Studio Tripod Advice

I'm looking for a very sturdy tripod that doesn't need to be light in weight. Mainly for using with Hassleblad (MF) and 35mm with the occasional 4x5. 3-way geared head included would be nice.

I need:

-Very sturdy
-Under $300-$400 if possible (don't care if it's used, old and ugly) (head included)
-Minimum height of 66"
-Rubber feet (used mostly on hardwood)

I want:

-Flexibility ei. Low height (upside down ability?)
-Center column movement available (I know this impedes with sturdiness, but I never use it anywhere near it's maximum heigher, it just makes for much quicker small adjustments in height without having to adjust all three legs)
-Compactness, for easy storage. Really not a huge deal at all...

For a while I had a 1970s-era Linhof pedestal stand with a pneumatic rapid column that I really liked. The base has three legs radiating out from the center, and the pneumatic column is screwed into the base. You can put any head you like on it. It's perfect for most cameras up to 4x5" but wasn't quite strong enough for my 8x10" Sinar P, if I wanted to raise the column. It's on casters with a footbrake, so it moves around the studio easily without legs to kick like a conventional tripod. The column is removable, so it's also easy to ship. There is also a plastic accessory tray for it that slips over the column.

I've attached a photo that I found in my files, probably from when I sold it.

Take a look at the Induro tripods, they are cheaper than the name brands and almost as good.

http://www.indurogear.com/

Look for a big old Gitzo Tele Studex. They can be found reasonably.

For solely studio use many people go for the heaviest and most stable platform for any camera they can lay their hands (and money!) on.
A studio dolly tripod (lockable castor wheels) with a fluid 3-way pan head might be a good start. But I can't help thinking your budget should be twice of your higher amount, but I could be wrong, especially if you are angling for a second-hand rig coming straight out of a studio and which you can set up or modify as you desire. The link below (secondhand rig) is something I have seen before here in Australia (modified with lockable castor wheels) for studio use.

http://www.hitcamera.ca/shop/manfrotto-028-pro-studio-tripod-manfrotto-136-pro-fluid-head/

For my 'studio work', using medium format or very heavy 4x5" Horseman monorail, with sometimes the need for very high camera position (requiring me on a ladder) and sometimes the need for very low camera position, I have my Bogen 3036. The current Manfrotto I think might be the 058
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...dio_Pro.html?gclid=CM6n672vqMkCFRApaQodUNwENA

You can put the tripod on a wheeled dolly if you need to move it around the studio floor a lot.

wiltw said:

You can put the tripod on a wheeled dolly if you need to move it around the studio floor a lot.

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Manfrotto has foldable dollies. Thus you can build up a quite sturdy studio stand and still stow it all away.

Nothing… nothing… beats a camera stand in the studio. Keep an eye on Craigs list.

M Carter said:

Nothing… nothing… beats a camera stand in the studio. Keep an eye on Craigs list.

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Stand?? Hmmm, never thought of that. How stable are they? I feel like there would be a bit of play once the main bar is quite high. Also, how is the grip on the castors? Are they usually made of rubber? The reviews on these higher end stands are really good.

I have a Plaubel Camera Stand I bought from Midwest Photo for $100 years ago.
Seemed amazing to me but they had SIX of them at the time. A friend also bought one.
Had to be disassembled to fit into a Minivan for transport. They sat on a loading dock for a long time.
It will support anything, including the front end of a car

It is this one:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Plaubel-Studiostativ-/262145426103?hash=item3d0915c2b7:g:dT0AAOSwMpZUoHMO

That Plaubel is pretty much what I saw in a local photographer's several years ago. No I wasn't there as a customer. I was a volunteer to sort through his predecessor's 'dead-negative' store of glass plates going back to the 1880's! We found all sorts of gems from the pics of factory girls wearing outfits made from liquorice products. With dates from the 1920's some of those girls were somewhat daring for the time; leaving little to the imagination. Then there were the pictures of the new local colliery. Some of a tannery in Batley. All are now in Wakefield council's archive.

no related to tripods at all:
Dead Link Removed
herself
http://www.wakefieldmuseumcollections.org.uk/images/P03872.jpg

Majestic. Still being made by Bencher, but used ones can be found on eBay.

KidA said:

Stand?? Hmmm, never thought of that. How stable are they? I feel like there would be a bit of play once the main bar is quite high. Also, how is the grip on the castors? Are they usually made of rubber? The reviews on these higher end stands are really good.

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I have a FOBA ASABA studio stand that I bought used for $450. It's fantastic! The configuration that I have costs about $10,000 new, but when found locally usually sells for less than $1,000.

I have 2 studio stands purchase used (around $125 each I think) that are way better in the studio than any tripods. I had to cut the column on the 10 footer to about 8 for my use. Really the cats meow.

KidA said:

Stand?? Hmmm, never thought of that. How stable are they? I feel like there would be a bit of play once the main bar is quite high. Also, how is the grip on the castors? Are they usually made of rubber? The reviews on these higher end stands are really good.

Click to expand...

The bases is cast iron; there are cranks that bring the wheels up into the base so the stand sits on the floor. Mine is a Calumet and has no rubber or anything and man, it doesn't budge. The wheels seem to be hard rubber, and they have lasted for about 15 years and it still rolls fine.

When the bar is all the way up, with a 4x5 cambo and and the big Majestic crank-head, it's very stable, certainly enough for a cable release. Every few years I tip it over and tighten the column bolt and it's pretty rock-solid. For very high overhead work with big cameras, you want to be pretty still, don't bang the camera around, etc. But I'd say it's more stable at 7' up than any tripod I've experienced - especially for shooting straight down or at a steep angle where a tripod is frightening.

I use it to this day with my DSLR for product shooting or with a video camera to shoot effect plates and things like that. It just beats the hell out of any possible tripod as far as tweaking up your framing. if you have a studio space, it's one of the best things you can own.

You can detach the center column for moving day, too. One of the most fab things I've ever bought.

I also own an 8' kessler camera crane, those are about $1k plus a sturdy tripod and head - like, very sturdy! It's really wicked for overhead shots (since it hangs well over the work vs. a center column and arm) and I have used it for stills. But to really sing, it needs a head on the business end too. For most shooting, it doesn't have the convenience of the stand for adjusting height, needs a lot of counterweights (say, 18 - 22lbs) for big cameras, etc. but it breaks down into a portable package. Sometimes I just use it as my "very very tall" tripod and bring a stepladder. Camera ends up at about 7' in the air.