1. Type of wood?
Some people like the aesthetics with the exotic type of woods, seppelle or Jatoba. To make it easy Maple is the King for all performance. It has the best vibration dampening qualities. It is lighter than the other woods. It is stronger than the other woods. Its color is lighter so it will not absorb as much heat from the sun. Lastly, it is cheaper. The exotic woods cost more, but wow, they look nice.
2. Black Knobs or Luster Bronze Knobs?
The black knobs are what come standard. They are ceramic coated aluminum knobs. They are very durable and will last a lifetime. Most of all they are lighter than the Bronze Knobs. The Bronze Knobs are made of solid bronze and are significantly heavier than the aluminum knobs. There is no coating and they will naturally patina over time. They are beautiful but also cost more. If you want to look cool while taking the photos get the bronze. If you don’t care how you look while taking your photos get the black knobs.
3. What are Slider Loops?
This is an option for the A100 Tripod, A100-2 Tripod and the J100-2 Tripod. The slider loops allow the user to loosen, extend and lock the inner leg independently. Some people like these as a convenience instead of having to grab the bottom of the Inner leg to make adjustments. It is like having an extra handle to extend the inner legs from the outside without having to bend down. Some people love them, some hate them.
4. Screw Size?
Whatever your screw size is of your camera. Seems like a dumb question, right. Consider this, if you get the same screw sizes for your camera screw and your tripod screw then you can mount your camera directly to your tripod. You want take a picture on the top of that really steep trail? Leave the Head in the car and just use the Tripod. It has almost all the same movements as a head.
Also if you get 3/8-16 size you can use an adapter for 1/4-20. So if all of your cameras are 1/4-20, get all 1/4-20. If you have one camera that is 3/8-16 and the other is 1/4-20, get all 3/8-16 and use the adapter bushing, see attached, for the 1/4-20 camera. Just let us know if you require the Adapter Bushing.
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