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I've long wanted a more stable tripod than my 055XPRO, which I think is a very good compromise between cost, portability, and stability. Most of the high-quality photo tripods out there look like more expensive versions of the same basic design. I'm sure the many reviews of the expensive variants are accurate, but I suspect there are some limitations of the design that can't be overcome with carbon fiber. Since there aren't any stores that carry high-end tripods in my area where I could try one out, I couldn't bring myself to buy what intuition suggests would be a marginally better version of what I already have.
When looking for tripods with a different design, I found some Manfrotto models which looked promising. After comparing the 028, 475, 058 & the 161MK2, I chose the 475. The weight of the 028 was attractive, but the narrow tubing means it will have a lot of flex when the third leg section is significantly extended. I also like to shoot landscapes from low angles and it didn't go low enough for my taste. The 161 looked fantastic. It will get pretty low, but it also goes crazy high. I sometimes clamp my camera to a ladder with a magic arm for some stability from high perspectives, and this tripod would have eliminated the need for that. It's strong enough to load down with sand bags for extra stability. It's also crazy heavy. While I didn't buy this tripod to take backpacking, I sometimes carry it a mile from my car to the shooting location, so weight matters. Finally, while I was prepared to spend $500 if I had to, I really didn't want to.
That left me the choice between the 058 & the 475, and it was a tough one. The one-button deployment and leveling of the 058 was very attractive, but the narrower tubing left me wondering if it would be as stiff as the 475. It also occurred to me that this is the kind of thing that might break, though this basic design has been around for a long time and I found reviews from people who said they've used theirs for 20 year and no reviews indicating premature breakage. The real argument for the 475 is price. A good tripod is very important, but it's not sexy. I wanted a Lee Big Stopper, and the price difference between the 475 & the 058 would just about pay for one. I went with the 475. (I'm still waiting for the back-ordered Big Stopper.)
The design of the tripod is good. The positional stops on the leg braces are stiff enough to stop where they should, but easy to get past when you want to. Once locked in place, they add good stiffness to the rig. Also, if they're all locked in the same place, you can release the center thumbscrew and fold in the legs regardless of the angle the legs were at. This is very convenient for repositioning the camera during a shoot. The center column operates smoothly, and won't fall under the weight of your camera if you forget to lock it.
The lower leg sections are the weak link. Once the lower sections are extended more than about 6" the flex becomes noticeable. While this isn't surprising, it is different from other tripods I've used where the center column is the greatest weakness. The first thing I did when I got the tripod was extend it to full height and was shocked by how much it flexed. It was a little less stable than the 055XPRO (with the column down), although almost 2' higher. It would be usable at that height, but not in challenging conditions.
Then I got realistic. With the lower legs sections fully closed and the center column fully down, the mounting plate is about 45" high and the tripod is like a solid block of aluminum. In this configuration with a ball head and camera on top, the viewfinder is about 52" high, which is pretty usable. Hang a sandbag from this configuration and you'll be fine for any length of exposure even on the windiest days. If you want to be more comfortable looking through the viewfinder, extend the lower legs and column about 5" each and the tripod is still solid, and is the perfect height for me at 5'11".
The center column is very stiff when raised & locked. I took a series of test shots with mirror lock-up disabled and the column at a variety of heights. The first shot I took where I could see the difference between the column fully retracted was with the column extended about 8". Of course you won't be shooting this way, but it indicates that the center column has good vibration damping ability up to about 7", and in light wind with mirror lock-up you can use it almost fully extended.
One thing noticeably absent from this tripod is a hook to hang a weight from. You could use the shoulder strap ring, but it's not well located and does nothing to dampen the center column vibration. The moveable part of the center column is equipped with a 3/8-16 stud on the bottom. This can be used to mount your ball head upside down to get very low angles or you can put a lifting eye on it to suspend a weight. Look for a lifting eye small enough to go inside the column tube (it took me a while to find one) so you can leave it on all the time.
All-in-all I got what I wanted, a very-stable, somewhat-portable tripod for a reasonable price. I wouldn't recommend this as a first tripod unless all your shooting will be studio portraits. Once you've got a quality portable, this is a good upgrade for studio or on location when you won't have to carry it very far.
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