Personally I found the wide array of gear on show on the workshop quite interesting and helpful in comparing your own gear against others.
One of the things we have changed as a result of the trip, that others may find useful.
Anne (Mallee Girl) used an older aluminium tripod with a manfrottos ball head. She found the tripod heavy and awkward to use, and jammed her finger a number of times on the ball head.....so that was for up for review!! (believe me...break a nail and its war!!!
)
The tripod she chose after trying out quite a few was the Slik CF 713. While it comes with a Slik panning head, she was after a pistol grip head and did not like any of the Manfrotto offerings, finding the trigger pressure too hard to operate (something we mere males we wouldn't consider as a problem). There was a Slik tripod & pistol grip combo on the workshop that had caught her attention and she was unable to come up with anything better.....so it just goes to show the "power" of this type of thing when it comes to marketing.
After a bit of searching she was headed again down the Slik path when we came across the Tristar PG 01 Pistol Grip head....which looks like a copy of the Slik to me, even the quick release plates are the same....but a
lot cheaper.
Time will tell if its "cheap & nasty" or just cheaper.
Cheers
Grant
PS: I should add the CF 814 was also a very impressive tool....and more my size
