Tall Large Format Shooters *(Over Six Feet) : What Tripod/Head Are You Using?

Grafmatic · Apr 5, 2025

I tried, and tried, and tried to join that forum to no avail. All I got was a the same errormessage, labeling me as a spammer. I did a little googling and reached out to one of the webmasters there who told me to use the ‘Contact Us’ link to reach out. There was no such link, which I documented with a screenshot which I sent to him. He added the button to the page and told me that if I inquired through that link, someone would take care of the matter. I sent a message through the link and never got a reply. I tried joining again to see if that process was fixed, same result, same error message. When I looked a few days later, the contact us link was gone again. So I don’t know WTF goes on at that forum, I have never had that kind of problem joining a forum before or since, but I did learn that apparently if you have a problem over there, don’t expect much help. (If this reply violates any kind of ‘dirty laundry’ policy, feel free to strike out the offending portion.) I finally gave up and came here where I found not only a registration process that works, but a helpful and welcoming environment. PS, I tried to follow your link to the thread, but got only a password challenge screen, which put me right back where I started.

Grafmatic · Apr 5, 2025

Ardpatrick said:
My big $$$$ recent purchase is a Gitzo GT5563GS - the giant of the 5 series systematics. It’s a very expensive giant carbon tripod. Like 8ft approx without a centre column. It’s incredibly well built. I am 6ft but I like shooting certain projects from height. This thing is quite special and quite specialised. Unique. I now need to find a ladder.

I have a smaller Gitzo systematic for air travel, and also a Gitzo 3 series 3543 xls. It’s the best all-rounder I have. I can stand straight underneath the apex, and yet it’s light enough and can easily hold a 4x5 with a 210mm lens solidly in the field fully extended. It’s a total ‘buy once’ solution. Often I shoot at ‘normal’ height with only the wider upper sections extended which is even more stable.

15 years ago I went to that NYC superstore and physically compared the feel of the different brands on display. Back then there was a clear difference in the flesh in build quality between Gitzo and all the Chinese brands. Had to go with Gitzo then. I imagine these brands have narrowed the quality gap (and of course there are great non-Chinese brands like RRS and FLM) but as my Gitzo(s) are ‘buy once’ products I have never even thought twice about checking out the alternatives.

Don’t skimp on tripods if you are shooting LF. The lenses are longer, the camera bodies are more vibration prone, and at f22 your exposures are longer. Film is too expensive per shot to suffer any vibration doubts.

My best advice is to get to a store where you can try options before buying. Specs are not that useful once you’ve narrowed your choices. Feel is very important.

All good advice. When I had the Linhof tripod (eBay listing referenced earlier) (I think it is the same one) I used the center column sparingly, and only to make fine changes to the camera elevation, which I found easier than making three or more separate adjustments, one to each leg, to accomplish the same thing.

Buying a tripod used is an aggravating process because hardly any listing contains the information that would help me make a decision and even the pictures generally don’t provide much in the way of useful references. I do know that if I can spend six to $800 on the tripod, I will be able to get something like what I seek. I am hoping to avoid that though.

Grafmatic · Apr 5, 2025

KinoGrafx said:
A shorter tripod and camp stool is also an option, and a very comfortable way to shoot. And might provide a more interesting perspective than eye-level.

Two things to carry instead of one…. It would work, in certain circumstances, anyway, but it sounds a little cumbersome… Also a little limiting.

I’m pretty sure the tripod I posted the link to and post number 46 is the tripod I had but is misidentified in the listing. It was very light, had no rigidity problems that I could detect, needed at most a few inches of column rise to fine-tune elevation, and handled a 6 pound monorail with a Bogen 3047 head, no problem. Hands-down, the best tripod I’ve ever used. Just haven’t been able to find one, except for that one which is beat to hell and I wouldn’t give him half of what he’s asking for it.

Sirius Glass · Apr 6, 2025

blee1996 said:
Large Format Photography Forum

A discussion forum on large format phtography http://largeformatphotography.info

www.largeformatphotography.info

A good tripod and head combo at very good price from a reputable LFF member.

Great! That is a good place to find equipment as well as the Photrio Classified.

MTGseattle · Apr 6, 2025

I did a quick scan through some Wasington DC craigslist. There's a Linhof, but the seller is asking $675 obo. There's a decent looking Bogen 3246 for $100. There are a few others which may work.

Grafmatic · Apr 8, 2025

Thanks MTG Seattle. I will keep an eye on the DC craigslist. There are a surprising number of tripods on there.

As for tube legs being stronger than U-shaped legs, probably true, but it would take some pretty severe, out-of-scope mishap for it to matter. I will say that I had a Gitzo monopod that survived being run over by a VW Bus. It stuck a little afterwards when adjusting but that's all.

The decision I'm coming to is, I started do I want to attempt a 'budget' setup, or do I face the music and get an 'end game' unit, which by my definition can be had for $600-$800?

GregY · Apr 8, 2025

Grafmatic said:
Thanks MTG Seattle. I will keep an eye on the DC craigslist. There are a surprising number of tripods on there.

As for tube legs being stronger than U-shaped legs, probably true, but it would take some pretty severe, out-of-scope mishap for it to matter. I will say that I had a Gitzo monopod that survived being run over by a VW Bus. It stuck a little afterwards when adjusting but that's all.

The decision I'm coming to is, I started do I want to attempt a 'budget' setup, or do I face the music and get an 'end game' unit, which by my definition can be had for $600-$800?

It's really a more a question of satisfaction. Are you sure you'll be happy after the expenditure? Many a photographer & pro photographers have successfully used a plethora of brands. I bought my current Gitzo (@ Glazers in Seattle no less) for $75 when folks were dumping them for the new carbon fiber versions.
A month and 4 pages in, is it possible that you're overthinking the tripod?

Grafmatic · Apr 8, 2025

GregY said:
It's really a more a question of satisfaction. Are you sure you'll be happy after the expenditure? Many a photographer & pro photographers have successfully used a plethora of brands. I bought my current Gitzo (@ Glazers in Seattle no less) for $75 when folks were dumping them for the new carbon fiber versions.
A month and 4 pages in, is it possible that you're overthinking the tripod?

Yes, I may be overthinking but I have had too many unsatisfactory tripods to just randomly pick one sight unseen and hope for the best. I myself have bought a plethora of them over the years. I regretted many of them, One well-regarded one dumped my Rollei SL66 onto a rock. I've been out of the game awhile and I only want to buy one more. I never realized that it would be so difficult in this modern age to find one that had adequate height (meaning more than about 60") without paying twice what the camera cost or to find basic information that would help in making a decision. About 2% of used-tripod ads have the information I need to make a decision sight unseen. In the old )days, I would have gotten help by walking into a camera store, but those don't exist anymore unless I want to hop a train to NYC. It's the difficulty in obtaining useful information that has made it such a project.

GregY · Apr 8, 2025

Grafmatic said:
Yes, I may be overthinking but I have had too many unsatisfactory tripods to just randomly pick one sight unseen and hope for the best. I myself have bought a plethora of them over the years. I regretted many of them, One well-regarded one dumped my Rollei SL66 onto a rock. I've been out of the game awhile and I only want to buy one more. I never realized that it would be so difficult in this modern age to find one that had adequate height (meaning more than about 60") without paying twice what the camera cost or to find basic information that would help in making a decision. About 2% of used-tripod ads have the information I need to make a decision sight unseen. In the old )days, I would have gotten help by walking into a camera store, but those don't exist anymore unless I want to hop a train to NYC. It's the difficulty in obtaining useful information that has made it such a project.

G if you're buying an Intrepid, you might soon be looking for more than just your last tripod....

MTGseattle · Apr 19, 2025

Wow, there's not a brick-and-mortar camera store in the DC area?

The only Bogen/Manfrotto product I ever had a problem with was my very first "nice" tripod which was a 3001 that had the screw lock mechanism (thumb screws at the leg section joints). It was a solid little tripod, but those thumb screws were a nuisance in the field.

djdister · Apr 19, 2025

There are several brick and mortar photo shops around DC and Baltimore, athough they don't have the depth of inventory that the NYC stores have.

GregY · Apr 19, 2025

MTGseattle said:
Wow, there's not a brick-and-mortar camera store in the DC area?

The only Bogen/Manfrotto product I ever had a problem with was my very first "nice" tripod which was a 3001 that had the screw lock mechanism (thumb screws at the leg section joints). It was a solid little tripod, but those thumb screws were a nuisance in the field.

Yes!

Craig · Apr 19, 2025

I have the Manfrotto 055 and by the time an Arca Swiss head is added, it's plenty tall enough.

I actually prefer the camera to be a bit lower, I would want to top of the ground glass to be no higher than eye height. It's easy to stand back and bend a bit to see the bottom of the ground glass, but not as easy to make yourself taller. So perhaps an indirect way of saying that you don't want/need the tripod to be as tall as you are.

I'd measure top of the ground glass to bottom of whatever head you use and note that dimension. Then measure your eye height in whatever footwear you would be using the camera with most typically. Subtract those measurements, and that tells you the tripod height you need.

Bill Burk · Apr 20, 2025

My favorite tripod for eye-level reach when backpacking is a Star-D. Plus you don’t have to bring a bear can since they can’t reach it.

Grafmatic · Apr 21, 2025

djdister said:
There are several brick and mortar photo shops around DC and Baltimore, athough they don't have the depth of inventory that the NYC stores have.

Might have to hop a train after the camera arrives (supposed to be today )

Rod Klukas · Jun 11, 2025

Oren Grad said:
I'm 6'2". For my LF field cameras up to and including 8x10 I use an old aluminum Gitzo 3-series leg set without center column (G-340) along with a Slik SH-909 3-way head. The leg set is getting a bit balky after all these years - one of the leg sections is difficult to collapse, so I leave those sections extended all around - so I might replace it at some point. I'm very pleased with the Slik head and will move it to the new leg set if and when I get one.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Oren,

If you extended your legs all the way and cleaned each leg with Windex or similar cleaner and Paper towels, I think it may be much better. I have one from 1980s and I clean it every labor day, and it is still smooth.

Rod

isaac7 · Jun 12, 2025

I’m 6’ and when I shot large format I loved my Reis tripod and head. I used a Horseman monorail which also raised the lens up a bit higher than a field camera as well.

Grafmatic · Jun 30, 2025

GregY said:
G if you're buying an Intrepid, you might soon be looking for more than just your last tripod....

Not a fan?

GregY · Jun 30, 2025

Grafmatic said:
Not a fan?

Not a fan....

Grafmatic · Jun 30, 2025

GregY said:
Not a fan....

Low cost and low weight were at the top of my want list, and the intrepid checks both boxes. Having owned and used many styles and types of 4x5, I had a pretty good idea of the compromises involved and that I could work within them given its design and my usual tastes in subject matter. Maybe even a little bit of a challenge. As Baron von Richthofen said, ”It isn’t the crate, it’s the operator.”

That said, if it ever gets to the point where I can afford a Technikardan again….

GregY · Jun 30, 2025

Grafmatic said:
Low cost and low weight were at the top of my want list, and the intrepid checks both boxes. Having owned and used many styles and types of 4x5, I had a pretty good idea of the compromises involved and that I could work within them given its design and my usual tastes in subject matter. Maybe even a little bit of a challenge. As Baron von Richthofen said, ”It isn’t the crate, it’s the operator.”

That said, if it ever gets to the point where I can afford a Technikardan again….

I've had a few LF cameras including a '38 Deardorff 5x7".......i'm not into flipping cameras. In terms of cameras, materials cost less than labour or marketing. Any kit lenses, holders, tripod, bag or bagpack can make more difference than the weight of the camera alone. I also crossed the Intrepid off the list when i saw the number of issues with early models. By contrast I much admired the design, construction & reliability of Canham and Chamonix cameras I've used. That's been my experience.

Grafmatic · Jun 30, 2025

The early models were quite crude. Chamonix maybe better, which they should be for several times the cost. It’ll do. there is even a chance that the simplicity might inspire some creativity around dealing with it. Remember the Diana? It was a roll film camera that was really a piece of garbage (which the intrepid is not). It was the core of many photography classes where the teachers would send the students out with a piece of crap and tell them essentially “See what you can do with this.”

GregY · Jun 30, 2025

Grafmatic said:
The early models were quite crude. Chamonix maybe better, which they should be for several times the cost. It’ll do. there is even a chance that the simplicity might inspire some creativity around dealing with it. Remember the Diana? It was a roll film camera that was really a piece of garbage (which the intrepid is not). It was the core of many photography classes where the teachers would send the students out with a piece of crap and tell them essentially “See what you can do with this.”

Having used LF for many years and at the current cost of both TMY-2 and FP4+...... others may choose the gamble. I'd prefer not to. No judgement on other people's choices.
I prefer to start with a stable platform. I admit to having a soft spot for cameras that are survivors. My 1938 Deardorff (now on to a new owner) still works with the original bellows with no pin holes).
Two boxes of TMY-2 and a hand full of holders = the cost of an Intrepid. There are still lots of Toyo View, & Wistas, out in the world for a similar price.....

Grafmatic · Tuesday at 10:28 PM

I understand your viewpoint as well. There are pros and cons either way. I chose the intrepid because I get a warranty product for that money and the ability to still be able to talk to the people who made it. One of the reasons I’m getting back into large format film photography is to get back to basics, and the intrepid is nothing if not basic. I’ve had everything from monorails to a Linhof TK45 and I view it as a challenge of sorts.

This has been a scraped-together project with a couple of pauses so it’s taking awhile. But I did just get a tripod-

Leofoto LM-324CL X Version Tripod with 75mm Bowl+Platform

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Tripod is great. Plenty of height, weighs almost nothing. I’m gonna put replace the head though. It’s a late version of the Bogan 3047. I don’t have my early version 3047 around to compare, but I would guess this head is easily double whatever that one is- this one weighs 3lbs 8oz. I got a leveling platform so I really only need a two way head. Suggestions welcome.

Taurabon · Friday at 1:17 PM

I'm 6 feet tall in Converse shoes.
When shooting at a high angle, I use a Manfrotto 475B tripod. With all legs extended, it goes above eye level without having to raise the center column. By fixing the stays, the leg angle can be set narrower, so it can be made even higher. The head is a Toyo TPM-II. It can be used even with the tilt handle removed, so it doesn't get in the way of focusing. Incidentally, the camera shown as an example is a Rittreck View 5x7.

Tall Large Format Shooters *(Over Six Feet) : What Tripod/Head Are You Using?

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