The great tripod & head thread!

[ThdeDude]

Maybe a bit off topic but since the last postings were about a wooden tripod, Ansel Adams wrote:

Engineers have told me that vibration is one of the difficult problems to overcome in design. It can appear with different "loading" (the weight of the supported components), or with sympathetic vibrations (resonance) that can occur in one or more elements of the design. In Book 1 I described a heavy and sturdy tripod I have that is capable of supporting an 8 x 10 camera with ease; in spite of its massiveness, if I attach my Hasselblad to it, the operation of the mirror sets up a sympathetic vibration that can affect the clarity of the image! The same camera, placed on a much lighter tripod, creates no vibration.
Ansel Adams, The Print, P.25

Are wooden tripods "better" in that regard (i.e. damping) than equivalent carbon fibre tripods?

Wonder how much still a consideration for mirrorless and shutterless cameras. Also cable releases are nowadays wireless. The only mechanical action left is aperture operation. Of course external forces, like wind and terrestrial trembles, can still introduce vibrations and resonance.

 

[P. Chong]

I wonder if anyone is using a video style tripod, like the Sachtler Flowtec 75 or 100?

 

[MGrayson]

That was just the Gods telling him “You’re Ansel Frickin' Adams. Stick with 8x10!”

 

[drunkenspyder]

If this is the wrong place for this, my apologies. But over on fleabay, a fellow has posted a complete NIB Ries kit for sale. Appears to be a very good deal. No waiting. If I hadn’t just gotten the Berlebach and still waiting on my own Ries order, I’d be all over this. (I have no relationship with the seller in that listing.)

 

[MGrayson]

If this is the wrong place for this, my apologies. But over on fleabay, a fellow has posted a complete NIB Ries kit for sale. Appears to be a very good deal. No waiting. If I hadn’t just gotten the Berlebach and still waiting on my own Ries order, I’d be all over this. (I have no relationship with the seller in that listing.)

Damn. The bags alone cost a good chunk of that.

 

[drunkenspyder]

Damn. The bags alone cost a good chunk of that.

Yeah, I think it’s a heckuva deal. If I wasn’t stuck on Jatoba wood, I’d snap it up.

 

[mrcmrc]

I need to choose a tripod for my Hasselblad X2D 100C, I was thinking about a "Gitzo tripod kit Traveler, series 2, 4 sections".

Can anyone briefly tell me the difference between the Traveler series tripods and the Mountaineer series?

Thanks for any advice.

- Marco.

 

[anwarp]

The legs Of the traveller fold over making a more compact package.
I use the 4 section series 2 traveller with my Phase One XF and cambo actus cameras.
However, I do not use the gitzo head.
I use the leofoto NN-34 ball head instead. This tucks in perfectly between the tripod legs (like the gitzo head), and also offers the additional benefit of panning above the levelled ball. This keeps the camera level while panning.

 

[dchew]

The Moutaineer is a larger tripod. It has three angle positions vs two, slightly larger tube diameters, taller (180 vs 165.5 cm) and a bigger “payload” (whatever that means) 20 vs 12 kg. The traveler is smaller and lighter
Dave

 

[mrcmrc]

The legs Of the traveller fold over making a more compact package.
I use the 4 section series 2 traveller with my Phase One XF and cambo actus cameras.
However, I do not use the gitzo head.
I use the leofoto NN-34 ball head instead. This tucks in perfectly between the tripod legs (like the gitzo head), and also offers the additional benefit of panning above the levelled ball. This keeps the camera level while panning.

Thanks! Good to know also about the Leofoto head... just to be sure, is this one: NB-34+NP-50 ? Because I don't find one with the code NN...

- m.

 

[anwarp]

Thanks! Good to know also about the Leofoto head... just to be sure, is this one: NB-34+NP-50 ? Because I don't find one with the code NN...

- m.

Sorry, that was a typo. It's the NB34. The NB50 would not be a snug fit!

I also have the gitzo head that comes as a set with the traveller 2, but I don't use for a few reasons:

1. The friction control is rubbish - too tight or too loose.
2. The friction control knob is not a captive screw and I lost while carrying the tripod over my shoulders. Fortunately I had a spare bolt that I could substitute it with, till I returned home.
3. The Leofoto provides both bottom and top pan.

 

[mrcmrc]

Sorry, that was a typo. It's the NB34. The NB50 would not be a snug fit!

I also have the gitzo head that comes as a set with the traveller 2, but I don't use for a few reasons:

1. The friction control is rubbish - too tight or too loose.
2. The friction control knob is not a captive screw and I lost while carrying the tripod over my shoulders. Fortunately I had a spare bolt that I could substitute it with, till I returned home.
3. The Leofoto provides both bottom and top pan.

Thanks again!

 

[isteveb]

I know this is a tripod and head thread but can anyone recommend a great iPhone holder system that attaches to the tripod for viewing independently of the camera screen?

 

[MGrayson]

Apropos of nothing - LensRentals sells off old equipment and I picked up a Markins Q20 cheap. What a great head! I wasn't thrilled by the Q10, but the Q20 is solid and smooth. The tension varies so smoothly that you don't have to worry about gear suddenly falling over. (The annoying minimum tension screw fell out, and I don't miss it.) It weighs just over a pound, so solidly mid-weight, but performs very heavyweight. (The Center Column is also a fan - not that that influenced me or anything. )
Matt

 

[akaru]

I wonder if anyone is using a video style tripod, like the Sachtler Flowtec 75 or 100?

I have dabbled in the 75, inherited from a previous life in documentary video. I do love the way it can quickly be “opened,” and that it takes a leveler. I can’t say anything about stability as I haven’t tested against the plethora of other options I have, but it does the job. If I have time I will try some tests. I used it on the coast in sand and near water, so it was great for that.

Total tangent here, but I am considering a tablet in the field now that C1 can do a wired tether and there are fancy new iPads with non-glossy screens. Packing a thick iPad mount and arm seems like overkill, though. I’ll probably just lay it in a tripod “stone sack” and otherwise hand-hold…but I have this hare-brained idea to use friction mounts on two legs, something with a L tab, that could just hold the tablet higher up against the tripod. Wouldn’t be secure in wind, but I wouldn’t use an arm in that case either. Has anyone seen any type of mount like this? Not sure if I’ve seen it before or I’m just coming up with silly ideas, but it seems like the simplest solution, yet I can’t find any examples of it.

 

[foster_jb]

I have dabbled in the 75, inherited from a previous life in documentary video. I do love the way it can quickly be “opened,” and that it takes a leveler. I can’t say anything about stability as I haven’t tested against the plethora of other options I have, but it does the job. If I have time I will try some tests. I used it on the coast in sand and near water, so it was great for that.

Total tangent here, but I am considering a tablet in the field now that C1 can do a wired tether and there are fancy new iPads with non-glossy screens. Packing a thick iPad mount and arm seems like overkill, though. I’ll probably just lay it in a tripod “stone sack” and otherwise hand-hold…but I have this hare-brained idea to use friction mounts on two legs, something with a L tab, that could just hold the tablet higher up against the tripod. Wouldn’t be secure in wind, but I wouldn’t use an arm in that case either. Has anyone seen any type of mount like this? Not sure if I’ve seen it before or I’m just coming up with silly ideas, but it seems like the simplest solution, yet I can’t find any examples of it.

There is a nice accessory for the Ipad mini that comes with a sun shade. It also has an accessory to mount a battery to charge the Ipad, or you can leave it off to save weight. You can mount a cold shoe adapter, or other adapters, to the bottom of the cage. They do have cages for Ipad Air and Pro, but no sunshade as of yet.

Best,
John

 

[mrcmrc]

Sorry, that was a typo. It's the NB34. The NB50 would not be a snug fit!

I also have the gitzo head that comes as a set with the traveller 2, but I don't use for a few reasons:

1. The friction control is rubbish - too tight or too loose.
2. The friction control knob is not a captive screw and I lost while carrying the tripod over my shoulders. Fortunately I had a spare bolt that I could substitute it with, till I returned home.
3. The Leofoto provides both bottom and top pan.

Got it! Just to thank you again, the NB-34 is a very nice head.

- Marco.

 

[cunim]

There is a nice accessory for the Ipad mini that comes with a sun shade. It also has an accessory to mount a battery to charge the Ipad, or you can leave it off to save weight. You can mount a cold shoe adapter, or other adapters, to the bottom of the cage. They do have cages for Ipad Air and Pro, but no sunshade as of yet.

This looks really useful. My iphone is too small to provide a good experience with C1 mobile, while my Surface Pro is too big and heavy to use with the full version of C1. No sunshade either. This cage/hood might be just the thing.

 

[JaapD]

I wonder if anyone is using a video style tripod, like the Sachtler Flowtec 75 or 100?

I’m using the Sachtler / Vinten Flowtech 75 as photography tripod. Extremely stable and durable, even more due to the mid level spreader. Also extremely quickly to set up with the three flippers on top. I can highly recommend it as long as the weight is not a problem for you. Coming from a wooden Berlebach tripod I can say with confidence that this tripod is a major step up. For me the best photo tripod is a video tripod.

Cheers,
JaapD.

 

[anyone]

Does anyone have experience with the Novoflex Triopod combined with the hiking poles as tripod legs? Is this a stable solution for medium format?

I’d be interested in your experiences. Most likely the cameras that would need to be supported are the 907x and the Cambo WRS.