Can I shoot low to ground with Berlebach Report or Slik Pro 700 tripods?

[horacekenneth]

I'm considering a Berlebach Report 3032 and trying to understand how low it can go and how the leg locks work. I've seen reviews saying it can go very low to the ground as you spread out the legs and other reviews saying it can't support any significant weight once you go past the 45 degree leg lock.


Another tripod I'm looking at is the Slik Pro 700DX which also goes very low to the ground with the shorter center column, and I assume, I'm assuming here, would be able to support a heavy MF camera like an RB67 just fine that close to the ground.


Any experience or advice with these comparatively cheaper tripods and how they would perform at unusual angles like low to the ground with a heavy MF camera?


Being one new to tripods I have a whole myriad of questions like - so you can't really shoot downwards with the ball head on the Berlebach(?) - or is the quick release plate on the Slik secure enough if I were to, throwing caution to the wind, carry the camera at the end of the tripod, hoisted over my shoulder(?) - but the low level weight supporting question is my main one.


Thanks,
H

 

[DWThomas]

If you're talking macro shots of moss or something, some tripods allow inverting the center column to hang the camera under the tripod. I'm not familiar with either of the ones you mention. Of course, I just know with the camera hanging under, I would smack my head into a tripod leg after setting up and knock it out of line, but in theory it could be done.

 

[macfred]

I didn't use a Berlebach Report 3032 - I heard about the problem you mentioned.
http://www.thewsreviews.com/2010/12/berlebach-report-3032.html

Berlebach improved the old Report 3032 with the Report 332
http://www.berlebach.de/?bereich=details&id=289

 

[macfred]

From the description of the Report 332 (google translator):


… with the new system stop spreading angle can be adjusted by means of wing grid at about 20 °, 40 °, 60 °, 80 ° and 100 °. The stop system is designed so that the specified loads of tripods is guaranteed even at maximum spread of the tripod legs ...

 

[xya]

I have an older berlebach without this spreading facility and as already proposed, I invert the column and hang the camera underneath. works like a charm and is very safe.

 

[John Koehrer]

If you have a tripod with a column and tripod thread on the bottom, put the head on the bottom and mount the camera there.

REALLY hard to use with a waist level finder though..........

 

[horacekenneth]

Thanks everyone! Right now I have a WLF so the inverted column mount probably won't work right now. Good to know that it is a real issue and that they've fixed it in newer models