Light weight tripod for Chamonix 4X5

[JL Nims]

While I appreciate the Gitzo, Giotto, Benro, and Bogen, I tried what I thought was a lighter (in weight) and more inexpensive route and bought a K&F Concept. I was truly surprised at the quality of craftsmanship and materials in this very attractive tripod and head! This particular tripod has the extension tube that lays over 90 degrees so I can scan my 4x5 negs with my D7200. I have not regretted this purchase at all! Just my 2 bits. Oh, and my 4x5 is a SINAR F, so you can picture the camera weight and moment when I slope down for a macro shot.

 

[jimjm]

grat,
I think you are right. I always figure that most, but not all, companies overrate their products or at least at the very close to the limit. I know the Sirui should take the Chaminox and my lighter lenses without a problem, but I'm curious about stability. I think I'm going to test it against my Bogen 3051 with a laser taped to the 4X5 and see how long it takes for each to settle down. I didn't mention this before, but I also purchased a used Slik Pro 723CFL with a SH-705E head when I bought the Giottos ball head. The price was right and I couldn't pass it up. I've had Slik tripods in the past and they were actually pretty sturdy tripods. It's rated at 11 or 12lbs.(can't remember for sure). I thought would be fine for my Hasselblad/Pentax 67 + the Sony DSLR's. Now I have all Carbon fiber and just have to sell off my other tripods. I might just keep the Bogen 3051for my 8X10 since it is adequate for that. No more tripod buying until my camera arrives. JohnW

When I bought my Sirui, which has similar specs to the one you just got, I tested it's rigidity against a much heavier alloy Manfrotto which had been my main tripod for years. I fully extend the legs, place it on a carpeted floor so the feet won't slide, then grab the tripod at the top where the legs meet, and twist. I found that the Sirui had much less flex overall than the Manfrotto, and was about the same as a beefy 9 lb Giottos alloy tripod that I'd been using for 8x10. I've since bought a larger carbon FLM tripod just for my 8x10 Deardorff and that one doesn't budge at all. It's only around 4 lbs, which seems silly considering the weight of the Deardorff, but I'd rather put up with the weight of a camera I love using and save weight somewhere else. As long as I don't give up anything in stability or reliability, which has been the case so far.

 

[John Wiegerink]

Jimjm and JL Nims thanks that sounds very encouraging. I did look at the very pretty K&F Concept on the web, but didn’t know enough about it. I have a couple of their camera lens adapters and have no complaints. As for my testing I have to wait a little while since I’m with my daughter at the hospital awaiting nasal surgery. I’ll be testing when I get back home. JohnW

 

[grat]

Hope all goes well.

I've also got a K&F-- actually two. The first one, one of the inner collars for the twist-lock broke, so they sent me a replacement. Since I still had the original, some application of gorilla glue seems to have stabilized it.

The right angle arm is nice, but it does put a massive angular moment on the tripod, so you have to make sure it doesn't fall over with your camera on it. I use it for testing DSLR imaging for negatives, and for technical photographs. I wound up moving to the slik because the K&F doesn't fit in my backpack's tripod slot very well, and I prefer flip-locks to twist-locks anyway. The Slik is also a bit taller, and seems slightly more sturdy (which might be down to 3 segments vs. 4).

 

[GregY]

BTW for the record, since no one has mentioned it. It's Chamonix ...... & it's much bigger than a sham-minox ....

 

[grat]

BTW for the record, since no one has mentioned it. It's Chamonix ...... & it's much bigger than a sham-minox ....

... but not much heavier.

 

[John Wiegerink]

Hope all goes well.

I've also got a K&F-- actually two. The first one, one of the inner collars for the twist-lock broke, so they sent me a replacement. Since I still had the original, some application of gorilla glue seems to have stabilized it.

The right angle arm is nice, but it does put a massive angular moment on the tripod, so you have to make sure it doesn't fall over with your camera on it. I use it for testing DSLR imaging for negatives, and for technical photographs. I wound up moving to the slik because the K&F doesn't fit in my backpack's tripod slot very well, and I prefer flip-locks to twist-locks anyway. The Slik is also a bit taller, and seems slightly more sturdy (which might be down to 3 segments vs. 4).

I like flip locks also and the Used Slik I just purchased has flips and is also a three section tripod. I’ll compare build quality with the Sirui when the Slik arrives. I will say this, if the Sirui works out I’ll be extremely happy as it is compact and weighs nothing, which this old body likes more and more every day.
Things will be fine with my daughter. She’s a tough cookie just like her mom. She had to be her at 8:15am and she is still waiting at 11:47am. Typical hospital type time keeping I guess. Now the surgeon will have to break for lunch of course. We’ll probably make it home by 7:00pm. Maybe?

 

[John Wiegerink]

... but not much heavier.

grat
OMG! I can’t believe I’ve been spelling it wrong all this time. Where the hell is spell-check when you really need it. Ha-ha! Thanks for setting me straight. I guess I’ll just call it a Cham from now on.

 

[GregY]

BTW it's a beautiful town...the heart of the French Alps with lots of the most spectacular mountain scenery.

 

[John Wiegerink]

BTW it's a beautiful town...the heart of the French Alps with lots of the most spectacular mountain scenery.

Love to go there. I’m not a French wine kind of guy, but French pastries…….now that’s a whole different story.

 

[GregY]

A great story it is John...I'm heading back there in August!

 

[MattKing]

BTW for the record, since no one has mentioned it. It's Chamonix ...... & it's much bigger than a sham-minox ....

grat
OMG! I can’t believe I’ve been spelling it wrong all this time. Where the hell is spell-check when you really need it. Ha-ha! Thanks for setting me straight. I guess I’ll just call it a Cham from now on.

Thread title (at least) corrected.

 

[GregY]

Thanks Matt!

 

[John Wiegerink]

Thanks Matt!

+2 and yes, thanks Matt.

 

[JL Nims]

Jimjm and JL Nims thanks that sounds very encouraging. I did look at the very pretty K&F Concept on the web, but didn’t know enough about it. I have a couple of their camera lens adapters and have no complaints. As for my testing I have to wait a little while since I’m with my daughter at the hospital awaiting nasal surgery. I’ll be testing when I get back home. JohnW

Hey John, how's your daughter doing? Our families, of course, come first before our beloved photography interests. Please let us know how she's doing! THEN check out the K&F
Best regards,

 

[JL Nims]

I like flip locks also and the Used Slik I just purchased has flips and is also a three section tripod. I’ll compare build quality with the Sirui when the Slik arrives. I will say this, if the Sirui works out I’ll be extremely happy as it is compact and weighs nothing, which this old body likes more and more every day.
Things will be fine with my daughter. She’s a tough cookie just like her mom. She had to be her at 8:15am and she is still waiting at 11:47am. Typical hospital type time keeping I guess. Now the surgeon will have to break for lunch of course. We’ll probably make it home by 7:00pm. Maybe?

Isn't it interesting that the appointment time is different for the patient vs. doctor/hospital? I just had carpel tunnel release surgery on my right hand 4 weeks ago. I had to wait over 2 hours lying on the bed (gurney) waiting for the surgeon to show up. And no fun drugs during the wait! That's the very least they could have done

 

[John Wiegerink]

Hey John, how's your daughter doing? Our families, of course, come first before our beloved photography interests. Please let us know how she's doing! THEN check out the K&F
Best regards,

She’s doing great. They got her nasal passages cleaned out just fine. We finally got out of there at just before 5pm. Just like JL, the doctor was 1:45hr minutes late. Of course we get a 50% off on surgery cost. NOT! We are now having Easter dinner and then another tomorrow. So equipment testing will have to wait. My Giottos head did arrive this morning and it’s a good match for the Sirui. It seems very well built and is just the right size. With all the Covid lockdowns in China right now there’s no telling when I’ll see my new camera. I guess I’ll just have to try this tripod setup with my Toyo field camera to see how it works. I’m heading north to my cottage Sunday evening where my Toyo is. I’ll let you know how the two go together.

 

[Martin Frank]

I've been happy with a gitzo 1228 with an arca swiss monoball head for even a lightweight 5x7 camera, especially when suspending my camera bag from the hook on the bottom

 

[lxdude]

Isn't it interesting that the appointment time is different for the patient vs. doctor/hospital? I just had carpel tunnel release surgery on my right hand 4 weeks ago. I had to wait over 2 hours lying on the bed (gurney) waiting for the surgeon to show up. And no fun drugs during the wait! That's the very least they could have done

That's why you are called the patient...

 

[grat]

sn't it interesting that the appointment time is different for the patient vs. doctor/hospital? I just had carpel tunnel release surgery on my right hand 4 weeks ago. I had to wait over 2 hours lying on the bed (gurney) waiting for the surgeon to show up.

Based on recent experiences, that's far, far better than the surgeon racing in and the nurse wheeling you through the hallway like it's a super speedway. When the doctor says "no time to talk, must get to surgery", you know it's serious.

 

[Pieter12]

FLM has some really nice LF tripods.

 

[MattKing]

Isn't it interesting that the appointment time is different for the patient vs. doctor/hospital? I just had carpel tunnel release surgery on my right hand 4 weeks ago. I had to wait over 2 hours lying on the bed (gurney) waiting for the surgeon to show up. And no fun drugs during the wait! That's the very least they could have done

The patient who was under the care of that surgeon immediately before you and required more time from that surgeon than originally expected thanks you for your patience.
Either that or you can growl at the surgeon's lawyer, accountant, dentist or financial advisor, et al for keeping the surgeon waiting - enough to make the surgeon late.
Or, perhaps it is an experience similar to one I remember my wife had happen to her.
My wife having a consultation appointment with a surgeon that ended up starting two hours late, because the surgeon was two hours late finishing earlier scheduled surgery. When my wife's surgeon finally arrived, he apologized profusely, but also didn't hesitate to mention that the surgeries he had performed earlier that day took the amount of time that they were supposed to, but had also been delayed because the surgeon who had the operating room before him took longer than that surgeon was scheduled for!
The surgeon's office staff did offer us free coffee while we waited.
Stuff happens.