Went to Punch Bowl of the Pacific with my Nikon D810 .. my 7100 and a 200-500 mm available 5.6 ..... Saw this beautiful hunk of yellow .... I set up the 7100 on a tripod .. Or was it the D810 ..., 200-500 ... 100 ft away .. Just testing ... And look what I caught ... Some day shift workers still on duty ...

" A BUG'S LIFE"

Ok .. Google Don's Camera (Canada) .....he is the one who sold me the FOTOPRO "T" SERIES T-83C ... His quotes are in Canadian Dollars .. Changed into American Dollars ... Wow .., .. So cheap to buy in Canada..

You should google Fotopro T-83 C ... Also Google FOTOPRO.com to see their line .. The reviews and pros using this fabulous tripod ....

This is the model T-83 C ...., I got after all my research .. I wanted the top legs to be 36 mm to start next section 32mm and the final leg section 28 mm ..my Sirius Monopod is 36 mm diameter 424S .. I did not want a center column .. I wanted three extensions ... Super big and positive non slip leg adjusters and the ability to hold 70 lbs ..My brother bought the 4 leg with a center column Carbon fiber FOTOPRO for a lot less and loves it ...

Better yet .. See if any of your local photo stores carry FOTOPRO .. Especially the "T" series .... Like the T-83C .. And put hands on ...

At half the price of the RRS equivalent Carbon Fiber .. And an almost clone ..., And the same quality .... It comes with the nicest tripod case in the industry...so .., Why not ...

Hope this helps ...

The same old dilemma we all face as we move along and upgrade our equipment to match our ever increasing photography skills ..., I have a 9 ft Manfroto and a huge 3 geared head ... 2 other aluminium tripods and two Carbon fiber experiments ....

Without my wife knowing that Price is no object when it comes to my hobby..., photography .., ok she suspects ... But has never confronted me on the ..., I have spent thousands on heads and tripods ...

After deciding to upgrade my stable of tripods and wanting only Carbon fiber ..,and keeping in mind that cost was no object.., I went to work along with my brother Dr. F... And guess what we came up with..,you guesses it RRS .... .a little expensive .., but hey .., price is no object .., right ....Then I discovered as did my brother ..., a company called. F O T O P R O. .. "T". Series carbon fiber.. A dead ringer for the RRS carbon fiber at $100 of dollars less ....

Then to top it all off.. My brother found that if you buy from Canada ... They quote in Canadian dollars ... when converted into US Dollars ...About $450 .. NO DUTIES and includes shipping ...about $7-$800 at the sights in US ...

I bought a T-83 3 leg no center column 36 mm carbon fiber ...and I got it from a giant Canadian Retail place called Henery's ...

This is what a lot of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC pros use when they need a hiking tripod and an extremely sturdy platform to use in the water salt or fresh with their big lenses ...

Make a long story short .. Best tripod I have ever used ...so sturdy .., I can hang from it and I'm 200lbs ...5.2 lbs in weight ....not just normal carbon fiber ..but a special density Misubushi wrap ... Stronger than even RRS ...

If I sound like a salesman for the company .., maybe I should be ... Best tripod I have ever used .. Seen or borrowed ....

Do the research .. FOTOPRO ...T SERIES ...... and hey ... When buying from Canada .. There is no import duties if under $800 ...

I recommended this tripod a while back to the forum growd .., fell on deaf ears ... I can afford the best ... Yet love to get a bargine and an exceptional value for my money .. And believe me. .. I will stake my reputation on this tripod ..

They offer other models as well ...all exceptionally crafted ....

Got up in the morning at our condo in Kauai ... Wow what a site ...

Kauai on our condo balcony


Morning bird

Dr Nikon saw it right away .., used tracing paper and confirmed it ...

Strange .. I was able to superimpose the identical birds from one picture to another .., yet one shot taken at sunrise .. The other shot taken at sunset ...I used a simple tracing paper off of my IPad ... And overlaid it on your other shot on my 2nd IPad .. Wow .., a perfect match .... Same birds shot used for both sunset and sunrise ....? Just wondering ..

Still the shots look great ....

U. R. so right ....some people go out and buy the best equip and best lenses.., best heads ..., best tripods and monos ..., thinking This will make them a master photographer ..., usually because they have the money to burn .., and then get blown away by a guy with a 7100 and DX lenses ... I know ..., I used to be one .....!!!!! I think I cooked through $20,000 before realising my brother and his 7100 with DX lenses were out shooting me .".

I sold my 800E ..., kept my good glass .. Bought a 7100 ..,, had my brother teach me a thing or 2 ..., THEN .., bought a D810 as a preorder ... And never looked back ...a lesson learned ...

I still carry the 7100 as a back up and as a reminder ....

Grand HYATT Kauai .. My old D800 24-70 2.8 hand held 3ft

Bird of Paradise Worker

(Download)

I got mine on pre order when they first came out .. Have loved it ever since .. Sit on my D810 .. Never shot. A bird with it in my life ..but planes .., helicopters .. Landscape .. People .. Boats ..


My brother had just bought a D7100 refurb for our Yosemite / San Francisco trip .., so I decided to buy a D7100 as a back up camera .. Wow ., what a blast in the ass .. The 200-500 becomes a super tele and takes great shots .. Not quite as clear as the D810 cropped to equal the D7100 .. But I was surprised to say the least the kind of shots a 7100 can take .. Especially with my FX. lenses ..

Anyway .., I love this lense .. I hand hold it .. Tripod it .. Monopod it ...., be sure to buy a C H E A P. 90mm filter to use as a lens protector ..an take it off when shooting ..

Have fun with this lens ..

You do need lots of day light for the best shots .., but hey ..., my city San Francisco night scapes shot over the top of the Golden Gate Bridge were better the my 24-70 Nano .. Go figure .. It is the 90mm and sharp as a tack this lens sports ..

I found the rotating coller to be a problem until I got used to it ..as for the long foot plates .., I finally shoe gooed it to the lens mount as it was always coming lose no matter how tight I made it .. Now it works perfect ..I bought an extra long Arco Swiss plate as my RRS low profile ball head plate wasn't long enough .. By the way .. You can always use black Shoe Goo on any of your camera .., lenses .. Mounts .. It will stick anything to anything and is totally removable when you need it off ..

I usually shoot mirror up live view with electronic shutter ..on both the 7100 and the 810 .. Especially at night .., but I am impressed with the hand held and the Monopod shots ..

I search for a decent camera back pack that this lens would just fit in so that I could strap it on for hiking and transport .. It's a Low Pro w75 .. Just fits .. I have a Low Pro 400 and a 500 which I use as well. ..

Be sure to download the "SKY SAFARI" app on your phone or tablet ..you can aim it at the sky and see every position of every celestial body .. Then train your tripoded camera on it ..3:30 am will catch it all .. Good luck ..

If you want a really great carbon fiber tripod without breaking the bank
PHOTPRO makes a copy of the RRS carbon fiber with and without a center colum .., at a fraction of the price .., if you buy it from one of the largest camera distributors in Canada .. They quote you in Canadian Dollars ..!

The one I purchased cast $869 in the US a three leg 36 mm no center colum carbon fiber ...supports 76 lbs ..only weighs 5.2 lbs and will actually support me hanging upside down from it .., anyway .. My cost from Canada $469.00..

I have almost $3,000 in monopods and tripods .. And this PHOTO PRO has replaced all of them .. I used it exclusively in Yosemite for 8 days of hiking ..my profile pic shows it with my big lens ...

You probably don't need that heavy a model .., the point is .., you can get an outstanding carbon fiber copy of the RRS from a Canadian Dist at a fraction of the cost .., National Geographic uses them now ... My Manfrotto tripod and 400 geared head were originally $1,300 .. Now they sit unused ..

My brother and I discovered that the quotes from the Canada Photo Distributors were in Canadian dollars .., when converted to US dollars ..which you will be paying in .., the cost drops off the charts ..

I consider RRS to be some of the best stuff I have ever used ..to get an equal quality and functionality at over 1/2 the price .. Well ..

Good luck ..,