Unexpected Photography Equipment Acquisition

[Snakelover]

Mindy took me with her to an estate sale over the weekend. There was a tripod setup that consisted of:

Bogen 3046 tripod
Bogen 3063 head
Bogen 3056 dolly
Bogen 3047 head


It was the third day of the estate sale and everything was 75% off. I picked up the above for $40. Wasn't really in the market for any of this, but what the heck, figured it was a good deal.


Well, I just got through doing a little ebay research...

Bogen 3046 tripod with Bogen 3063 head, used for $229…

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bogen-3246-Tripod-w-3063-Pan-Tilt-Head-/120771565868?pt=US_Tripods&hash=item1c1e8bd92c

Bogen 3056 auto dolly, used for $65…

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AUTO-DOLLY-3056-BOGEN-MANFROTTO-PHOTO-/350461160328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51991c eb88

Bogen 3047 head, used for for $75 (mounted to dolly)…

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOGEN-MANFROTTO-3047-3-WAY-PAN-TRIPOD-HEAD-/160650197294?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25677f 792e


So it looks like the total used value for my little haul is about $369.

I paid $40.

SCORE!




(I'm kind of kicking myself for not buying the HUGE Tamrac camera case, but oh well.)

[southTXhunter]

Nice!

[Shane]

Oh, man! That is a score.

I've been trying to learn how to video using my T2i recently, so I've been looking into all the "necessary" gear for video. It is completely mind-boggling to see the amount of EXPENSIVE gear related to video. A good pan head like that is one thing that I really will have to break down and buy one of these days. After that, there is only about $20K worth of other stuff that I've discovered that I really need.

[Double L]

You hit one out of the park David! Congratulations.

[Snakelover]

Oh, man! That is a score.

I've been trying to learn how to video using my T2i recently, so I've been looking into all the "necessary" gear for video. It is completely mind-boggling to see the amount of EXPENSIVE gear related to video. A good pan head like that is one thing that I really will have to break down and buy one of these days. After that, there is only about $20K worth of other stuff that I've discovered that I really need.

For what it's worth, I video my hunts using one of these...

http://www.amazon.com/Velbon-DF-60-Function-Weight-Tripod/dp/B00009UTVO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315845469&sr=8-2

Actually I have two of them, one in each blind. I cover the head with a ziplock bag, but they stay in the blind all the time. They pan plenty smooth for that application. I guess if I were making my living, I'd want a more expensive setup. But I like not having to baby it or carry it back and forth.

[Shane]

I have one similar to that too. But I've learned that I "need" this kind of setup to be cool while shooting video with my DSLR. I'll probably need a more sturdy tripod setup for this.

[dcw]

Lucky dog

[Snakelover]

Shane, so you think it's better to shoot video with your DSLR than to use a video camera? I've only used a video camera for videos. Nice and light and leaves my DSLR free to shoot stills. What are the advantages of shooting video on DSLR?

[Shane]

Shane, so you think it's better to shoot video with your DSLR than to use a video camera? I've only used a video camera for videos. Nice and light and leaves my DSLR free to shoot stills. What are the advantages of shooting video on DSLR?

I don't know if it's better or not. There are many pros and cons. Regular small HD camcorders are most certainly the "best" for shooting in hunting situations, since DSLRs are bigger and don't follow focus with autofocus. The versatility and quality of the DSLR video stuff is pretty amazing though, and I've kinda gotten the bug. The camera is still available for still shots, even during video recording. All you do is press the shutter button to take a still. You lose about a second of video in the process, but it will keep recording video. Of course if you're not recording video at the moment, then you can take all the stills you want without switching cameras. Just turn the dial to a photo mode instead of video mode.

DSLR video isn't as easy as camcorder video, but you can pretty much do (with a DSLR) everything that you can do with a $25K pro video camera. I've always hated carrying and fiddling with even a small video camera and tripod along with my regular camera. I figured I'd give the DSLR video a shot this year to see if it works for me or not.

I'll definitely be using the video stuff for non-hunting things. I'm learning some stuff that will make it much easier.

[Snakelover]

I'll be looking forward to watching your hunting videos, Shane! I'm afraid one day all this technology will make my head explode! So I'm probably best off keeping it simple. But I'll let you be the guinea pig!

[scotty]

Congratulations on the find, David. It's always satisfying when you stumble upon a great deal!