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Slik Master Deluxe Tripod
I know, Slik doesn't have the best reputation today, but I must say, of all
the equipment I was given by my father, all of which he bought in Japan in 1964-68, that tripod gets the most use, and a well built piece of kit it is. Mostly aluminum, with 3 sectioned legs that need to be screwed down instead of the locking levers you see today. Geared center column and strut supports. It's light, rock solid, tall enough that I need to stand on tip toes to see through the viewfinder when the column is fully extended, and built well enough that it's withstood two photographers and nearly 40 years worth of use. Compared to my Bogen 3021BPro legs and 3029 head, I'd say the Slik was the better built of the two. The Slik head has one drawback, it won't tilt side to side, only front and back, necessitating leg length changes to level your camera. But the screw down legs are better than those clamps, which have to be set pretty tight, or else you can't trust them, so that they're stiff and difficult to use. I've had the slik in rivers, on beaches, wherever I go, and if I get sand or grit in the mechanisms, I just work them back and forth gently until the grit comes out. Takes a few minutes, and hasn't failed me in over a decade of use. I had my bogen on the beach once last summer, and it still has sand in it. The Bogen's nice because you can get low to the ground--that's really why I wanted it. But it turns out that you have to remove the center column and use some plastic gadget from the end of it to mount the head. The plastic thing is gripped by the part through which the column slid. It doesn't really seem to belong there, and the mount is never really secure, prone to swinging left and right on you if you exert any pressure accordingly. God forbid you use a heavy camera, like my RB67 or Shen-Hao (whatever it's call sign) on it. Don't get me wrong, the Bogen is a workable tripod, but emphasis on the "work" in workable, 'cause I always feel like I'm tricking it out to get it to do its job. The Bogen is much taller than the slick, though, but also not as compact. A few nights ago, I got to thinking about what a great tripod the slik's been for me, and I did a quick Google search for slik master deluxe tripod, and the first link returned was for a woman selling one here in Lansing, MI, for $10. Now I've got two! :-p -- Regards, Matt Clara www.mattclara.com ps. I can't vouch for modern Slik equipment, but if you get a chance to pick up one of the mid to late 60's models, at a reasonable price, by all means, do. |
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