Versatile-ish Tripod advice request

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Morado

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On new year's day, some time after midnight, my trusted Manfrotto went to tripod heaven (I'm asuming this is so since I never knew of any misbehaviour on its part)

Now that I am unexpectedly having to shop for a replacement, I thought I would ask for your experience/opinions/suggestions.

I shoot primarily birds/wildlife, landscape, and night/astro. Depending on circumstances I use either a Wimberley gimbal or an FLM ballhead.

Recently I started shooting macro. While I have not produced an image worth writing home about, I am enjoying the challenge of learning this type of photography. If any macro shooters have any particular insights, I would appreciate them.

Having mentioned the immediate "concerns," a word on the foreseeable future. I expect to have more regular access/travel to dark sites, so on the astro side I plan to attempt deep sky objects, initially with a telephoto lens on a tracker, but eventually a telescope. So, if at all possible, I would hope to get a tripod that can for temporarily attend to such duties. This falls in the category of nice to have, but not critical.

I am pretty much brand agnostic, as long as it's not a "here today, gone tomorrow" type of brand you might see in some online market places.

As for the inexpensive, sturdy, and light equation, since only two are truly possible at once, I lean towards sturdy + light, though I would hesitate to spend on something above USD 1,000.
 
For macro, I find the Acratech GPSS ball head works well for angling the camera, and there's also the Fotopro Eagle gimbal with its mechanism to incline forwards from the vertical; although its clamps are not designed for heavier lenses.
A systematic tripod with detachable ball look level is probably more flexible to mount the camera for macro in a reversed column under the casting plate. Alongside the summit series, Leofoto has its CVL with tilting column designed specially for macro photography.

As for brand, I only use Leofoto for the Bang/$ and versatility particularly modularity; but also plan to try the new Sirui for its relatively affordable quick release leg Locking system.


 
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My macro shooting is with a DSLR that doesn't support focus stacking, so my experience may be irrelevant to you. Anyway, the main things that I've found valuable when shooting macro are using macro focusing rails -- not only for focus stacking, but for initial setup. I don't use the dual axis type and have never had a problem getting the left/right adjustment without the extra adjustment axis, but YMMV. A center column is really useful for setup, too. My Leofoto tripod is a systematic one, so I can add a center column for macro work and get rid of it for birding and such. I use a cable release when shooting. If you are focus stacking, go further than you think you need to -- I can't tell you how often I have cut the sequence off before the back of the subject was fully photographed. It may just be my bad technique, but I find that shooting an object straight on instead of at an angle gives me more robust results when focus stacking -- the slices can go together in an oddly distorted way when the angle introduces different views as well as different focal planes. But I am far from a master of macro, so consider the source when evaluating my suggestions.
 
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