Tripod Exhaustion Syndrome

Not of the results of 8x10, but of hauling the equipment around.
Especially the tripod. It's a majestic with a geared head.
To me it seems to only way to keep the camera (Eastman 2-D) rock solid.
But am I guilty of over-kill? Is there another tripod/head combo which I could use
indoors or out, that would be suitable?
My thought now is to have 2 tripods -- 1 for inside, one for outside.
I've got a big bogen/manfrotto 3036 - what would be a good head for it?
Or, is there an alternative lighter head for Majestic legs?

Majestics are beasts, but I would consider a Majestic to be about the minimum in stability for 8x10. I used a Zone VI lightweight model with a Majestic head for my Korona. I wouldn't want anything lighter, and it probably isn't a lot lighter than a Majestic.

Peter Gomena

Headless on a Ries might work for you (tho I use a Ries double tilt head). I use the A100, but the "J" might work. The A100 legs weigh 13lbs, supports up to 25 lbs. The J100 is 8 lbs, but holds up to 16lbs (I feel these are conservative). At 17.75lbs, the Reis A100 with the A250 head weighs about the same as my Majestic and gear head, but the Ries is much easier to carry. Plus the 2D really looks better with a woodie under it...

I carried a Majestic (w/ gear head) for a while. The model I have has way too many knobs on the legs -- tough to put over one's shoulder. On the Majestic I have, the head attaches via a tube (for a lack of a better word) -- instead on a flat platform to screw onto. Does not make attaching a different head easy. But it is nice to have as a spare pod.

I use the Ries A100 and A250 head with my Zone VI and 2D 8x10's (up to 24 & 28 inch lenses respectively) and with an old 11x14 (up to a 24" lens). Rock solid on many types of terrain.

I have the Ries J100-2. At 11 pounds, it has the A-series legs attached to the J-series crown, and it is very sturdy.

I have a Gitzo 1415 (I think that's the legset #) which weighs in at about 10 lbs (it's an aluminum legset, not the carbon fiber, and without a center column), coupled with a 1525 pan-tilt head. That would be more than sufficient to keep your 8x10 stable - I've shot my 14x17 with that combo. I suspect a definite part of your stability issue is the Kodak 2D - NOT the most rigid camera in the world.

A big part of the stability equation is the center column or lack thereof. By not having a center column, your tripod becomes far more rigid and stable at the camera level than it does with the center column extended. About the only exception to this rule would be something like a Majestic or one of the aluminum Manfrotto tripods with the cross-braced geared center column.

That said, don't fool yourself into thinking that you must have a tripod that weighs as much as your car's engine block in order for the camera to be stable. I also have an Induro carbon-fiber tripod (CT-314. It's a four-section legset that will fit in a full-size suitcase with the head removed, which I bought for travel purposes) that weighs in at 5 lbs-ish (6? I forget, whatever it is, it's very light) that I would trust without question for anything short of an 8x10. I routinely shoot my 5x7, 5x12 and whole plate (6.5x8.5) cameras on it. I shoot night photos all the time with that tripod - check out my recent night images in the gallery here from San Francisco (5x7) and Washington DC (5x12) to see how well it does. My camera is a Canham, so it's pretty light itself, and especially in the 5x12 guise, susceptible to cross-winds.

How about a carbon fiber tripod? I have a small one that I use for my Mamiya RZ.

CollinB, I have the same setup with the Majestic tripod and Majestic gear head for a lf camera. I've owned it and used it in the field for years with my MF, Polaroid and 35mm systems. You quicky put on muscle and learn to travel light in other system areas. It has been up to its gear head in water, mud and sand; I've not babied it for the last 20 years or so. I've had other tripods but settled on it as it would just stay put under the most adverse of conditions. When other photographers see me with it their reactions were quite interesting. Most had never seen on and knew nothing of the brand and were shocked how heavy it is. The biggest laugh I got was one day I was shooting a gent came up with a 16x20 on one of the flimsiest tripods I could image; I had my Polaroid 180 mounted. He sad something rather derogatory about the camera so, I simply dismounted it and mounted the Leica CL, an odd looking combo. As I shuffled in my case, I noticed my Minox LX so smiling I dismounted the CL and mounted the LX. Now seeing this huge heavy tripod with a Minox LX mounted on it has got to be the weirdest setup I could imagine. I spent the rest of the day using it just for the laughs of seeing the reactions of the other photographers.

I recommend staying with the Majestic with the gear head as it is so stable and easy to use, unless you are now my age where even a MF is getting on the heavy side.I am beginning to appreciate the weight of the Minox C I still own along with a light Gitzo and Minox tripods. Neither would I use on anything much heavier than my Leica CL, though.

CollinB said:

Not of the results of 8x10, but of hauling the equipment around.
Especially the tripod. It's a majestic with a geared head.
To me it seems to only way to keep the camera (Eastman 2-D) rock solid.
But am I guilty of over-kill? Is there another tripod/head combo which I could use
indoors or out, that would be suitable?
My thought now is to have 2 tripods -- 1 for inside, one for outside.
I've got a big bogen/manfrotto 3036 - what would be a good head for it?
Or, is there an alternative lighter head for Majestic legs?

Click to expand...

I have a 3036 with a Gitzo 3 head on it. Supports a Deardorff V8 quite nicely.

tim in san jose