"My 190 serial 190B/CG09 has been with me for so long that I could not recall which year I bought it. My friend bought it for me from Singapore as it was not available in my part of Malaysia then.

My 190 had been mated with my Pentax 67, Fujica 645, all sort of lenses from Canon and nikon. I even had my old MF Nikon 800mm F5.6 combined with my Canon EOS 40D as shown in my photo when I go shooting migratory birds, sunrise and sunset by the beach.

This 190 had one of its leg broken (as can be seen on the right from the photo) while on my trip to shoot Ayers Rock (Uluru) in Australia in 2006, but not wanting to give up on my trusted old mate, I managed to have it welded and now it is as good as new. I also used SUPER STEEL EPOXY to fabricate the centre pod lock nut which can also be seen from the photo. I also drilled a hole through the bottom of the centre pod and put a S hook in (not visible from photo) to have my camera bag hang on the hook to further stabilize the whole rig especially when the tripod with my macro lens is sitting on the spongy rain forest floor covered with dead vegetation, roots and slippery soil. That's the story of my beloved 190..........LONG LIVE 190.

Nowadays, I use mainly my 055 tripod when I am not traveling. If I am traveling or have to hike for hours then my 190 is still my best companion.
I have also recommended so many of my friends to buy Manfrotto, either a 190 or 055."

© George Chiew

photo submitted via email by George Chiew to the 190CX Operation Museum competition.

Tags:   George Chiew Manfrotto 190 Manfrotto 190 tripod 190cxoperationmuseum

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