Originally posted by mkgd1 After almost a year struggling with my K3 on the two tripods I own. (Tripods are ok, the heads were pathetic.) I picked up a minty used Manfrotto 3047 head from Roberts camera. Boy is that thing heavy and heavy duty.
I have a heavy and heavy duty tripod that I picked up back in the mid '80's It is a Leitz Tiltall. I've used for everything from medium format...Pentax 6X7, Mamiya TLR, Yashicamat TLR, Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B, etc...my 35mm's and my digitals. Great for supporting my Sigma 150-500, plus body.
It is rock solid and built like a Mack truck.
How I got it is an interesting story...well to me, anyways.
I had just rented and used a Pentax 6 X 7 with 90mm Leaf Shutter lens one weekend, and the heavy Pentax body almost immediately killed the cheap tripod head on my cheap tripod. That incident spurred me to action.
I went to the camera store the next morning...early Saturday, saw, tried the Tiltall, bought it on the spot and that thing has been everywhere, never let me down in approaching 40 years.
I would say you did the right thing getting a HD tripod. Three things I never cheap out on...Tires, brakes, tripods.