Tripod for 8x10...your thoughts

Dorothy Blum Cooper · Mar 22, 2006

A photographer I know has highly recommended a Gitzo carbon. Said he's used it with his camera and that it's great for the long haul plus it can carry the weight. He has a Master View as I do.

I understand higher pricing for quality products, but I'm on a tighter budget and would like to know of any other recommendations you may have. I had someone else tell me to look into the tripods used by surveyors. What are your thoughts on that? Still shopping them so I'd love to know what you think!!

bobfowler · Mar 22, 2006

I use a big 'ol Bogen 3036 with a Majestic head. It weighs a ton, but about the only thing that's going to shake it is an earthquake! I've never been a fan of light tripods though...

df cardwell · Mar 22, 2006

How tall are you Dorothy ? THAT is what makes the difference.

AND, will you shoot primarily on carpet, grass, wood floors ???

herb · Mar 22, 2006

tripod for 8x10

I have been thru the wars on tripods. Until I had an instruction session from
Michael Smith, I though REIS was a pain, now it is what I use most.

I have a gitzo 1338 cf tripod and found it painful to use in winter-without
gloves, you have to unscrew the leg extension collars and that is unpleasant in cold weather.

On the other hand the cf folds up to a very short package.

I think if I was studio only, that would be a monster aluminum tripod. In the
field, reis.

colrehogan · Mar 22, 2006

I shoot with a Manfrotto 475 and a Manfrotto 3047 head. My camera is an 8x10 Ansco which is about 12 lbs. The tripod is about 9 according to the specs on the Manfrotto site.

I use mine in the field. Had it out in the snow yesterday with the 8x10.

Jeremy · Mar 22, 2006

I use a Bogen 3050 w/ 3047 head for my 8x10 Deardorff.

Chazzy · Mar 22, 2006

I'm curious whether people doing 8x10 and ULF at home or in a studio think it makes more sense to dedicate a heavy tripod to that purpose, or to use a camera stand?

bob01721 · Mar 22, 2006

Dorothy Blum Cooper said:
"... I had someone else tell me to look into the tripods used by surveyors. What are your thoughts on that...?"

That's what I use. You're rightthey're much less expensive and sturdy as a tank. But they're nowhere near as elegant as the high-speed, low-drag Gitzos and the handsome Reises. They also have a 5/8" stud and no head, but I figured out a way to mount one.

My brother (a former surveyor) suggested it to me when I first got into large format. Our thinking was... if it can hold a forty pound transit steady in the wind, it oughta hold a 4x5 camera. So I decided to buy a used one to play around with becausesince it was so cheapI could toss it away if it didn't work out. Well... it did work and it's what I still use.

I'm sure it's much heavier than the carbon fiber pods, and it doesn't collapse down as compactly as a pod with three leg sections, so it's certainly not for everyone. But I can set it up and level it in no time, so it works for me.

resummerfield · Mar 22, 2006

I have a Gitzo 410 with an Arca B2 for my 8x10 and 7x17, and it just doesnt work very well outside. Inside is fine, but outside it's not sturdy enough, and subject to tipping. I also have a wooden Sokkia tripod used for land surveying. It has large metal spikes that I can sink deep in soft ground, which makes it very sturdy and solid. So I made a wooden plug and metal plate to adapt the Arca B2 to the Sokkia. This hybrid system is the best LF tripod Ive ever used outside. Ive been in some retty strong winds, and the 8x10 has remained rock solid. Look for a top of the line wooden Surveyor tripod, not an aluminum or fiberglass one.

matt miller · Mar 22, 2006

I'm very satisfied with my Berlebach 3032 and Bogen 3047 head. The Berlebach is wooden, rated for 26lbs, and comes with a 30degree leveling ball. It can be purchased new for about $200. Some find the leveling ball adequate, and use it without an additional head.

John Bartley · Mar 22, 2006

I use a U.S. Army Survey Corps camera tripod built in 1941. It's wood with cast aluminum locking knobs which operate steel threaded bands and brake pads. It has a cast aluminum head which locks and rotates in two planes and it has built in two axis level bubbles. It's very light, but very strong. I saw one recently on eBay at a starting price of $40.00 and it got no bids in a seven day auction.

Dorothy Blum Cooper · Mar 22, 2006

Thanks for the input, Bob. Yea...the carbon is lite. Wondered how it would 'stand up' to abuse.

Don...5'8" in stocking feet. Doubt I'll be wearing heels to any shoots though

Seriously, I'll probably be using the camera outdoors mostly with my portrait work (aka in your face head shots), but plan on doing some inside work as well.

Dorothy Blum Cooper · Mar 22, 2006

For some crazy reason, my earlier post showed up late when I was responding for the first two guys. Oh well!

Thanks to you all for the info. Gives me alot to think (and re-think) on the subject.

Mongo · Mar 22, 2006

Right now I have a Berlebach 4032 with no additional head. (I got the 4032 as it's the tallest in the x032 series and I'm a tall person.) I find that the levelling head built in is sufficient for everything that I want to do with LF and most things I want to do with MF. Im use an old Slick for 35mm macro stuff.

I've had the Calumet C-1 on other tripods that could handle the weight, but I find that a wooden tripod works better for me. I've never explored why this is, but I can tell you that I get sharper images from a wooden tripod than I got from an aluminum tripod that was rated to handle the weight. I haven't yet tried a carbon fiber tripod (I couldn't bring myself to spend that much for a set of legs until it's become a medical necessity), but I've heard that carbon fiber is a excellent material for LF tripods.

The one downside to the Berlebach is that it's no lightweight. Mine weighs around 10 pounds; I'm sure you could get something in an exotic material that would hold an 8x10 and not weigh nearly as much. For me, weight didn't used to be much of an issue, so an extra ten pounds for a tripod wasn't anything that concerned me. Unfortunately the condition of my spinal column has deteriorated, and lightening up my pack is going to become a major concern in the very near future. I'll have to find the right set of legs for myself all over again...and I will miss the Berlebach. It's a thing of beauty, and it does the job it's designed to do simply and elegantly.

Good luck with your search. I think the only way to get more recommendations out of APUG is to ask for opinions on B&W sheet film.

Be well.
Dave

Rob Skeoch · Mar 22, 2006

I just realized I have too many tripods.
Small Gitzo that works great for MF but is cold in the winter and I don't use it much.
A large Manfrotto (Bogan in the US), that seems to keep letting me down. The leg fell off on a hike a few weeks back.
A Zone VI (surveyors style) that is solid as a rock and weighs a ton. I've stopped using it in the field it's just too heavy.
I just ordered a Berlebach 4012 but haven't gotten it yet. I compared the normal Reis to the Berlebach catalog and the 4012 seems to be the closest thing but is way less money.
-Rob Skeoch
Bigcameraworkshops.com

df cardwell · Mar 22, 2006

Dorothy, being of fairly ideal height , you don't need the huge tripods out there for our outsized fellow photographers. Also, the Masterview is VERY stable.

A #4 Gitzo is pretty ideal. ( Mk2 Classic Pro Studex - Series 4 )

No reason to go bigger or heavier, they are equally good in dirt, sand, grass... on tile, concrete, and wood floors.

You don't want a crank column, and can live without a pan head... although that's a matter of choice. A solid ball head is great for people ( lots of shooters like the Arca Swiss, I use a Linhof ). A quick release is great.

The Gitzo leveling head is very nice to have.

> MANY people use Manfrotto / Bogen. I can't think of much good to say about them, and my feelings were formed over years of servicing them, replacing them, hearing complaints about them.

I went the non-Gitzo route.

I use a Linhof (twin shank #003317) which is light, strong, FAST, and indestructible. Well worth hunting for used, they come up on Ebay. I think it's ideal for a KMV / Deardorff. Particularly good for photographers about 5'8" !

With the Linhof tripod and a quick release plate, I can be set up in a home, in an instant... camera open and ready to go. That's worth anything when a client is wondering what that big camera thing is all about.

Good luck, Dot

P. Yee · Mar 22, 2006

I use a Berlebach 3032 with the build in leveling head for a Shen-Hao 8x10. The weight of the tripod is about 7 pounds. The leveling ball is adequate for my use so that I don't need a separate head. The downside to the tripod is the folded length is about 36 inches.

Tom Hoskinson · Mar 22, 2006

For my 8x10, I use a Carbon fiber Gitzo with an Arca-Swiss Ball Head and QR clamp with RRS Mounting plates. Light, well damped and very rugged - (but not inexpensive).

Dorothy Blum Cooper · Mar 23, 2006

Wow! You all have some really great advice on this!! I went back and re-read this entire thread. I will say...it gives me alot to think about. I appreciate the time you took to share this information...it will be put to good use!!

MarcoF · Mar 23, 2006

Another vote for the Berlebach, I use a 9043 with my Calumet C1 and never had any problems with stability, I've always taken tack sharp pictures...IMHO wood "absorb" better than metal/carbon the vibrations and "handles" better than carbon/metal extreme cold and extreme heat...

Mongo, do you use some kind of quick release in your C1/Berlebach combination?

Thanks

Ciao
Marco

eddym · Mar 23, 2006

Way back when I had an 8x10 Ansco, I bought one of the original Zone VI wooden tripods for it. It is great for the field, but not for indoors. Let me rephrase that: it's great for the field when you are not going too far from your vehicle! Yes, it is heavy...

For the studio I have a Bogen 3050 with the 3057 head. Also heavy, but it rarely leaves the studio, and is rock-solid.

--Eddy

eddym · Mar 23, 2006

bob01721 said:
My brother (a former surveyor) suggested it to me when I first got into large format. Our thinking was... if it can hold a forty pound transit steady in the wind, it oughta hold a 4x5 camera.

A FORTY POUND transit?????? I was a surveyor in the Army, and I never saw a 40 pound transit.

--Eddy

df cardwell · Mar 23, 2006

I've used lots of great wooden tripods out-of-doors. Never enjoyed them indoors; you need you switch the legs around to put the spike away, or use a spreader. OR, they tend to skitter on a smooth, hard surface. I used to keep a wooden tripod in my truck for working in the field, but finally exiled it to the cabin where it is happy.

For a portrait shooter, some things are important that a landscape shooter will never think about.

Picking the gear out of the car, going indoors, going back to the garden setting up quickly and taking down quickly are essential, all the while carrying a sail bag with holders, and one with the camera and darkcloth.

The safety of a tripod laying down on a clients wood floor is important too. Are there screws and knobs and sharp edges ? Are the tightening devices the right size and shape for your hand ?

Finally, test the camera on the tripod. Perfectly good cameras can be terrible on some perfectly good tripods. Like films and developers, there are good, and not good combinations.

d

wilsonneal · Mar 23, 2006

Gitzo 4 series for me at the moment

I have a beefy Gitzo that collapses down to about 24" (sans head). It's stout, and the big rational #4 head holds everything still when it's locked down. Here are the shortcomings for my heavy, Calumet C1 8x10: no geared column, so if I need to raise the camera a few inches, it's a bit of a chore to loosen the collar, push the camera up, lock the collar and take a look at the GG to see if I got it where I want it. A geared column would be nice and I am shopping for one. Another shortcoming--a geared head, like a Majestic, would make fine adjustments easier than the pan head. It's minor. I could replace it with a Majestic head for less than $100, but rather buy film and paper at the moment.
Neal Wilson

Tom Hoskinson · Mar 23, 2006

MarcoF said:
Another vote for the Berlebach, I use a 9043 with my Calumet C1 and never had any problems with stability, I've always taken tack sharp pictures...IMHO wood "absorb" better than metal/carbon the vibrations and "handles" better than carbon/metal extreme cold and extreme heat...

Mongo, do you use some kind of quick release in your C1/Berlebach combination?

Thanks

Ciao
Marco

Marco, you wrote" IMHO wood "absorb" better than metal/carbon the vibrations and "handles" better than carbon/metal extreme cold and extreme heat..."

I agree that carbon composite tripods are preferable to metal tripods. Natural wood is a good example of a carbon composite.

Carbon composites have excellent thermal, vibration damping and structural properties - these attributes are shared by wood and man-made carbon composites, i.e., those used in the Carbon Composite Tripods made by Gitzo and Manfrotto.

Tripod for 8x10...your thoughts

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