cleaning. Acratech looks more and more compelling. A nice thing about Benro tripods is that they are easy to completely disassemble when you need to clean them.
Glad to see a noted photographer such as yourself promoting the acratech line. Last year I decided to stop throwing money away on cheaper tripods and ball heads and upgraded my tripod legs to carbon fiber and purchased an Acratech GPs ballhead as well I started using an L-Bracket out in the field. I haven't looked back and have no need to even look at another set-up. It wasn't cheap, but ultimately I know in the long run it will save me money and I am sorry I didn't heed early advice and just spend the money on a quality tripod and ball-head.
very good advice. I am using a 30 year old Bogen/Manfrotto with a new ball head and although it is old, not carbon fiber, heavy-ish, it has served me reliably all along and will for the next hopefully 30 years as well!
Those Acratech heads are the coolest heads I have ever seen! Great find Joe! As always - thank you for sharing and for the effort you put into your videos.
Great tips! I personally prefer twistlocks and a 3-way had. But that's something everyone should find out for themselves. I have had lever locks and ball heads in the past, but twist locks are way faster to set up and a normal ball head is a pain in the ass if you want to keep your camera levelled while tilting forward or backward.
Different strokes for different folks UCreations! I appreciate the comment. For me, I find twist locks to be painfully slow and until I found the Acratech design - I refused to use ball heads. Now - I would never go back to handles.
The Benro's look like a great deal. The monopod especially interests me. The only feature I loathe on Tripods is twist locks, I personally prefer the click lock style, having tried a twist lock type I found you have to double check your twist lock is secure or you'll have the leg collapse in on itself. Not good when you have an expensive camera/lens combination lol 😃
Agreed on all points dunnymonster - I will add that you need to be aware of the quality of the lever locks. The biggest reason lever locks have a bad reputation is because of cheap lever locks.
I have a Benro CF tripod with a B1 ball head, 3 section TMA48CL, it's a big tripod, and I needed it cause I'm 6'4". I don't know why more people don't look into Benro as it is one heck of a nice piece of equipment beautiful CF 9X, but this one has twist locks.
Hey, that was great, Joe! I have been debating getting a new tripod and ball head for some time now, but have been put off by the $1000.00 and $1500.00 price tags. My normal tripod is a Tilt-All, which I totally love in the studio. It is very stable but it weighs as much as a truck. Your recommendations seems like a reasonable solution to my problem.
Great video, Joe! I've always admired the engineering and design of Acratech products! I hope to test the GP-SS model with my Fujifilm X-Pro2 system, though I haven't yet used Benro tripods.
I don't really get ball heads. To me, the ideal head is a combination of a video head and a pan and tilt head. That is, I don't need to tilt a camera right or left, but only up and down, and I want the camera to be level. As a result, I settled on the leveling base and the panoramic head. This way, I can get (and keep) the camera level, have up and down motion, and panning (at an infinite number of angles; not just one as with an upside down GP and other heads which put panning above the ball). Light and elegant. Of course, it comes at a price!
Well said I totally agree with Joe .... Benro makes one of the best and reasonable priced tripod legs, but there ball heads are rubbish specially for landscape photographers that is why I bought Acratech ultimate and it had survived for almost 4 years until the Lever Clamp refused to lock securely in it position, so save your self the trouble and order the Standard Clamp with Knob
Thank you again for such a great video worth watching, I had the pleasure of meeting the CEO of Acratech at the Los Angeles Convention Center Camera Show a few years ago and he showed me in detail the GP ball head and a few months latter I purchased this awesome head and I love it! But I still have a very old Bogen aluminum tripod, I will look into the Benro Carbon one thanks again.
I have a Benro Aluminum tripod - love it - have you guys found the half pound weight difference to be worth the extra cost for the carbon fiber? Are there any other advantages to carbon fiber in a tripod? I am a cyclist and in a bike there are a number of other benefits (like vibration damping) but they wouldn't seem to be germane here.
Benro TAD27C: what is the diameter of the top plate? I would like to check as the head I am using is close to 3". Thank you for the impressive presentation and response.
Joe, do you have any recommendations for lighting kits. Is it something you think beginners should invest in? There are several inexpensive kits on Amazon that are tempting to buy. I am not a professional photographer nor am I trying to be. I am a makeup artist that is trying to put together a home studio in my garage so that I can photograph models and friends with my own creative ideas at any time of day or night. I am a big fan of beauty dish style lighting. Any help is much appreciated.
Honestly Laura Barton - I think you need to be very careful about buying kits. I watch a lot of new / young photographers start out with kits when they don't really understand lighting and as a result they wind up overwhelmed and frustrated. Many of my best photos are taken with ONE light. My advice for any photographer - do your research and determine what type and brand of lights that you want to work with. Pick a system that meets what you anticipate your needs to be in five years and then purchase one light. Master that light and then add a modifier. Master the light and the modifier and then add a second light and so on. Whatever you do - avoid cheap kits. Cheap is just that cheap. You don't need the most expensive but plan and buy smart.
Hello Joe, I am about to purchase Benro Tripod TMA 38 CL would you kindly recommend the correct Acratech Ball head for this tripod. I thank you, in advance...
I need a secure tripod head that switches the body orientation from portrait to landscape quickly while keeping the center point fairly close to the same spot. This will be used mainly for composite shooting. Do you have any recommendations?
Curious to check out their offerings but I don't see the Adventure series of tripods on Benro website. Have they been renamed/rebranded? Or does it depend on your country of origin? (Canada, for me)
Hmmmm Michael Dunn - On Benrousa.com here is the link: www.benrousa.com/products/photo-tripods/?collection=Adventure%2c On the Benro.com website I believe they are called The Classic Series: www.benro.com/product/jdxl224/
Thank you Jasmine Janell! You could use a photo tripod for static shots. If you intend to do any panning you would want to use a fluid head on a video tripod.
Hi Jerome l was looking at the Acratech products too. They have a number of European distributors. For more information visit here. www.acratech.net/dealers/
PRICE CORRECTION: The Acratech Nomad Ball Head that is discussed @8:57 Retails for $299.99 - my apologies for the error.
Hey Joe. Wondering if you still use this tripod setup with your olympus?
Thanks Joe, This video sold me on this Benro tripod/Acratech GP ball head combination. I just got the tripod and ball head yesterday. What a great set up! What was even sweeter is the fact that the tripod with the GP ball head attached, fits in the carrying case that is included with this tripod. NICE!
Thanks for the feedback Paul Desrosiers!
Thanks, Joe. You'll never regret buying quality. My Bogen (now Manfroto) tripods are circa 1980 and still work great.
You're welcome Steven Muncy I appreciate the comment!
The ball head is the most important part of the tripod setup IMO. Been looking for a new ball head for a while. I got sand in mine and the construction doesn't allow for a proper disassembly and cleaning. Acratech looks more and more compelling. A nice thing about Benro tripods is that they are easy to completely disassemble when you need to clean them.
I completely agree sfr3455f! Do check out the Acratech heads - they are totally worth the money - especially with that 10 year warranty.
Glad to see a noted photographer such as yourself promoting the acratech line. Last year I decided to stop throwing money away on cheaper tripods and ball heads and upgraded my tripod legs to carbon fiber and purchased an Acratech GPs ballhead as well I started using an L-Bracket out in the field. I haven't looked back and have no need to even look at another set-up. It wasn't cheap, but ultimately I know in the long run it will save me money and I am sorry I didn't heed early advice and just spend the money on a quality tripod and ball-head.
Thanks for commenting Jim Sommers! I have been eyeballing an L Bracket as well.
Just got the GXP ball head and will be putting it on my Sirui travel tripod and my Manfrotto tripod. Love this ball head.
very good advice. I am using a 30 year old Bogen/Manfrotto with a new ball head and although it is old, not carbon fiber, heavy-ish, it has served me reliably all along and will for the next hopefully 30 years as well!
Those Acratech heads are the coolest heads I have ever seen! Great find Joe! As always - thank you for sharing and for the effort you put into your videos.
They are really awesome Robert Jones! Thanks so much for the kind words and support!
Great tips! I personally prefer twistlocks and a 3-way had. But that's something everyone should find out for themselves. I have had lever locks and ball heads in the past, but twist locks are way faster to set up and a normal ball head is a pain in the ass if you want to keep your camera levelled while tilting forward or backward.
Different strokes for different folks UCreations! I appreciate the comment. For me, I find twist locks to be painfully slow and until I found the Acratech design - I refused to use ball heads. Now - I would never go back to handles.
The Benro's look like a great deal. The monopod especially interests me. The only feature I loathe on Tripods is twist locks, I personally prefer the click lock style, having tried a twist lock type I found you have to double check your twist lock is secure or you'll have the leg collapse in on itself. Not good when you have an expensive camera/lens combination lol 😃
Agreed on all points dunnymonster - I will add that you need to be aware of the quality of the lever locks. The biggest reason lever locks have a bad reputation is because of cheap lever locks.
benro legs + ball head... that's what i use myself. love these videos
Glad you enjoyed it Mop Krayz! I appreciate the comment!
I bought the Acratech GP used last night off of a guy on Craigslist! Great price looks new! Looking forward to using it!
Awesome Jay G.! Enjoy it - they are incredible ballheads.
I have a Benro CF tripod with a B1 ball head, 3 section TMA48CL, it's a big tripod, and I needed it cause I'm 6'4". I don't know why more people don't look into Benro as it is one heck of a nice piece of equipment beautiful CF 9X, but this one has twist locks.
Agreed Crewchief 227! I think they are all too often overlooked for the value and quality that they provide.
Hey, that was great, Joe! I have been debating getting a new tripod and ball head for some time now, but have been put off by the $1000.00 and $1500.00 price tags. My normal tripod is a Tilt-All, which I totally love in the studio. It is very stable but it weighs as much as a truck. Your recommendations seems like a reasonable solution to my problem.
Gotta love those Tilt-Alls Paul Anders! I still have mine but indeed it is a beast! I am loving the Benro - Acratech combo! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks Joe, been looking for a tripod same as you and will check out the Benro
You're very welcome JamesG! I think you will like Benro - I have been very pleased with all three of their pieces.
Really Right Stuff also makes really badass ball heads, they are pricey, but they are top notch quality.
Thank you Guairenito! I appreciate the comment.
Joe Edelman 😊 thank you for the nice and useful content.
As well as a main camera, I’m in the market for a proper tripod too, so this is a very useful video! My Benro monopod has been very reliable.
Awesome - glad it helped Iain B!
Joe Edelman Always helps Joe. That’s why we’re here!
Ah great that you included versitility in this part 2.
Great video Joe. I was taught to use a tripod many years ago.
Thank you Carl Harr! I was taught the same lesson - unfortunately I ignored it for many years.
Great video, Joe! I've always admired the engineering and design of Acratech products! I hope to test the GP-SS model with my Fujifilm X-Pro2 system, though I haven't yet used Benro tripods.
I don't really get ball heads. To me, the ideal head is a combination of a video head and a pan and tilt head. That is, I don't need to tilt a camera right or left, but only up and down, and I want the camera to be level. As a result, I settled on the leveling base and the panoramic head. This way, I can get (and keep) the camera level, have up and down motion, and panning (at an infinite number of angles; not just one as with an upside down GP and other heads which put panning above the ball). Light and elegant. Of course, it comes at a price!
Well said I totally agree with Joe .... Benro makes one of the best and reasonable priced tripod legs, but there ball heads are rubbish specially for landscape photographers that is why I bought Acratech ultimate and it had survived for almost 4 years until the Lever Clamp refused to lock securely in it position, so save your self the trouble and order the Standard Clamp with Knob
Thank you again for such a great video worth watching, I had the pleasure of meeting the CEO of Acratech at the Los Angeles Convention Center Camera Show a few years ago and he showed me in detail the GP ball head and a few months latter I purchased this awesome head and I love it! But I still have a very old Bogen aluminum tripod, I will look into the Benro Carbon one thanks again.
My Manfrotto has lasted me 30 yrs., so has my wife, lots of life left in both.
Congratulations on both counts mamiyapress!! 🎉
I have a Benro Aluminum tripod - love it - have you guys found the half pound weight difference to be worth the extra cost for the carbon fiber? Are there any other advantages to carbon fiber in a tripod? I am a cyclist and in a bike there are a number of other benefits (like vibration damping) but they wouldn't seem to be germane here.
You answered your own question. Vibration damping.
Vibration dampening is a benefit of carbon fiber Jeffrey Thompson and they do tend to be stronger than aluminum in extreme use circumstances.
Thank you Joe for putting up this very important video on making Tripod choices ...Awesome!!!
You're very welcome tejas ariwala! Thank you so much for the kind words!
Always look forward to your vids ...so informative keep them coming.
Thank you jim duffin! I appreciate the kind words and support!
I went with a Benro Mach3 TMA28A Mach3 Aluminum Tripod and Acratech GP
Awesome gbudavid! Thanks for commenting!
Benro TAD27C: what is the diameter of the top plate? I would like to check as the head I am using is close to 3". Thank you for the impressive presentation and response.
Joe, do you have any recommendations for lighting kits. Is it something you think beginners should invest in? There are several inexpensive kits on Amazon that are tempting to buy. I am not a professional photographer nor am I trying to be. I am a makeup artist that is trying to put together a home studio in my garage so that I can photograph models and friends with my own creative ideas at any time of day or night. I am a big fan of beauty dish style lighting. Any help is much appreciated.
Honestly Laura Barton - I think you need to be very careful about buying kits. I watch a lot of new / young photographers start out with kits when they don't really understand lighting and as a result they wind up overwhelmed and frustrated. Many of my best photos are taken with ONE light. My advice for any photographer - do your research and determine what type and brand of lights that you want to work with. Pick a system that meets what you anticipate your needs to be in five years and then purchase one light. Master that light and then add a modifier. Master the light and the modifier and then add a second light and so on. Whatever you do - avoid cheap kits. Cheap is just that cheap. You don't need the most expensive but plan and buy smart.
+Joe Edelman Thank you so much, Joe. I had a feeling you were going to say that ;-)
Hello Joe, I am about to purchase Benro Tripod TMA 38 CL would you kindly recommend the correct Acratech Ball head for this tripod. I thank you, in advance...
Thanks Joe, as usual informative and energetic, love your videos, man.
Thank you Boaz Yoffe! I really appreciate the kind words!
I need a secure tripod head that switches the body orientation from portrait to landscape quickly while keeping the center point fairly close to the same spot. This will be used mainly for composite shooting. Do you have any recommendations?
I would still use the Acratech heads Benjamin Leavitt - just add an L bracket with the Arca Swiss grooves.
Thanks. - Help! - What tripod should taller guys like me 1.89m / 6'2" buy?
You should buy a tall one Jochen Schrey! 😎 Benro, Manfrotto, Gitzo - they all make tripods that are suitable for use of over 7 feet tall.
What about Gitzo tripods/monopods and Arca Swiss ball heads?
Expensive - but nothing wrong with them Tibor Jäger - as the video says - "my favorite".
Joe Edelman Thank you!
Curious to check out their offerings but I don't see the Adventure series of tripods on Benro website. Have they been renamed/rebranded? Or does it depend on your country of origin? (Canada, for me)
Hmmmm Michael Dunn - On Benrousa.com here is the link: www.benrousa.com/products/photo-tripods/?collection=Adventure%2c On the Benro.com website I believe they are called The Classic Series: www.benro.com/product/jdxl224/
How well will te Achratech GP and TAD27c work with Nikon D750 with Sigma 150x600mm?
Another awesome video thanks 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you devdas Devdas! I appreciate the comment.
Very informative video... Keep it up Joe and thank you...
You're very welcome hopeulikepics! I am glad you enjoyed it!
Great video as always! Quick question: Can you use a photo tripod for video?
Thank you Jasmine Janell! You could use a photo tripod for static shots. If you intend to do any panning you would want to use a fluid head on a video tripod.
Thanks for the great video.
You're very welcome CanadianSaurusRex! I am glad you enjoyed it!
Very "real" price tag ....xD ... Nice way of saying it.
Shame acratech is not distributed in Europe
Jérôme Jheelan Acretech will ship to all countries and places serviced by UPS or Fed-Ex www.acratech.net
Hi Jerome l was looking at the Acratech products too. They have a number of European distributors. For more information visit here.
www.acratech.net/dealers/