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bs2511feist

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 29, 2011
46
0
USA
I'm thinking about buying a Bogen Manfrotto 3036 Tripod with 3063 Fluid Head from a guy a found on craigslist for 200 dollars. it is in great condition but it is used. Tell me if you guys think i am making a good deal or not, should i offer him less? I will post some pictures he sent me(, it will also come with a dolly and release plate that were not photographed.)
 

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bs2511feist

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 29, 2011
46
0
USA
more pictures
 

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Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,247
1,946
See if he'll go for $175/ I don't know what they cost new but if it was taken care of it is a good deal.
 

Bucktag04

macrumors newbie
Oct 3, 2011
2
0
Hey man here is a link to B&H Photo Video, they have these tripod legs, brand new for around $250. B&H Photo Video, Adorama, and KEH are the best places to purchase photo/video equipment. They all have a "Used Gear" section and will also do equipment trade-ins. My buddy who is also a photographer, recently bought a similar tripod off Craigslist but I believe his was larger & had a geared head and paid $50 bucks, so in my opinion he wants way too much. I personally would offer $100 max. For $200, I'm sure you could find something much better, checkout those sites I mentioned along with ebay. Good Luck.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/253564-REG/Manfrotto_475B_475B_Professional_Tripod_Legs.html
 

puckhead193

macrumors G3
May 25, 2004
9,577
861
NY
i think the most important thing is just how fluid it is and also see how much weight it can hold? can it handle your rig.
 

Kevin Monahan

macrumors regular
Feb 23, 2011
161
1
i think the most important thing is just how fluid it is and also see how much weight it can hold? can it handle your rig.
You also have to consider the portability, bulkiness and weight of the tripod, especially if you are lugging them around a lot. Those are things I'd be concerned about with this ancient set of sticks.
 

Policar

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2004
662
7
I own one of these; it's a pretty good head for the money. Try it out to see if it's still smooth. Imo, the 3063 head is slightly smoother than the 501 and its subsequent revisions, but not great. Very nice for a small rig, though. If your price range doesn't allow buying something significantly better ($500+), see if you can talk the seller down a bit and definitely consider picking this up. It's MUCH better than anything new at that price and about the same weight as modern consumer tripods, much lighter than a professional video tripod but also really bad by comparison.

I'm not sure how much age matters with tripods. The smoothest ones I've used have been decades old... They were old Mitchell heads and another brand that began with a C, I think (rented from Panavision NY) if I remember right, but those are very expensive and designed for big film cameras.
 

ibennetch

macrumors member
Aug 9, 2008
39
0
See if he'll go for $175/ I don't know what they cost new but if it was taken care of it is a good deal.

Indeed, the price is a pretty good discount, but how you figured that without having any idea what it's worth new is beyond me. The legs alone seem worth that price.

Looks like ancient history. Pass...

Discontinued? Yes (the head, anyway; those sticks still seem to be in production), but ancient history? Not really. In fact, the next revision fluid head (which was based on this model) is still commonly available and I believe still available new, so it's not that old. Obviously you'll want to make sure the panning and tilting is smooth, but I don't think it's that old that you should be overly worried about it.

i think the most important thing is just how fluid it is and also see how much weight it can hold? can it handle your rig.

Yeah, this. The size of your rig is a big factor to consider especially with a combination of this size. But as long as it still works properly (and it should; I've used older gear that was beat more heavily that still worked properly) and can hold your gear properly, it looks like a good value to me.
 

baypharm

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2007
1,951
973
Ummm....3063 has been around since the 80's. I used to have one and I didn't like it for video use. Wasn't smooth, mainly because it is not a true fluid head. I would go for the 501 for an entry level head.
 

cgbier

macrumors 6502a
Jun 6, 2011
933
2
Check Amazon for a Weifeng 717. They are a Manfrotto clone for around 150-175 new.
I have Weifeng legs for my in-the-ocean photo tripod. They are pretty solid.
 

filmweaver

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2008
115
0
Bogen 3033

I have a Bogen 3033 Tripod and a 3063 head, works flawlessly. Liked it so much I just bought another one from ebay seller. The 3033 is a solid workhorse, old but true. It is heavy for back packing, but doable and worth the effort. The new one just cost me 145 with shipping for both the tripod and head. The first one I paid about 240 for both about a year ago.
Good luck
 
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