[quote=SharpShooter]Yes, we need to RING IN the new year with a good'ole fashioned UHH discussion! You know the one..., the one with raucous and colorful discourse!!!
So as the title says, why can't Nikon innovate on it's own? I don't mean natural evolution like a few more pixels or another f-stop of DR.
I mean like real innovation that changes the course of photography and camera design. Nikon sits and waits(conservatively) and then tries to improve it, sometimes winning, sometimes flailing awkwardly.
Examples:
The Canon T90. It changed the world of camera design and the way EVERY camera looked in the future, including Nikons.
Electronic coupling(EOS). EVERY brand went to it.
IS(VR), It's only been the last 5 years Nikon finally put it into its Super-Teles.
Anti Flicker, I was sure Nikon would have it in a year, it took two!!
These are a few reasons why in 2003, Nikon fell to number 2, and Canon has not looked back!!!

Canon has deeper pockets than Nikon and that is hurting Nikon. The real question is why can't Canon innovate like Sony? The answer may in part be the same but it's worth noting that Sony, besides having deep pockets, has been super aggressive in a market that is in serious flux where mobile phone cameras maybe the future in all but pro level cameras.

The cameras that are very interesting these days are things like Panasonic, Fuji and Olympus. These brands seem to have found their niche and are excelling at what they do best. However they stand the most chance of being replaced by cell phone cameras.

I have the Mefoto Globetrotter. I think it folds to 16 1/2 inches and has around six feet of height with the ball head on it. I love it but there's a couple reasons for that beyond the quality of the tripod itself. The first and foremost is that I travel by motorcycle to take my pictures about 70% of the time so I really need a compact tripod. The second consideration is that I have a mirrorless Sony A6000 which doesn't stress out the tripod easily so I can get away with a lot lighter tripod than some other folks. I also have a Sirui ball-head on it which I like much better than the original. I didn't have any problems with the original but the Sirui is better all way around and it use only two knobs with a screw adjustment to adjust the drag on the ball head that enables you to adjust it without worrying that you camera will fall over because on most inexpensive ball heads there is no way to stop it. With the Sirui it has an additional adjustment that allows you to set enough drag on the ball so that it will move easily enough to adjust the camera tilt but it will hold it in place until you can adjust the final large knob to lock it all in place.

There is a Sirui tripod and ball-head unit available at about $300.00 that I like but if I had to do this all over again I would buy the Benro that was recommended a few pages back or the Feisol that Gene51 recommends. The Feisol is more tried and true and Gene51 who really knows this stuff loves it but I feel pretty good about both though I have never seen the Benro in person.

I looked at it close. It's very nice. It has the three detents to set the legs up at different angles which is the fist feature to be removed from less expensive units. You won't be disappointed and you will have it for years.

If you can't afford more for a new one I would definitely consider a higher quality used unit rather than a new entry level model.

I don't know that Gene actually dislikes Manfrotto but he has some qualifiers for the use of a few particular models.

I use to prefer Manfrotto myself but nowadays lean towards the Feisol, Sirui, Benro and probably Vanguard for quality yet affordable tripods and ball heads. I got onto the Sirui ball heads from Gene's advice and I agree with him that they are a "best buy" in their price/quality category. I love mine. For the most part Chinese tripods and ball heads are low quality copycat products but that is not true with Sirui. They are obviously trying to go their own way and create their own standards. I have only fooled with one of their tripods at the camera store and I was impressed with that as well. I would choose it over the more expensive Manfrotto I looked at at the same time.

I don't understand the 5 fps out of an A7Rii. I should be easily twice that high.

Is this with a Sony lens and what are the conditions. Is this in l
ow light. What focusing modes???

This looks really nice.

What did you decide to do?

There is nothing wrong with the Sony 1650 kit lens. All kit lenses have a bad reputation but it is much less deserved with the 1650. It is very good for what it is and has a motorized zoom if you want to take videos. If you want better it will cost you. Maybe the new 30mm Sigma 1.4 at $350.000 or the Sony's FE 28mm at $450.00.

It's worth noting that the A6000 is a nice camera. If you can start with the basic camera with the kit lens you can always upgrade the lenses when you can afford more. The camera though is good to go.

I love this site but I still don't know all of the characters involved but I do understand that there are some people who are notorious for this sort of stuff. I really don't know why they bother.

Thank for ll of your help and constructive comments around here. I've long since taken our advice on tripods and ball heads and have recommended you comments to others.

I just looked up your Flickr site today and if I have the right Gene51 you have some beautiful pictures there. With the bird shots you have it is no wonder that you have trained yourself so well at getting the sharpest images possible.

Thanks again for your help around here.

This may not be a great shot but it is pretty damn good as far as I can see. Most people would be thrilled with a photo that is this technically correct. Myself included.

I don't get why there seems to be two flares from a single lighted Frizbee.

Any idea where the entire guide was originally posted?

This is an incredibly inappropriate and plain mean spirited comment. It was clear that he posted the photos as a means of being instructive and helpful and I for one appreciate that.

Gene,

What does "arm draped over the lens" mean?