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Tripod / Monopod

When not taking flight shots, I always have my 400mm lens supported. I have the Gitzo G1320 MkII tripod, which is aluminium, a G1578L carbon-fibre monopod, and the Jobu Skorpion Ground Pod.

After using my heavy aluminium tripod for some time, I purchased the carbon-fibre monopod, which I favoured for some time, but it did not provide sufficient stability in lower light conditions. I now rarely use my monopod, but it sits in the boot of my car just in case.

I am 6' 4" tall, so I bought the largest tripod that Gitzo produce. I bought the aluminium version for price reasons, although I don't find the weight a big issue now, as I'm a fairly big bloke and manage the tripod with relative ease. Perhaps if I treat myself to a 600mm f4L IS, I might have a different view!

I set the leg height such that I can use the tripod as a 'monopod' if I'm in a hurry, but with the legs spread, the height is still comfortable for me without needing to make adjustments.

The tripod came with a long centre column, which is not recommended. It is better to have a tripod that is plenty tall enough without a centre column (which the G1320 MkII is), as this provides greater stability than a shorter tripod with raised centre column. Also, the longer centre column does not allow the tripod to spread to a very low level when required. I have since purchased a short centre column - the Gitzo G035 - so I am now able to sit the tripod almost flat on the ground.

Ball Heads

For medium length lenses, I think a ball-head is the best option. I once hired a pan-and-tilt (3-way) head for the day and it was a bit of a nightmare. When I wanted to pan with the camera, unless I was on perfectly flat ground (never the case), the individual leg-length had to be adjusted every time I put the tripod down, otherwise the camera and lens would rotate as I panned. The alternative was to adjust the side-to-side position of the head whenever the pan position changed, for which three hands are required!

I rushed into my first ball head and bought the Gitzo G1378M to match my tripod. It has a quick-release adapter and I purchased a separate quick-release plate. However, there was no secure way of attaching the quick release plate to my 400mm lens, and I almost dropped the lens on a number of occasions. I would frequently have to stop and tighten the screw holding the lens in place.

I then bought a Kirk BH-1 and a Wimberley P-20 quick-release plate. The quick-release plate fastens securely to my 400mm lens and the safety stops at the front and back of the plate prevent the lens from slipping out of the quick-release adapter if I forget to tighten the adapter clamp. I can now relax when the tripod and lens are thrown across my shoulder.

Having said this, I found the Kirk head harder to work with than the Gitzo head. The movement was jerky, which made precise positioning difficult, and the locking knob required several turns before it locked or unlocked the ball. Locking and unlocking the ball also adjusted the friction knob, and vice versa, and I often had the camera and lens falling over. I eventually decided to combine the Gitzo ball-head with the Kirk quick-release adapter, so I now have the best of both.

Ground-Pod

When crawling along the ground to get close to a bird with just my camera and lens, I often arrive out of breath and with my arms shaking with fatigue. In these circumstances it is difficult to hold the lens steady if there is no convenient rock or mound of earth to rest the lens on. The foot on my 400mm lens is not tall enough to rest on the ground and allow me to see through the viewfinder, so the lens has to be held off the ground.

I first looked at the Walt Anderson Panning Ground Pod, available from the 'Birds as Art' website. As far as I am aware, this product is not available in the UK, but I thought the design was over-complicated for my 400mm lens, so I decided to make my own, simple version from drilled stainless steel and a Kirk 3" standard quick-release platform. This worked well for support, but didn't allow me to release the camera and lens if I needed to.

I now have the Jobu Skorpion Ground Pod. It's actually a bit big for my 400mm lens and is probably better suited to the 500 and 600 lenses, but if I'm settling down for a few hours on the ground, it's ideal. With my Kirk BH-1 Ball head attached it is just the right height for ground shots.

Wimberley Sidekick

The use of a ball-head produces a top-heavy setup; unless the ball-head is used carefully it is easy for the camera and lens to topple over. This is more of an issue with bigger, heavier lenses, such as the 500 and 600mm telephotos. Wimberley produce the Gimbal Head, which is designed for these longer lenses, and the 'Sidekick' for smaller telephotos, which converts a ball-head with Arca-Swiss style quick-release plate into a gimbal head.

I bought the sidekick, as I thought it might make positioning the lens easier and allow smoother panning when following running birds, e.g. waders, and low-flying birds. The lens certainly feels better balanced and movement is much smoother, although I would prefer a slightly tighter feel.

My biggest disappointment with the setup, however, which I didn't predict, was the fact that when panning, the camera and lens will rotate unless the tripod is positioned perfectly level. It is the same problem experienced with the 3-way (pan-and-tilt) heads. I therefore use the Sidekick only when on level ground or when setting up in one position for a significant amount of time, which makes it worth the effort to level the tripod. I would imagine that the experience is similar with the Gimbal Head for heavier lenses?

Padded Tripod Leg Wraps

I bought these leg-wraps, not for the camouflage (the legs of my tripod are quite dark), but to protect my shoulders. I always carry my tripod over my shoulder with the camera and lens attached, and without the leg-wraps, my shoulders would hurt if walking any distance. The wraps, from wildlife watching supplies, make a big difference.