mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

The center post has to be adjustable. You never want to extend it all the way, too unstable

russjc001 Loc: South Carolina

Check out one of the many Vanguard tripods. They don’t break the bank and have excellent support.

https://www.vanguardworld.com/collections/tripods

jtwind

Lots of quallty tripods out there, I've a series two mountaineer from Gitzo that I really like. I would also check into acratech ball heads amazingly solid.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I have now had a chance to look at the Dutch Hill and think it a very good option - if you do not mind the weight and work of setting it up and the cost. It should be very stable - maybe a bit overkill for YOUR gear - but certainly "STABLE" - especially if that is your utmost concern.
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camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

"I'm 6'2", so center adjustable column or not." Ideally a short one. The more extension the less stable.

"Don't necessarily want to go bankrupt on a fancy-schmancy carbon fibre one." An aluminum tripod is talking to you. They are considerably less expensive.

"Have had my eye on a Dutch Hill P900. Any opinions on this one?" Good for large format camera. You are a photographer not an engineer.

"Also been looking at the RRS BH-55 ballhead. Thoughts?" Did you say you did not want to go bankrupt? Ball head and the Dutch Hill tripod are close to $1000. RRS ballheads are of superior quality.

"When does a gimble head makes more sense than a ballhead?" Mainly when you are shooting action or wildlife.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Long lens, Gimbal. Short lens, ball head. Wildlife? Gimbal.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Plus, Gitzo Series 3 and Series 4 tripods come as just legs, but a center column can be added to them later. I have one that sometimes was a little too short for me and I'm 6'1". So I added the center column which added about 1.1 pounds but is easily adjustable to my needs.

williejoha

I use an Induro carbon pot ( up to 72 “ ) in combination with a Gimbal head to support the D7II attaches to the 100-400 II. Works like a charm. Good luck.
WJH

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Same with RRS tripods easy to change it out or in. RRS has some good information on selecting a tripod on their website too. You may also want to look into a leveling base, easier and faster than leveling with the legs.

bentvalve

I use a Siriu ball head and tripod along with a Induro GHBA gimbal similar to a side kick that mounts to the ball head. Works well with my D7000 and D7100 with the 200-500 zoom.
Here is a link to the ebay seller of the gimbal. It is an open box but is as new.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Induro-GHBA-Gimbal-Head-A/372637482641?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

BENT

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Gimbal makes more sense when tracking, I am into Birds in Flight photography and love my gimbal. I shoot with a relatively heavy setup, Canon 500/4 and a 300/2.8 and have found that a simple $150 SLIK tripod does the job just fine the center posts gets the camera higher than I can use it at and I am 6 ft tall. The only thing that I would like on my tripod that it is missing is a weight hook, not that I have ever noticed shake in my pod but it just seems to make sense to have one and it is an easy thing for a manufacturer.

etaoin Loc: Wichita, KS

WOW! This site is amazing with all the extensive and detailed responses. Lots to digest here. Thanks so much!

JCadell

The RRS BH-55 is one of the best ball heads on the market, period. Wise choice on that one. Mine is due in today from B&H. Tripod legs - RRS, Gitzo, very pricey, but the RRS stuff is top-drawer. That said, in order to keep the bank fairly intact, you may want to consider Benro and Induro. They are made by the same company, come in both aluminum and carbon fiber, with a range of sizes and prices. You are pretty close to me in height (I'm 6'2" and pushing 60 very hard). I have a Benro Mach 3 aluminum tripod which I used to replace a Manfrotto UX55PROB a few years ago. The Manfrotto's reputation is solid, except when the legs decide they want to invite gravity in, and sag accordingly, which was the case with mine. So far, my Benro has done well, both location (such as Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge) and portable studio work. Hefty, yes, but those legs do lock in and haven't failed once. Induro has their 'stealth' series. Looks to be the same as Benro's "Mach-3", with the only noticeable difference is the Mach-3 has a very distinctive blue trim.
For long glass - that 200mm-500mm from Nikon has a lens collar - the foot might be improved with a RRS foot. I did the same with my 70mm-200mm f2.8 - HUGE difference in stability and ZERO vibrations.
Attached photo was taken with a Nikon D2XS using a 70mm-300mm f4.5 on a Benro Mach-3, using a Benro 1B-1 ball head. That head is 'okay' but... the RRS BH-55 will blow the doors off of it. With my DX side of Nikon (D2XS, D300, D200 - 1/2 dozen lenses) and my FX side (D4S, D700, 24mm-70mm f2.8 and 70mm-200mm f2.8 and growing) a good tripod only makes sense when you are investing time and $$ to pursue your photography, regardless if you are a working professional or a hobbyist.

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Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I have never understood people potentially holding up thousands in gear with a couple hundred dollar tripod and head. That of course is not to say all risk can be mitigated at any price...

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

First of all, you may be 6' 2" tall, but unless you're Jar Jar Binks, your actual eye level is some inches less than that.

Also, any head mounted on the tripod will add height. The specific head you use will also make some difference.... some are low profile designs, while others add more height. (For example, I use a ballhead that's about 4 inches tall, but when using big telephotos like the 200-500mm, I use a gimbal adapter that adds a few more inches height.

Even more height will be added by any accessories fitted between the head and the tripod (such as leveling platforms I use on two tripods, which add an inch or more). Plus the camera itself... since it's viewfinder is a a couple inches higher than the mounting point.

I've never heard of a Dutch Hill P900... but looked it up and right off I noticed it's almost 6 foot tall.... That's probably taller than you actually need. Get out a tape measure and...

1. Measure your eyeline and add an inch or two to that, to see the actual height you need to bring the camera's viewfinder to a comfortable height.

2. Add up all the components... tripod, any accessories between the head and tripod, the tripod head itself, plus the height of your camera's viewfinder from it's base.

I also noticed that the Dutch Hill P900 uses two-section legs. That's likely to be nicely stable, but it also will mean the tripod will still be fairly large when collapsed for carrying and transportation. It collapses to 41"... so will be around 45" or longer by the time you add a ballhead head and any other accessories on top. While I encourage as few leg sections as possible (for stability and faster set up), I wouldn't want to haul around that large a tripod. In the field I use two tripods with 3-section legs and one extra tall model with 4-section. They all collapse to about 27 or 28", including the head. That's not small, by photo tripod standards.... but it's manageable.

Weight versus load rating.... the Dutch Hill P900 weighs 6.5 lb. and is rated to be able to handle 28 lb. The Gitzo Series 3 Systematic carbon fiber tripods that I use are 4.5 lb. and 4.75 lb. with a very similar 26.5 lb. load rating. Fully kitted out with head and other accessories, my tripods end up weighing close to 9 lb. each... You'll probably be between 11 and 12 lb. with that P900.

Price... I found the Dutch Hill P900 leg set selling for $409. I paid more than that when I bought my Gitzo G1325 Mk II leg set NEW 20 years ago. But I paid less than that buying a second one USED around five or six years ago. A year or two later, for about the same price I bought a taller Gitzo G1348 Mk II USED. (Both those used Gitzo were "like new" and each came with accessories that sell for around $200 new. Current Gitzo that are most similar use different model numbers, have some minor improvements and higher load rating, but also cost $800 to $900.) There are now many different brands of tripods... "Series 3" (load capacities 25 to 50 lb.) carbon fiber models with specs similar to the Gitzo I use. Some of the more affordable such as Feisol, Giottos, Induro, Nest and others sell for between $325 and $675.

Center column... A tripod is typically stabler without one.. Well, at least, it's more stable so long as you don't need to raise a center column to bring the tripod up to working height, if you can leave it retracted in all but really extreme situations. Two of my field tripods don't have any center column at all (they have leveling platforms, instead... more on that below). My extra tall G1348 does have a "rapid column" (a $240 accessory, when bought new... came with the tripod, which I paid $425 total for, used). I never raise the column unless I need an extremely high angle (around 7 or 8 feet!). My main use for the center column is reversed to hang camera and lens below the tripod, for ground-level macro shooting.

Head.... So, let me get this straight... You're concerned about and trying to avoid "pricey carbon fiber" tripod legs, but ready to buy and install one of the more expensive ballheads available? Really Right Stuff is excellent gear... but it's also among the priciest. I use ballheads on two of my field tripods... One is fitted with a $385 Kirk BH-1 that's rated for 50 lb. load. The other is fitted with a $60 Smith-Victor BH8 that's rated for 50 lb. load. Quite frankly, they do exactly the same thing. Okay, I did need to disassemble the panning axis of the S-V head, remove the axle grease they'd lubricated it with, and replace that with a heavy oil... now the ball bearings there are as smooth as silk. And, yeah, the little rubber "grip" on the S-V ballhead's knobs cracked and fell off after a few years (replaced it with rubberized texture tape). The Kirk head is a much nicer piece of kit. But so are other reasonably priced ball heads from Benro, Feisol, Induro, FLM, Markins and a dozen or more other manufacturers.

Gimbal... There are several different types of gimbals, any of which are very useful when working with large telephotos to photograph moving subjects... birds and other wildlife, sports, etc. Set up correctly, a gimbal allows smooth tracking of subjects with a very light touch. "Full Size" gimbals completely replace any other head on the tripod, making it usable ONLY with large lenses that have tripod mounting collars, until you remove the gimbal and replace it with some sort of standard head. Gimbal "adapters" are used in conjunction with a ballhead, making it quick and easy to switch the tripod back and forth for different uses. Full size gimbals generally have greater load capacity than gimbal adapters. However, the lens and camera you are using will be easily handled by either. I've used up to 8 lb. lens and 2 lb. camera on Wimberley Sidekick gimbal adapter for 15+ years, without any problems at all. The Induro GHBA is very similar to the Sidekick and sells for a little less money. Here is a fairly good summary of the different gimbal head types and many of the top brands: http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/gimbal_list.htm Overall, assuming you'll be shooting moving subjects with that 200-500mm, a gimbal will be a very helpful accessory. You just need to decide if you want the tripod primarily for use with the big lens and gimbal, or want to be able to easily switch back and forth with it, to be able to accommodate the camera with other, shorter lenses easily too.

Other accessories... You will need at least one Arca-compatible lens plate in order to use a gimbal head with that lens. It needs to be slightly oversized and you should plan to spend $30 to $50 for a good one. You need this type of plate to be able to adjust the lens/camera slightly forward and backward in the mounting platform of the gimbal, in order to find the near perfect equilibrium that's the secret to what makes gimbals so helpful with big lenses. If you go with a gimbal adapter, the ballhead you use with it must also have an Arca-compatible platform (to be able to fit the gimbal adapter), and you will need a camera plate in order to mount the camera directly when working with shorter lenses (I strongly recommend the custom "anti-twist" fitted camera plates, usually $50-$75... the "generic" plates loosen and all-too-easily allow the camera to move). I also use leveling platforms on both the tripods I use with gimbals (one full size, the other the ballhead and adapter already mentioned). It's important to set the rig fairly close to level and a lot faster/safer to use a leveling platform than to fiddle around with leg length adjustments every time you move the tripod. The type I use replace the center column of the tripod entirely, but there are others that can be used in conjunction with center columns. The current Gitzo levelers cost around $200, but there are other brands that are less expensive and essentially do the same thing. The ones I use are older models that cost a whole lot less used! I also have "leg pads" fitted to my tripods, to make them more comfortable to carry. Finally I have bags for each of them, both to make them easier to carry and protect them in storage. (Hakuba tripod bags seemed a good value, are well made and fit my particular tripods nicely.) Above I already mentioned an accessory center column I use on one of my tripods. I was lucky to get that included when I bought the tripod used (about $425 total, with shipping but without head)... normally a Gitzo center column costs around $200 new. Some tripods include a center column and many of them aren't removable. I prefer the "Systematic" tripods, which are modular and can be used with or without center column, leveler etc. There are also some video-specific accessories for this type of tripod. Depending upon brand, there may also be various types of feet, etc.

Value... one reason I prefer the Gitzo tripods, after using a wide variety of brands over the years, is because they're high quality and durable, but repairable if ever needed. Spare parts are available even for older models such as mine. There are a lot of accessories to fit them too, both from Gitzo and from other manufacturers. I also prefer the low profile "twist type" leg locks they use, over the levers or thumb screws some other use. Those protrude and catch on branches or cuffs or sleeves. The twist type are also self adjusting, aren't prone to wear or easily damaged, and are relatively resistant to dirt and all but the wettest weather. A lot of other brands pretty closely copy the Gitzo designs. (Incidentally Gitzo, Manfrotto, Sachtler, Joby, O'Connor and Vinten tripod brands are actually all owned by the same parent company: Vitec Group.)