The SOC was the most ‘feared’ activity when I was doing my national service 18 years ago. In fact, I was so terrifically bad at the course during boot camp that I failed the course each practice run (and got myself viciously knocked on the head each time by my boot camp instructors), only passing it on the very last few days of Basic Military Training.
Either way, after I was posted into a combat unit half a year later after completing my vocation training, I resolved to train on my own. So, whenever I could in the early evenings when the rest of my bunkmates were having night-outs, I’d stay in and run the course on my own. In retrospect, that sort of stunt was dangerous, since Training Safety Regulations even back then forbade any soldier from attempting the course without proper supervision—the course is one common source of injuries—but I was so fixated with passing the damn thing I didn’t care about very much else.
In any case, 18 years after the fact I’m now older, fatter and weaker. I gave up and sold my Benro A-250EX tripod as the D300 + Sigma 150mm macro + SB-600 setup came perilously close to toppling when mounted onto the thing. A Gitzo, the Mother of All Tripods that one of our smallgroup friend owns (*envy*) was out of the question as it was awfully expensive for the height, usable load and horizontal column configuration I wanted for macro photography. So, I chose the next best; a Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 tripod with a 488RC2 ballhead. It’s also made of carbon fiber which is lighter than aluminum equivalents, but this model is a little longer as it had to meet my eye-level. So, now the entire set up weighs about 2 kg i.e. lighter than the M16 rifle with kevlar helmet, pouches and everything else you carry when running the course, but still.
I was looking around for a suitable tripod bag or strap (the Manfrotto didn’t come with either), and stumbled across a useful read about how people carry tripods. One of the photos on the site is quite a unique way of carrying a tripod, and aptly called “The Swashbuckler”. Now that gave me a chuckle!
Check out the picture on the right here; it comes from the article on that site. The writer for the site has an RSS feed where he posts really good articles on photographic and CS3 tips too, and it’s well-worth bookmarking.
In any case, I don’t think this method of carrying would suit me. The tripod + folded ballhead measures 67 cm from head to toe, and the damn thing would be knocking against my ankles.
So, it’s likely gonna be a Thinktank Bazooka bag assuming if I can’t find anything cheaper. The Bazooka bag looks uber cool, and a couple of people taking pictures in public areas have even been stopped by security thinking those cases are actually rocket launchers or something. :)
haha… i kiap my gitzo on my crumpler or lowepro too… LOL too lazy and leh cheh to carry the tripod bag la. i use it more for storage only. when i need it, just whip it out and kliak! mount on. haha.
wa… u where got fat??? if you are fat then chris is…??? LOL haha… i love my tripod… although guys find it a tad too small, it suits my needs, esp when i travel. but i hate my giotto ball head (when i bought it, CP didn’t have gitzo ball head small enough to fit my tiny legs…) think i should order the ball head and decommission the eye sore giotto =P oooo…. u got a manfro carbon fibre? nice ^^ i cannot tahan the alum one cos it’s so heavy =P by the time u lug it to your destination, u got no more energy to shoot liao =P LOL show me show me next time i go your house *rub hands, lick lips*
Yeah; but it’s a lot easier to scratch a carbon-fiber tripod than an aluminum one. And when I strike lottery, I’ll want to trade-up this Manfrotto for a Gitzo then, so must take a bit of care of it.:)
Yep; I got a Manfro CF. It’s still not too light though at nearly 2kg with the ballhead. I saw the Gitzo specs for yours, but it would had been too short for me unless I extend the centre column.:(
I can bring the Manfro this coming Friday during BS.:)
i think mine tio scratched liao….
Yeah that’s what I’m afraid of.:(
Problem though is that it’s not easy to find suitable tripod bags. Checked Alan, Orient Foto and MSColor over the last few days already and none of them carry the padded ones. I’m going to swing by TK sometime this week and hopefully they still have the Bazooka I saw the other day.:)
mine’s padded nei
Gitzo supplies its tripods with bags I think; but Manfro no.:(
no er… i had to buy nei…