RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is the use of 2 or more disks to achieve greater reliability, greater performance or greater capacity.

In this article, I will be describing RAID level 1, or Mirroring. Looking at the above definition, RAID level 1 provides greater reliability, but neither greater performance or capacity. I have previously covered RAID 0 Striping in a previous article.

Overview

RAID 1 requires a minimum of 2 disks where each disk holds the same data. Both disks are written to in parallel and both disks should be the same size and ideally the same model and manufacturer to remove any inconstancies between different drives. Therefore RAID 1 provides increased redundancy as the loss of a single disk will not cause an outage or loss of data. Replacing the faulty drive will allow you to restore the mirror set. This is typically referred to as rebuilding the RAID array, and is typically managed by either the RAID software or the RAID hardware device.

RAID 1 can be expensive, as you will be doubling the number of hard drives needed. In a typical 2 drive mirror you are only using 50% of the total available storage. This doubles the $/GB.

RAID 1 is used to increase the reliability and where the loss of a drive cannot be tolerated, such as on a desktop or server that cannot sustain any downtime. For digital photographers, this may be the boot drive on a Mac Pro, or the storage drive(s) used to store photos in a studio (however, typical backup software may be adequate.) In each case, the loss of a drive would result in loss of data and potentially lost business.

A RAID 1 mirror does not provide any increase in performance or capacity like RAID 0.

Note that RAID is sometimes use to (incorrectly) describe a type of backup. This is especially true of RAID 1 mirroring, where the increased redundancy can give a false sense of security. RAID should not be implemented with the misconception that you are providing a backup of data. As a digital photographer, it is important to maintain both local and remote copies of your images.

Advantages

• Increased reliability - A failure of a drive in a mirror will not cause data loss or loss of service

Disadvantages

• Increased cost - You are effectively doubling the storage required, doubling the cost
• Not a backup - Some people that use a mirrored drive are sometimes under the false illusion that they have provided adequate backup of their data

Recommended Solutions

Boot drive - By building a Mac, PC or Linux computer with 2 identical drives it is possible to mirror the drives. On a MAC you can use either using the software Disk Utility, or using the optional Apple RAID Card (see below) and the RAID Utility. The RAID card is recommended over a software solution as it provides a more robust and secure solution. However, you can successfully implement RAID 1 mirroring using the Disk Utility included with Mac OS X. On a PC, you will need to use either motherboard- or add-on card-based RAID (sometimes called software RAID), or a dedicated hardware RAID card. Note that a dedicated hardware RAID card can costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars, where a software RAID card can be less than a hundred dollars. This is because a software RAID card only implements the minimum needed to support RAID. On Linux it is recommended to use either a dedicated hardware RAID card or Linux software RAID (using the mdadm package). In each case, it will allow the operating system to be installed on the mirrored drives, increasing the reliability of the system drives.

Mac external storage - You can also create mirrored drives on an Mac using external firewire or USB drives. For this to be successful, the drives should be the same capacity and ideally the same model and manufacturer. The Disk Utility software allows you to create both RAID 0 striped and RAID 1 mirrored arrays. A third option of concatenated disks (sometimes called JBOD) is also available that simply concatenates the drives to form a larger drive. Note that this solution will work for any Mac with multiple firewire or USB connections.

General mirrored storage - Storage can either be additional internal drives, an external RAID enclosure or part of a NAS solution. Note that some computers may have limited internal drive capacity. For example, the Mac Pro can only hold a total of 4 internal drives. Mirroring can be an expensive solution, but it does offer a high level of data redundancy. If a number of drives to be mirrored is high (such as 3 or 4), it is recommended that a RAID 5 array is investigated, as the cost can be reduced due to the total number of drives being reduced. RAID 5 will be covered in a later article.

Mac Pro - Apple RAID Card

If you are looking at the Mac Pro, Apple have included the option of the Apple RAID card. The card includes 256MB of RAID cache, a 72-hour cache-protecting battery, and support for hardware RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 0+1. The card works with both SATA and SAS drives and requires a spare PCI slot. As the RAID is managed in hardware on the card, minimal system resources are consumed managing the RAID array. Even though Apple supports software RAID levels 0 and 1 using the Disk Utility without the optional card, the Apple RAID card provides a more robust solution.

In Summary

Implementing RAID 1 is a great way of increasing the overall reliability of your system.

RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is the use of 2 or more disks to achieve greater reliability, greater performance or greater capacity.

In this article, I will be describing RAID level 0, or Striping. Looking at the above definition, RAID level 0 provides greater performance and to a lesser extent greater capacity.

Overview

RAID level 0 requires a minimum of 2 disks to create the RAID array. Each drive (or partition, as a RAID 0 array can be made across like-sized partitions) needs to be the same size, and it is recommended that the drives are the same make and model to remove any inconstancies between different drives. The data is striped across all disks in the array (defined as the stripe set). Data is spread evenly across the disks as shown in the diagram above, therefore providing increased performance as parallel disk reads and writes are quicker than accessing the same data from a single drive. This is because the hardware I/O speed is quicker than disk access performance, so the computer can read data from 2 or more disks a lot faster than if it was reading the same data from a single drive.

The two main metrics used when describing disk performance are access time and transfer rate. The access time (expressed in milliseconds) is the time it takes for the drive to move the disk heads from rest to the correct location on the disk. As the data can be accessed quicker at the edge of the disk, and slower near the center (as the heads are parked on the edge when the disk is not being accessed), the access time is expressed as an average across the range of movement of the disk heads. A RAID 0 array will have a slightly slower access time than a single drive; however, access times are not typically noticeable to end-users. The other metric, transfer rate, is more noticeable to end-users. A typical drive (such as a modern SATA drive) can achieve a maximum transfer rate of about 80MB/s. A 2 drive RAID 0 array will achieve about 140MB/s, and a 3 disk RAID 0 array about 180MB/s. As you can see, there is a trailing off of performance as more disks are added to the RAID 0 array. This is because the bottleneck moves from the disk to the underlying I/O sub-system and disk controller. The increased transfer rate explains why RAID 0 is popular when the requirement is to read (and to write) large volumes of data (think Photoshop scratch spaces here).

However, RAID 0 does reduce the overall reliability of the data, as a failure of a single device in the array will cause the stripe set to be inoperable. Replacing the faulty drive will not allow you to recover the striped set, as the data on the faulty drive cannot be recovered from the data on the other drives (unlike a RAID 5 array for example.)

Note that RAID is sometimes use to (incorrectly) describe a type of backup. RAID should not be implemented with the misconception that you are providing a backup of data.

Advantages

• Increased performance - The transfer rate is increased allowing applications to read and write data faster
• Increased capacity of a single drive - Smaller physical drives are presented as single logical disk, giving the impression of increased capacity

Disadvantages

• Reduced reliability - The failure of a single drive will result in the stripe set being inoperable
• Increased physical requirements - Increasing the number of disks also increases the required number of drive bays, power and data connectors and increased cooling requirements

Recommended Solutions

Faster System Drive - Due to the increased performance of both reads and writes, using a striped array for the system drive can dramatically improve the responsiveness and overall performance of your system. However, you will need to ensure that a backup is made of the array as the reliability of a striped array is reduced. Note that you should really be making a backup of your system drive irrespective of if a striped array is used. On the Mac, my preference would be to use SuperDuper! to create a bootable backup of your drive on a daily basis to a locally connected firewire (or USB) drive. On the PC, Acronis True Image is a great solution. If you have Windows Vista Home Premium, Ultimate or Enterprise, the included backup software offers a pretty good alternative (but does not match the flexibility offered by a commercial product.)

Scratch Space - Photo and video editing application like Photoshop can make use of a scratch space to store their temporary work. They would be able to take advantage of the increased performance of both reads and writes that RAID 0 offers. Reliability is less of an issue, as the scratch space is only for temporary storage.

Mac Pro - Apple RAID Card

If you are looking at the Mac Pro, Apple have included the option of the Apple RAID card. The card includes 256MB of RAID cache, a 72-hour cache-protecting battery, and support for hardware RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 0+1. The card works with both SATA and SAS drives and requires a spare PCI slot. As the RAID is managed in hardware on the card, minimal system resources are consumed managing the RAID array. Even though Apple supports software RAID levels 0 and 1 using the Disk Utility without the optional card, the Apple RAID card provides a more robust solution.

In Summary

Implementing RAID 0 is a great way of increasing the overall performance of your system. The increased read and write performance can also improve a system’s boot performance. However, you should also be aware of the reduced reliability of a RAID 0 array, and make allowances with a thorough backup strategy.

• Dedicated Macro Lens - can be an expensive option but will provide the most flexible solution. A Macro lens has been specifically design to provide a higher magnification and a closer focal point than normal prime or zoom lenses.
• Reversing the Lens - an adapter is available to allow a lens to be reversed onto the camera body. This will remove the automatic focus and aperture controls, but does offer a cheap solution, as cheap eBay adapters are available.
• Close-up Filters - similar to other lens filters in that they screw onto the end of your lens to provide reduced focal distance and magnification. You will need to ensure they match your filter size. Both Nikon and Canon offer close-up lens, as well as cheap eBay copies.
• Extension Tubes - extension tubes connect between the camera body and the lens, allowing you to focus at a much reduced distance and also increase the magnification factor of the lens. Available with electrical contacts for automatic focus and aperture, with the popular Kenko tubes up to 100 dollars each. Cheaper extension tubes are available that do not have electrical contacts, with cheap eBay tubes available for 10 dollars a set.

As a experiment, I decided to try out the cheap ten dollar eBay extension tubes. I was obviously not expecting much from them, but I was pleasantly surprised by the results I achieved.

I was planning on used them on my Nikon 50mm F1.8 prime lens, so chose the Nikon mount tubes. They are available for most of the popular SLR mount formats. The tubes are constructed of metal and come in 5 separate components. They can be quite hard to unscrew if you tighten them too much.

The set includes the following:

1. Camera Body Mount Adapter
2. Lens Mount Adapter
3. 9mm Tube
4. 16mm Tube
5. 30mm Tube

The tubes can be stacked together to give a maximum length of 55mm. When you add a tube between your lens and the camera you are effectively adjusting the focal point of the lens, allowing the lens to focus closer which also increases the magnification factor of the lens. The standard Nikon 50mm lens can focus to 45cm. One of main differences between the cheap eBay extension tubes and the more expensive tubes (such as those from Kenko) is the lack of any electrical contacts between the camera body and the lens. This means that you will need to set both focus and aperture on the lens manually. The Nikon 50mm includes an aperture ring, which simply needs to be unlocked from its default F22 position. With lenses that do not include an aperture ring, things get a bit more tricky. You will need to attach the camera without the extension tubes, adjust the aperture (best in aperture priority or manual mode) and then use the depth-of-field preview button to stop-down the lens. You will then need to remove the lens keeping the lens stopped down (keeping the depth of field preview pressed.) Note that it is not recommended by camera and lens manufacturers to remove the lens when the camera still turned on, but I have not heard of any adverse effects of doing this. However, you are potentially putting your camera and lens at risk.

To test the effectiveness of the extension tubes, I chose the toy pencil sharpener from the long distance tethering in Aperture article. I purposely focused on the ‘Pencil Sharpener’ lettering to show any changes to the depth of field, as extension tubes will significantly reduce the lens depth of field.

The first photo below is taken without the extension tubes attached. The focal point is about 50cm from the lens. The sharpener is lighted from the right side with a single desk lamp.

The next photo is with the 9mm extension tube. The focal point is about 9cm from lens. You can see how the magnification has been dramatically increased. The depth of field has been reduced, but it still allows all of the lettering to be in focus, with only the front and back edges of the sharpener being slightly out of focus. I would estimate the depth of field would be about 3 to 4cm.

The next photo is with the 16mm extension tube. The focal point is about 6cm from lens. You can see how the magnification has been increased further. When this close to the subject adequate lighting can start to become an issue. The depth of field has been reduced further, with the end of the lettering now out of focus, and the front of the sharpener more prominently out of focus. I would estimate the depth of field would be about 2cm, which makes manual focusing harder. I found moving the camera forward and backward when the lens was focused at its closest setting to be easier than trying to manually focus the lens.

With I tested the 30mm tube or where the tubes are stacked, the focal distance was reduced to only a couple of cm and the magnification too close to result in an acceptable image for this article. For photographing very small objects, this would be okay, but I found that getting adequate lighting was an issue as the front of the lens was obstructing the side light. Also, the depth of field was reduced to less than a cm. If you use a longer lens (I was only using a 50mm), the depth of field and magnification effects would be less dramatic, and the larger extension tubes would be more applicable.

Overall I have enjoyed using the cheap eBbay extension tubes, and recommend them for anybody looking to start macro photography on the cheap. The lack of electrical connections may put you off if you have lenses that do not include aperture rings, but the work-around is not that onerous.

The photo above (of a toy pencil sharpener) was taken with 2 desk lamps (100 Watts each) on a blue card background. The setup is shown below. No prizes for the lighting, but I am still in the process of building my DIY light tent (letting the glue dry!)

I have not noticed any slowdown or any other issues when using the longer cable. It should be noted that 5 meters is the maximum specified length for USB, but this should be more than enough to allow you to shoot anywhere in the same room as your computer.

I ordered the Markins direct from their Korean office, and it was shipped in just a few days. Payment can be conveniently made through Paypal and an EMS tracking number was provided so you can track its progress.

The ball head was shipped in a plain black box.

Inside the shipping box, the ball head was stored in a smaller box. The optional protective pouch and an Arca-Swiss compatible plate for my Nikon D70 were also included. An instruction sheet was also provided.

The Arca-Swiss plate comes in its own box and includes an allen key for fitting to the camera.

The advantage of the Arca-Swiss style plates is their custom fit to your specific camera or lens. This gives a very sturdy base, and is significantly better than the generic plates provided with other ball heads, such as those from Manfrotto, that struggle to keep a tight grip on larger and heavier bodies and lenses. It also allows you to buy plates from other manufactures, such as the great ‘L’ plates from Really Right Stuff.

The plate was very well machined and fitted the base of my Nikon D70 very securely. Due to one of its edges being rounded (shown at the top of the photo below), there is no possibility of it rotating in use and the over-sized bolt keeps the plate securely attached to the camera. The two smaller holes on either side of the plate align with a spring-loaded bolt on the top of the quick shoe, locking the plate to the shoe. This gives an additional level of security if the locking knob on the shoe should come loose. The locking knob is also captive, meaning that it cannot come loose if you continue to unscrew it.

Inside its box, the ball head was stored inside a fabric bag. The bag could be used as a protective pouch, but it would not offer a lot of protection, except from scratches, as it is not padded.

The instruction sheet includes both a Korean and an English side, covering the basic operation and adjustment of the ball head. A clear description is provided of how to find the ’sweet spot’ of the ball head, which is the adjustment where the camera will not creep, but where it can still be moved freely. This is one of the biggest advantages of a professional ball head.

The ball head is very well engineered and machined. All of the components looked to be made to a very high standard and precision and the head and knobs rotated very smoothly.

The quick shoe includes a bubble level and the captive locking bolt previously mentioned. The position of the bubble level is less than ideal, as it cannot be seen when the camera is attached. It can be handy when first setting up the tripod, but I prefer to use a bubble level attached to the camera hot shoe.

The ball head includes 2 adjustment knobs.

The smaller knob provides adjustment of the panoramic base, allowing it to rotate for taking panoramic photos. A scale engraved on the base shows the degrees of rotation, helping if you want to rotate the base by a fixed angle. There is slight rotational movement of the base even when the knob is fully tightened (without over tightening it though), but after reading other reviews and comments made by Markins, this is not regarded as a design fault. You do have to use a lot of force to rotate it when tightened, so it is not an issue for me.

The larger knob actually contains 2 adjustment controls. The knob itself controls the tightness of the grip on the ball. On the end of the knob is a smaller adjustment screw (you can use the end of a finger to adjust it) that is used when you adjust for the ball head’s sweet spot.

Finding the sweet spot is very easy, as follows … You first loosen the ball by unscrewing the adjustment knob and you then unscrew the adjustment screw with the end of your finger. You can then tighten the adjustment knob until you find the point when the ball is locked, but you can still move the camera with ease. At this point there should be no creep in the head, even when a larger lens is attached and the camera is pointing down. Once this point has been found, the adjustment screw should be tightened, locking the ball head. It is really quick to adjust and only needs to be repeated if you change camera and/or lens that could introduce creep. I have found that I do not need to adjust the ball head when moving from 50mm prime to 200mm zoom lenses, but you may need to re-adjust if moving to a heavier f2.8 or 300mm+ zooms.

Overall, I could not be happier with myMarkins Q-Ball M10 ball head. Its solid construction should provide me years of service.

I will be providing an update to both the Feisol CT-3342 carbon fiber tripod and the Markins M10 ball head after I have taken them out on a few shoots.

What is interesting is how this announcement relates to the recently announced Nikon Coolpix P6000. Rather than use the common NEF RAW format, Nikon have chosen to use the NRW RAW image format, which is based on Windows Imaging Component (and you would assume co-developed with Microsoft.) Why Nikon would choose to develop an alternative RAW image format is not clear. The NEF RAW image format is standard on all Nikon DSLRs and their top-of-the-range compact cameras. One thing to note is that Mac users will initially be unable to open the new NRW image format until Apple releases an update to Core Image.

I can understand Microsoft wanting to get more aggressively involved in digital photography, as the Apple Mac has become a very popular platform among professional photographers. This can have a flow-through effect to amateur photographers, who try to use similar technologies to the professionals. Microsoft may well also look at entering the digital video market more aggressively. With the increase in popularity of Linux as an alternative desktop solution, Microsoft must look at specific market segments with which to gain market share and credibility.

The tripod was shipped in a brown box, with the tripod specifications listed on the side. I was amazed how very light the box was.

Inside the box was a Feisol bag that includes a shoulder strap and small pouch on the outside. I was surprised that there was no additional packaging to protect it in transit. Luckily the shipping box looks as though it had not taken any knocks, so the contents should be okay. However, I would have liked to see at least a couple of wraps of bubble wrap.

The bag opens by a zip at one end, and contained the tripod in a protective plastic bag.

The side pocket of the bag contained a warranty card, a hook for attaching under the tripod, an optional set of small spikes that I ordered and 3 Allen keys for tripod adjustment and maintenance.

One thing to note is the lack of any instructions. Whilst they are not really needed as its operation and adjustment is pretty straight forward, it is sometimes nice to have a printed guide to help get you started. Note that basic instructions are available online here, by clicking on the User Manual link on the left and selecting the Tournament and Standard Class Tripods section. However, the details are very sparse and not very comprehensive.

After unwrapping the tripod from its protective plastic bag you are amazed at how light it is. At 1kg, it feels like it is not even going to be able to stand up on its own!

One of the advantages of its simple design is knowing that with less moving parts, the chance of a potential failure is reduced. The addition of a set of tools means you can adjust and potentially repair the tripod. I would assume that over time the legs may need re-tightening.

The legs are the screw-and-slide type (not sure what else to call them), similar to the Gitzo legs. They appear to be very smooth to slide and easy to operate. All three legs have a foam cover over the top section. It is nice to see that Feisol include covers for all three legs, as I am confused at why Manfrotto only seem to cover two of the legs. The foam is quite firm and should help when using the tripod in cold conditions. Even though carbon fiber legs do not get as cold as aluminum legs, they can still be uncomfortable in very cold conditions.

I chose the 3 section model that can be extended to 142cm when fully open. I chose 3 sections over the 4 sections due to it being slightly easier to extend and the reduced number of mechanical components that may fail (pretty weak arguments, I know!) However, the shorter closed length of the 4 section will be attractive if you regularly travel, as it can fit within most aircraft carry-on luggage.

The top of the tripod is very clean and simple, with a single threaded bolt to allow the attachment of a tripod head. An optional center column can be added, and a horizontal mounting plate is available to convert the center column to the horizontal position. This does not seem as clean as solution as providing by the newer Manfrotto tripod (where the center column converts to horizontal without removing it), but as I will not be using a center column, it did not concern me. I am not a great fan of center columns as I think they reduce the rigidity of the tripod, similar to mounting a monopod on top of the tripod. Underneath the tripod top a hook can be screwed for attachment of bags and weights to give extra stability in uneven or windy conditions.

Overall, I find the Feisol CT-3342 to be a very sturdy and light tripod. I would highly recommend that Feisol is added to your shortlist if you are looking for a new tripod. They have a wide range of carbon fiber tripods that should cover most budgets. I have also heard good reports about their range of monopods as well.

I will be bringing a more detailed review after the Feisol has been used on a few shoots.

Color Efex Pro 3.0 provides a set of digital filters for colour correction, retouching and creative enhancements. They are analogous to traditional photographic filters, and some of the filter names will be familiar, such as Graduated Neutral Density and Skylight Filter.

Color Efex Pro 3.0 is available in three different versions at different price points and number of included filters. A 15 day free trial version is also available.

• Standard Edition - 15 Filters - $99.95 (Aperture plug-in not included)
• Select Edition - 35 Filters - $159.95
• Complete Edition - 52 Filters - $299.95

The filters provided with each edition are listed here.

After opening the plug-in with a selected photo, the plug-in interface is opened. The Complete Edition is shown in the screen shot below after the B/W Conversion plug-in has been applied.

The left side of the plug-in lists the available filters, grouped into a number of tabs; All, Traditional, Stylizing, Landscape or Portrait. Filters can also be added to a dedicated Favorites tab.

The center of the plug-in shows the selected photo. A number of different display modes are available.

• A single image is shown with the filter applied (a check-box can remove the preview, simply showing the image before the filter is applied.)
• Before and after photos are shown side-by-side (as shown in the screen shot above.) This is my preferred display mode, allowing to see the filter effects upon all parts of the photo.
• A single photo is shown split in two, the left side showing before and the right side showing after.

The right side of the plug-in shows the available options for the currently selected filter. A loupe is also provided that shows the before and after effects of the filter at the pixel level. The loupe displays the photo detail at the current mouse pointer location.

I will be adding some subsequent follow-up articles taking an example image and passing it through a number of the available filters to show the their effect and the filters available options.

Overall, Color Efex Pro 3.0 is a great Aperture plug-in and a valuable addition to your digital kit-bag. However, as the Aperture plug-in is only available with the Select and Complete Editions, which at $160 and $300 (minus that 5 cents!) respectively are quite expensive, it will only be popular with a select group of Aperture users. However, if you have not invested in Photoshop, a couple of Aperture plug-ins may be all you need to complete your digital workflow. I would definitely recommend using the free trial version to see if it offers enough features for the cost.

There were some compelling reasons for me choosing this model and this brand. One of the most important considerations when choosing a ball head is the weight it is expected to support. I looked for a head that can support a 70-200mm F2.8 lens, but potentially could support a longer zoom in the future. Many of the cheaper head will start to creep with heavy lenses. As I am hoping to experiment with both HDR and panoramic photography, movements in the ball head will introduce blur to images.

• Positive reviews - Most, if not all of the review that I read were positive. There were minor comments regarding the movement of the panoramic base (rotational movement when forced) even when fully locked, but this did not distract the reviewers from recommending the head.



• Hopefully it will last a lifetime - I am hoping that the combination of the Feisol tripod and Markins M10 ball head will provide me many years of service. A lot of people agree with Thom Hogan, who thinks that most people will eventually end up buying progressively more extensive tripods and heads (as they start to find deficiencies in there current models), and it is better to just ‘bite the bullet’ and spend the money upfront. I agree, and think it will save you money in the long term.
• More support than I will need - The Markins M10 is rated at 90lbs of support. It is widely agreed that you should look for a head that can support 3 times the maximum support requirement. Based upon my current and planned future body and lenses, I believe this should be more than adequate. Also, having some ‘headroom’ will put the head under less stress under day-to-day use.

It is worth keeping in mind the additional cost of body and lens plates, which are around $50 each (L plates cost around $100.) Most of the more expensive and professional ball heads provide support for the Arca-Swiss quick release plates. This allows you to permanently attach a plate to your camera bodies or lenses. The Arca-Swiss plates offer a very stable and secure fit to your camera and quick release plates, as they are custom designed for specific camera and lens models. It also allows you to choose plates from a number of different manufacturers to meet your requirements. Note that Manfrotto ball heads do not support the Arca-Swiss plates, so you will need to buy additional Manfrotto plates if you choose a Manfrotto ball head. I did not find the Manfrotto plates as secure as the Arca-Swiss plates, with some movement when attached. This is mainly due to the generic nature of the Manfrotto plates, as they are designed to fit all available bodies and cameras. A tripod provides a secure and stable environment for low light or longer exposure shots. If any parts of your tripod setup can move, wether it be the legs, head or plates, then your photos may suffer from blur or sharpness issues.

The following are some other models that I looked at before deciding upon the Markins. Note that my budget was around $200 - $400 dollars, hence the lack of expensive models. However as this price range covers most of the popular ball heads, you would only look to spend more if you will be supporting larger (300mm +) lenses. I would recommend either the Kirk BH-1, Markins M20 or RRS BH-55 if more support is required.

• Markins Q-Ball Q3 - the baby brother to the Markins M10, the Q3 is slightly smaller and supports slightly less weight. It was very hard to choose between the Q3 and M10, but I ultimately chose the more expensive model, mainly due its increased support capability.
• Kirk BH-3 - a very popular ball head and its cheaper price ($255) and included universal plate makes a very good alternative to the Markins.
• RRS BH-40 - a work of art that looks fantastic. Most reviews have been positive, but I have read more than once about a slight creep after locking the ball. It is also more expensive at $375 (with lever quick release), but it would definitely be a good alternative to the Markins M10.
• Manfrotto 488 - a pretty good ball head for $100, but at this price point you are not really going to get the same level of support as the more expensive models. It does have a tendency to creep with anything bigger than a small body and zoom lens, so you may end up replacing it when you upgrade you lenses. All Manfrotto heads include a proprietary quick release system. It has become standard among the the more expensive and professional ball head manufactures to support the Arca-Swiss style quick release plates. After you have used the Arca-Swiss quick release plates, the Manfrotto system seems very unstable and cumbersome in comparison.
• Manfrotto 468MG - currently the top-of-the-range from Manfrotto ball head and has received a number of positive reviews. However, at around $290 it is priced similar to the Kirk, Markins and RRS models. Whilst I love Manfrotto products, I think a lot of photographers would recommend the other models. Also, the Manfrotto includes the proprietary quick release system as with the 488.

I am currently awaiting its delivery from Korea, and will be providing both my initial thoughts and a more detailed review after some use.

I have included some photos of the Markins M10 range, traditional black, blue, red and without the Markins quick shoe. The later model will be popular for people wishing to use alternative quick shoes, such as the Really Right Stuff models that are receiving some great reviews.

Please note that if you are from outside the US or Canada, you will need to use the Markins International site. US and Canada orders will be shipped from the US reseller, where all international orders will be shipped directly from Korea. My order was processed the same day and I was sent the shipping EMS details to allow me to track the order online. So far, I agree with a number of the online reviews regarding the very prompt and professional customer service of Markins.

There were some compelling reasons for me choosing this model and this brand. Note that a choice of tripod is quite a personal decision based upon individual requirements, such as weight, height and cost.

• Positive reviews - I have not read many (if any) negative reviews of the Feisol tripods. They have not taken the path to blatantly copy Gitzo (like Benro), rather they have applied their own innovation to the designs. They also listen to customer comments, as they have been revising their range based upon previous reviews.
• Carbon fibre at an aluminum price - as a general purpose tripod, I was looking for something both light and strong. A tripod that is heavy to carry will be left behind when treking, so weight was an important consideration. The CT-3342 weights around 1kg which is extremely light. The similar specification Manfrotto 055MF3 weights 2kg and the equivalent aluminum 055PRO weights 2.4kg. This can make a substantial difference when you are deciding what to take for a photography trip.
• Center column was an option - I am not a great fan of center columns. They are typically unstable, similar to adding a monopod to the top of the tripod. I prefer a tripod that has the height in its main leg sections rather than rely on a center column. The CT-3342 is 142cm fully extended, which together with the height of a typical ball head (10cm) and the camera body (10cm) should be acceptable for people less than 6″ tall. At 5′ 10″, I think it will be the perfect height for me without having to stoop.



• Hopefully it will last a lifetime - I am hoping that the combination of the Feisol tripod and Markins M10 ball head will provide me many years of service. A lot of people agree with Thom Hogan, who thinks that most people will eventually end up buying progressively more expensive tripods and heads (as they start to find deficiencies in their current models), and it is better to just ‘bite the bullet’ and spend the money upfront. I agree, and think it will save you money in the long term.
• Price - at $299 dollars it represents great value for money for a carbon fiber tripod. A Gitzo of a similar specification will cost 2 or 3 times as much. For a non-professional photographer, the Feisol may offer the best alternative.

The following are some other models that I looked at before deciding upon the Feisol. Note that my budget was around $200 - $400 dollars, hence the lack of the more expensive (and potentially better) Gitzo models.

• Manfrotto 055MF3 - I started my research with this model as it offered a carbon fiber tripod at a competitive price. I eventually decided that the Feisol (at the same price) offered a better solution, especially as it was half the weight.
• Manfrotto 190CX3 - a nice looking and well specified tripod. However, it is a little too short with me without raising the center column, something I am trying to avoid.
• Benro - Benro makes copies of the popular Gitzo models. I have read positive reviews based upon their low cost and quality copies of Gitzo. However, I like the innovation of the Feisol models.
• Giottos, Cullman, Slik, Velbon - I discounted some of the other brands early on. I am hoping to not upgrade the tripod for a number of years, and think that some of the cheaper models will not provide the stability or low weight I require. I know a lot of people that swear by some of these brands, so it may be a matter of personal preference, but I hope I am not proved wrong!

I am currently awaiting its delivery from Taiwan (it shipped within hours of putting the order in), and will be providing both my initial thoughts and a more detailed review after some use.