Manfrotto 055XCCSB Short Center Column - WOOHOO - Update, 2/26/2017

Manfrotto 055XCCSB Short Center Column

Manfrotto 055XCCSB - Yippee!

I have been looking for the short center column for my tripod for a couple of years but they haven't been available. I decided that I'd try getting the full length version and cut it down to the size I want, and when I went online to order one I found the short column! Oh goodie!

I like my Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod a lot. I've had it a few years now and it looks and operates about the same as the day I got it. But for some time I've been wishing it didn't have that center column that also swings out 90 degrees. I've used that feature a few times but for the most part I dislike having to swing it out when trying to get my camera low to the ground. I've been considering a Platypod for that reason.

I found the official Manfrotto 055XCCSB available at manfrottospares.com for $59.99 (along with every other part for the 055XPROB tripod). That price includes free shipping, which is pretty cool considering that the part is coming from the United Kingdom!

Now I just may have to get another ball head...

Update - 2/26/2017

I received this item earlier this week, after about a 2 week delivery time. Not bad considering Manrotto said it could take 3 weeks due to clearing customs.

I switched my ball head onto this short column and mounted it on the legs without any issue. You do have to remove the little rubber cap on the bottom and the replace it when it's installed in the legs. The fit is perfect.

My only wish is that it was even shorter. I may cut it off more after I actually get outdoors and try it out. It still sticks down enough so that when the legs are in their flattest position, the center column hits the ground. But, if desired, you can pull the rubber cap back off (I may just leave it off) and swing it to the 90 degree position. That also gets the camera even lower since the ball head is then laying horizontally.

I think this will work to get my camera lower. My other choice is one of the Platypods but then I'd have a second thing to carry and I'd almost certainly need another ball head.

AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Review - Part 2

Well, I finally got out and shot a few frames with my new AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens today! As promised, I'll post a bit of a review with some of my thoughts and experiences using it...

Note that in all of the photographs below I had the VR (Vibration Reduction) off since I was shooting from a tripod.

Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E

The Physical World

If you've read anything about the lens you've probably heard it's heavy and big. I certainly don't have anything else like it.

It's weird mounting the camera to it. The lens is heavier than the Nikon D610 (I haven't tried it on my Nikon D3200 yet). I had the lens sitting face down in the bag I'm using to carry it (an Amazon Basics Camera Backpack, which it about fills up). I mate the D610 to the lens and rotate the camera.

I carry the system by either the lens or the tripod mount on the lens.

When I get the lens mounted in my Manfrotto 468MGRC5 Hydrostatic Ball Head sitting on top of my Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod, it is solid. This ball head is paying off now! It's weight capacity of 26 pounds (12 kg) is really not being stressed and the ball head holds the system. The lens (~ 5 pounds) plus D610 (~ 1.6 pounds) is less than 7 pounds total (even with 2 SD cards!).

I did increase the "Friction" setting of the ball head to reduce the amount of play in the head when I loosened it - with that amount of weight the lens does tend to want to sag more. But when the "Friction" is set right, I find that the camera and lens are pretty well balanced. I had no problems at all. I did need to crank on the main knob more than with my other lenses to prevent the lens from drooping after letting go but once you realize that it was no big deal. I don't see a lot of love for this ball head but I sure like it.

Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake
Nikon D610 + Nikkor 200-500mm - ISO 100 ■ 500mm ■ f/7.1 ■ 1/160s

Increase the Shutter Release Delay

I didn't get out my IR remote shutter release and instead just used the delay on the manual shutter release button. I noticed by looking through the view finder, however, that when I pressed the shutter release, the camera wobbled more than with my other lenses. I changed the delay from 2 seconds to 5 seconds to compensate - letting the camera settle down before releasing the shutter. I didn't notice the issue in my photographs so maybe it was actually still within the 2 seconds but since I was shooting a lake and desert hills, I felt the extra 3 seconds before the shutter release wouldn't hurt.

Using the wireless remote would probably work fine, unless it's windy. There was some breeze at the lake (Canyon Lake near Apache Junction, AZ), but not enough to visibly affect the camera. I didn't try cranking down harder on the ball head either - that's a chore for next time I guess.

Nikon D610 + Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E
ISO 100 ■ 500mm ■ f/7.1 ■ 1/125s

Auto Focus

As I mentioned in a recent post, I use back button focus. I didn't have any issues using that with the shots I took. It didn't hunt around at all. It acquired focus with no questions asked and it appears to be pretty good. Granted it was a sunny, 97 degree Fahrenheit day in Arizona. I used an aperture of f/7.1 just to get off of the f/5.6 and to get a bit more depth of field.

How's the Focal Length?

I didn't get a chance to shoot any wildlife so I can't comment on that directly. What I can say is that from the Acacia picnic area I wanted to shoot the opening across the lake where the Salt River continues down stream. I couldn't get it all in the frame at 200mm. It made me wonder if the Sigma or Tamron with that extra 50mm at the short end would have allowed me to get the shot.

Nikon D610 + Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E
ISO 100 ■ 200mm ■ f/7.1 ■ 1/160s

Instead, I was able to compose the shot with the sheer wall on the right which is interesting.

In the photograph to the left I've purposefully left the full frame even though the water line isn't horizontal. I wanted to show the difference between the 200mm and 500mm focal length. This is the full image (okay, reduced to a max of 2040px wide for the web).

I did use some post processing in Lightroom, and did increase clarity as well as sharpening - just using Lightroom.

Here's a shot of those mountain peaks at 500mm, from the same location (I didn't move the tripod, just zoomed in to the 500mm focal length).

Nikon D610 + Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E
ISO 100 ■ 500mm ■ f/7.1 ■ 1/200s

I know these aren't great pictures; no one is likely to hang these on their living room wall. That's not the point. I wanted to see how the lens performed and how that 500mm could come in handy. I think I see opportunity here. I've shot landscapes in the past where I wish I could fill up more of the frame with a mountain, for example (like Humphreys Peak near Flagstaff, Arizona). This worked pretty good!

Basically, with a 200-500mm zoom, you should be able to increase the size of the subject by 2.5 times.

Lesson Learned - Update your Camera

One thing I figured out was that I needed to update my camera firmware. When I opened my files in Lightroom it didn't find the lens profile (well, I found out I also had to update Lightroom CC - it wasn't using the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw).

When I looked at the properties of the NEF files the lens information was missing.

I remembered that I'd seen updates to the camera firmware but hadn't bothered with them because I my lenses were already supported. This Nikkor 200-500mm only came out less than a year ago, though, and my cameras didn't know about it. I updated the Distortion Control software on my D610 but on the D3200 I had to do the Firmware and the Distortion Control software.

Now things are cookin'!

The Bottom Line

I'm happy so far with the lens - I think I'll keep it. I really wanted to try it to see if I liked it or whether I should send it back to Adorama but it looks like it's part of my bag now. I just wish it fit in the bag!

Another set of 200mm and 500mm shots for you to ponder. These don't have much processing at all and they both have the same processing. I just think it's interesting to see the difference in composition at both ends of the lens.

Nikon D610 + Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E
ISO 100 ■ 200mm ■ f/7.1 ■ 1/200s

Nikon D610 + Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E
ISO 100 ■ 500mm ■ f/7.1 ■ 1/250s

A Close Call with my Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod

Manfrotto 055XPROB

I have a Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod. I did a good amount of research and chose this tripod purposefully. It met my needs at an acceptable price point. I find it to be very solid, in part because of its aluminum construction instead of carbon fiber. I was not seeking light weight for transporting but instead wanted more weight for added stability in wind. And I've had that aspect pay off already - it's been windy up on Mt. Lemmon north of Tucson, AZ, as well as yesterday out by the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, AZ.

I wanted a three section leg instead of four or more because the leg walls are thicker and therefore more robust. I wanted a tall tripod and this one is taller than a lot even though I could still use it a bit taller. I don't want to have the center column extended unless I absolutely have to. The other tripod I considered was a Gitzo Mountaineer without a center column at all, but ended up with the Manfrotto because of the center column.

I have used the center column in the horizontal position a few times, and if I didn't have it, I wouldn't have been able to do the shots the same way. Once was when shooting over the railing of a bridge over Oak Creek at Slide Rock State Park in Arizona. I wanted to shoot with a long exposure and with the center column extended over the railing of the bridge I was able to use a long exposure with the camera securely held (it was windy that day too, but since the legs of the tripod were behind the railing I didn't have problems with stability).

The biggest complaint I have about this tripod is the center column. Most of the time I don't have it extended. Most of the time I shoot I want the tripod low to the ground. You can't do that with this tripod unless you put the center column in the horizontal position and that is a pain to do with a heavy camera and lens attached. Consequently I tend to just get the tripod as low as possible without switching the center column around, and therefore settle for what I can shoot from that position. In other words, I get lazy.

Manfrotto used to sell a short center column for the tripod but they don't any longer. I've written to them about the column and received no reply, but you can't find the short column available.
A couple of weeks ago I tried a different solution from Adorama, a short column designed for a different tripod. One reviewer said it worked on the 055XPROB with reservations.

I took it out to shoot with a few weeks ago and came up with my own reservations. As one or more reviewers pointed out, it tightens down quite a bit but still feels loose.

I had my Nikon D610 and new Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G lens on it which is a fairly heavy combination. That's right at $3,000 for the camera and lens. I had shot a couple of pictures and without thinking much about it, picked the tripod up with the camera and lens mounted.

I'm not sure how or why, but I was holding the camera and tripod with one hand each. That's when the camera fell off of the tripod - the short column came right out of the legs. If I hadn't been holding on to the camera too it would have hit the ground. Bye bye to my camera and lens!

Needless to say, I re-installed the correct center column and threw the little one away. That near miss points out how important the tripod is - you don't want it falling over or collapsing or falling apart. It's probably a good idea to check it every now and then to ensure the ball head is securely fastened to the column. And, while it's very enjoyable to get this level of camera and lens, it took some convincing of both myself and my wife, and it took a bit of financial wizardry. I don't want to loose it due to a stupid move like using the wrong adapters for a tripod!