Good tripod

[The Survivor]

Hi all,

Just wondering what sort of tripod you are all using out there. I have a lightweight aluminum one, but its not very good in high wind or when using a 5x4 camera.

Weight is not (really) a problem. Any suggestions?

 

[didicoy]

I have several. One made by a blacksmith. My chitty irons I hang my kettle & pans off this tripod is over 100 years old. I have light weight tripods made out of camera tripods. One is all aluminum, the other is the old tube brass type. sorry, just read its for a camera your asking & not cooking.

 

[garethw]

Hi there
Manfrotto have a decent range of tripods .. mostly budget priced but pretty good if as you say weight is not a problem.
The best ones I've used when I was shooting for a living were by Gitzo. http://www.gitzo.co.uk/photo-tripods.
cheers
Gareth

 

[ArkAngel]

I have a manfrotto carbon fibre for my DSLR

for 5x4 though i would be looking at a heavy duty video tripod. Certainly the ones we used to use at college were monsterous beasties

 

[Nomad]

Depends on the 5x4. If it's a field camera, you don't need to get into the scaffolding jobs.

I use Manfrotto: 055PROB legs (older style without the up-and-over centre column), a ball leveller thing, and the MN410 geared head. The leveller is great because you don't have to faff around getting everything dead level when you set the tripod up - just get it roughly right, and then use the leveller to fine adjust. That way, the bottom of the head is level, meaning no need to readjust stuff if you swing around for another shot from the same position, or when doing multi-shot panoramas.

I find this setup great with my Shen Hao 5x4 (and Bronica ETRS), but it wasn't man enough for a 5x4 monorail of the non-flimsy persuasion (5kg MPP beast from the 60s or 70s). With the MPP, there was some flex in the head which translated into vibration - I felt that things would wear out prematurely if I kept using it.

Goes to a good height - I'm 5'10" and don't have to extend the legs all the way to get the ground glass at loupe/eyeball level. Even less extension when used with the ETRS and WLF. At 4.5kg, it's a hefty tripod, though, which means 'car photography' and short walks.

 

[wingstoo]

This guy uses some added weights to hold his down, saves having multiple tri-pods for multiple uses.

[video=youtube;LGUPUEgwUNk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGUPUEgwUNk[/video]

 

[Comfy]

I have Manfrotto 055XPROB (heavy metal), a 732CY (carbon) tripods and a 468MGRC2 ball head (google each bit to see what's what).
Both tripods are excellent, I bought a cheap tripod first time around, waste of time. For your kit I'd go for the 055XPROB with the ball head, solid bits of kit.
If you're worried about high winds, just dangle a bag of rocks off the tripod, that way your not carrying any weights around, just a bag (get the weights near your shoot).

 

[Nomad]

I have Manfrotto 055XPROB (heavy metal), a 732CY (carbon) tripods and a 468MGRC2 ball head (google each bit to see what's what).
Both tripods are excellent, I bought a cheap tripod first time around, waste of time. For your kit I'd go for the 055XPROB with the ball head, solid bits of kit.
If you're worried about high winds, just dangle a bag of rocks off the tripod, that way your not carrying any weights around, just a bag (get the weights near your shoot).

Geared head is the way to go with large format - hard to hold (or get) the camera level with a ball head, and then keep it there while you tighten. Geared gives you micrometer-like control in three directions (worm drives).

 

[The Survivor]

Thanks all.

(Who needs a photography forum when you have a bushcraft forum!)

 

[Wayland]

Pretty much said already.

I have three tripods of varying weights and they're all made by Manfrotto.

Recently I needed to make a very minor repair on my thirty year old 055 (my middle weight pod) and found I could still order the exact spares I needed online.

Need I say more?

 

[wattsy]

giottos make nice tripods too

 

[mereside]

i use a manfrotto works well with all my cameras but sadly had to let the 5x4 go ,if you want some film i have plenty of boxes in the fridge you are welcome to i have some unopened velvia 50, atb wayne

 

[Nomad]

i use a manfrotto works well with all my cameras but sadly had to let the 5x4 go ,if you want some film i have plenty of boxes in the fridge you are welcome to i have some unopened velvia 50, atb wayne

PM inbound.

 

[BearInTheWoods]

If it's windy, I knock in three pegs and use an arrangement of bungee cord to pull the central column closer into the ground. Fix a loop of it to the bottom of the column with black nasty, then a clip to a 3-string web.

Works for me.

 

[Nomad]

If it's windy, I knock in three pegs and use an arrangement of bungee cord to pull the central column closer into the ground. Fix a loop of it to the bottom of the column with black nasty, then a clip to a 3-string web.

Works for me.

Interesting. Should be able to do something similar with paracord and guyline knots. My older 055PROB has a loop built into the bottom of the column.

 

[The Survivor]

If it's windy, I knock in three pegs and use an arrangement of bungee cord to pull the central column closer into the ground. Fix a loop of it to the bottom of the column with black nasty, then a clip to a 3-string web.

Works for me.

That is a good idea.

 

[Turnstone]

I used to have a Manfrotto 055 (not sure which exact model) and modified it a little bit. Worked very well in almost all conditions.

But a few years ago I switched to a wooden Berlebach . The one I have is almost the same size, weight and price like the Manfrotto, but made of ash wood it is much sturdier and compensates vibrations much better. Plus the construction allows you to work in mud, sand and saltwater. Just flush in some water afterwards and everything is fine. I once covered it completely in the sand of a beach to photograph seals with absolutely no problems with sand afterwards.

They don't look very cool, but I would never go back to something else. Ash wood, do I have to say more?!

And they have tripods in every size you can imagine. And if you can't find what you want, ask them. They have a very good customer service.

 

[Wayland]

I've looked at their pods a few times.

They have a good reputation and I quite like the old school look to them I must admit.

 

[brancho]

I read in an Ansel Adams book about a wooden tripod he had that would hold a 10X8" plate camera steady but would vibrate with a 35 mm SLR on it.

 

[Turnstone]

That's interesting! I haven't done scientific tests on vibration, but in direct comparison the wooden one was better. But maybe you just need the right size for your purposes.

I have the smallest Berlebach tripod, too, and it can handle a Canon EOS 40D with 70-200/4,0 L lens and 1,4 Teleconverter without problems.