Vanguard's introduced a whole new line of bags and tripods.
Check 'em out.
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Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan.
Today on The Slanted Lens, we're gonna take a look at a great series, the Alta Pro series
from Vanguard.
They've got roller bags, the Alta Fly.
They have the bag that I took to Cuba, the Alta Rise 45.
The 45 was a perfect size for me.
The 48 was a little big, but the 45 was perfect.
I love the side access in these bags, I think they're great travel bags.
Used this a lot in Cuba.
Though this is a great series of bags and tripods, we're gonna concentrate on the tripod
today.
So let's talk about this Alta Pro 2+ 263CT.
First off, it's carbon fiber, which makes it lightweight.
Fabulous, I love that.
I love the new kind of rework they did on their legs because with one hand, I can grab
this.
I can turn it, both of them, extend it out, lock, lock.
I don't have to twist, twist, twist, open it up.
It's just one hand, turn, out, lock, lock.
Turn 'em both, they're unlocked.
Locked, unlocked, locked, unlocked, unlocked.
Okay, got it.
You got it.
Also, all of these legs have a very easy feature where you push down on this knob, and you
can just make them higher and higher.
You can set this thing up on a set of stairs.
So it goes up to almost 64 inches with that center column raised.
So...but for me, I could work with a camera on here.
I can work at eye level very easily.
So the height is not usually my concern.
The thing that I like the most, and I'm always looking for the most in a tripod, is how low
can I get the thing.
You can set this thing on any kind of unlevel terrain by just simply putting your leg out
to the side.
Or you could simply drop these legs way out to the side, bring the column up, let that
thing get right on the ground like that.
And now, this is what I think is really fabulous about this, is I can bring this off to the
side.
I can get my camera almost right on the dirt.
So I can get myself down really, really low to have a tripod that works for me.
I think the most interesting feature about this is just the ability to get this over
to the side.
It can lever it into some subject matter you're working on.
I think that's really what's important.
I can actually take this thing down to where it does hit the ground because I can tighten
this on this angle.
With those legs extended, I can get it right down on the ground.
Now with the ball head, I can level it out.
So it will support up to 15 plus pounds, which makes it fabulous for any of your DSLR series
out there: Canon, Nikon, you know, Sony, I mean, it really works for any of the DSLRs.
You could really step up into a lower-end video camera, but it's not made with a video
head.
It's really a still photography tripod.
I do like the color, this kind of black and gray with just some subtle yellow accents
makes it perfect on set.
It's not gonna reflect to the cars if you're on a location.
As most equipment should, it should just blend in and work well on set.
And this does that exactly.
All of this series, they have a place for the tripods.
Like, in this case, you've got a pouch that comes out here.
So once you get to where you're flying, you could take this tripod outtayour suitcase,
which is generally what I do, and you can slide it right in here and you're ready to
go to work.
Sleek look, great weight, and a fabulous tripod all the way around.
Now the carbon fiber does not come with a head.
You choose a head that goes with it, but the other versions come with packages.
Rather, it's the 100 ball head, or they also have a grip handle head as well, which I love
both of those.
So it does have on the top a spud so you can either do a quarter-twenty or three-eights.
I like three-eights, most of my ball heads and heads are made for three-eights, which
is a nice, strong connection.
It's got a three-eights inch place here you can twist in to have a, you know, if you wanna
put an extra spud or something to hold on the camera...or on the tripod.
I have no idea what I'd do with that, but the option's there.
And once the option's there, one day I'll go, "Holy cow!
I'm sure glad I got that.
I can twist in that piece of light equipment.
It goes right there."
So now that I know it's there, I know the opportunity to use it's gonna come up.
If you're gonna invest in a tripod, I think you invest in a carbon fiber tripod just because
of weight and durability.
I mean, they're great tripods.
The aluminum ones are good too, and if you can afford it it's a great way to go, but
I just love the carbon fiber.
So Vanguard is our sponsor.
They've been our sponsor for years, but I've used their tripods for years and they have
always functioned perfectly for me.
I have tripods that are three and four years old that are just going strong, no problem
whatsoever.
I expect the same from this Alta Pro 2.
And we'll continue to see it on set and we'll just give you a report on how it does.
So keep those cameras rolling, keep on clicking.
You could possibly win what's in this Tenba case.
It's a Dynalite pack, two heads, and an umbrella.
So get over to theslantedlens.com, sign up, maybe you'll win.
I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille.
And while I'm doing my closeup, why don't you subscribe to The Slanted Lens.
And then you can do your closeup too.