Tripod recommendations needed for a Pentax 67

markbau · Jun 10, 2019

My 30 year old Manfrotto tripod has passed its use by date so am in the market for a new tripod. As you would know a Pentax 67 with a 300mm lens is a hefty beast so I need a decent tripod. Weight is not really an issue. I would like a quick release head, never used one but they look nice. Above all, it has to be stable. I haven't shopped for a tripod since Verichrome Pan was a top selling film so really need some guidance to what is out there. I had a look on B&H and quickly got lost.

craigclu · Jun 10, 2019

Tripod decisions and discussions for P67's have burned up a lot of bandwidth over the years. My quest had me find many surprises when I did this many years back. Much of the perceived commotion on shutter release on these is actually after the shutter is closed. I attached a laser pointer securely to the body and then judged the pointer image on the film. I borrowed rigs to try from friends and tried a few things in photo shops. In my case, it turned out that a rig I already owned did as well as anything I experimented with so in the end, it was simple for me. It was a Bogen 3040 with a 3047 head. My 1320 Gitzo worked about as well but varied by how much the legs were extended. I would guess a variation of my old Bogen gear is still made? Some serious gear and seriously expensive rigs didn't perform as well as expected so after my experiences, I'd recommend just trying things to confirm that the P67 is compatible with the design and materials of the pod gear.

Hatchetman · Jun 10, 2019

Inexplicably the 300mm has no tripod mount. I find it almost impossible to keep it stable on a tripod. Maybe its just me.

Rick A · Jun 10, 2019

I'll sell you my Berlebach Report, you'll have to get a head for it though. It weighs 5.6 lbs and easily carries my 5x7 or Sq-A.

Theo Sulphate · Jun 10, 2019

Hatchetman said:
Inexplicably the 300mm has no tripod mount. ...

Is there supposed to be a separate collar for the lens with the tripod mount on that?

abruzzi · Jun 10, 2019

Theo Sulphate said:
Is there supposed to be a separate collar for the lens with the tripod mount on that?

There are actually two 67 300mm lenses. The original one has no tripod collar and never did. There was a later version, very different optically, that did have a collar. I have the early one, which I paid $100 for. I doubt I could get the later one for less than $1000.

EDIT: actually I just peeked at eBay, and they seem to go around $800, give or take.

Hatchetman · Jun 10, 2019

Theo Sulphate said:
Is there supposed to be a separate collar for the lens with the tripod mount on that?

No, I've toyed with the idea of trying to jury rig something but have never devoted much time to it. But as noted there was a late and very expensive version that did have a collar.

voceumana · Jun 10, 2019

I like my Ries tripod immensely--wood is nice on the hands in weather that is anything colder than hot, and not a problem in hot weather. It does not pull the heat out of your hands, so they are more nimble to operate camera controls, and in hot weather wood doesn't get so hot to the touch as aluminum. It takes most any standard head, including those with quick release plates.

It's very stable, and the price isn't much more than what I paid around 1995. It is also a thing of beauty. It does not weight significantly more than an aluminum tripod would that can carry the same load.

That said, most high quality tripod can handle the 67.

I have the Ries head for this tripod, though it's not the best choice for the 67--it's more suited to view cameras, but, as I said, it accepts most other heads as well. I've used Manfrotto heads with it for MF work.

jeffreyg · Jun 10, 2019

I have a quite old Hasselblad 350 also with no tripod collar. I designed a simple one and had a machine shop make it. It works very well and attaches to a quick release. Some where I posted pictures of it. I don't know if they are still on the site. It was not expensive to make.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

http://www.sculptureandphotography.com/

abruzzi · Jun 10, 2019

another option is you can get lens support brackets that might help:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554350-REG/Manfrotto_293_293_Telephoto_Lens_Support.html

I've never tried one, and it seems the trick would be to find one that has the right amount of rise from the camera mount to the lens yoke.

jeffreyg · Jun 10, 2019

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Here is what I had made {phone images}
http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

It was still on the site. Here it is. The collar is tapered to fit the lens accurately. The parts are in slots so it is adjustable and reduced the cost of fabrication as well as not having to leave a delicate piece of equipment at a grundgy shop.

John Koehrer · Jun 10, 2019

I'm surprised no one hasn't mentioned Tiltall yet. I will handle at least up to 4X5 but the head is fixed to the tripod. The Bogen 3021 was similar but had
standard 3/8 & 1/4" threads. Another oldie is Quickset Husky contemporary to the Tiltall with crank column but again fixed head.
FWIW I'm partial to Gitzo reporter series*
*that's a very old series but they still make an equivalent.

Alan9940 · Jun 10, 2019

In my experience, a rather heavy tripod is required for the P67 even when using mirror lock (which I always do.) The shutter is so large that even the slap of the shutter can cause vibrations, depending on focal length, shutter speed, etc. For years, I used a heavy wooden tripod that I usually used for my 4x5 outfit, but, eventually, discovered a carbon fiber tripod that was designed like a surveyor's tripod and, with a good solid head, the entire setup had no problem taming the P67 and was light enough to carry anywhere I wanted to go.

AgX · Jun 10, 2019

The OP is unaware what has changed over the last 30 years.
Has so much changed?

Back then basically you had Gitzo-style tripods and those with added center tube bracers. And those with paired leg segments. All three features of influence on stabillty. The way the feet are designed is of influence too.

Basically these types still exist, though it seems the Gitzo style has become more common.

Furthermore there came a new material: fiber-enforced resin. And the mechanics got more complicated to achieve smaller packing size, etc.

As weight is no issue, I would advise to get a model with greatest sturdiness design-wise. Thus no need to get a new model/sample.
Except for rubber feet, who may have deteriorated at older samples.

Basically still the head is independent of the tripod. Thus one may mix manufactures.
With heads one has to chose between ball, 2-way and 3-way heads.

jtk · Jun 10, 2019

Quick release plates vary tremendously. Most would be perilous with P67. Ball heads are mostly bad news with big long lenses as most aren't capable of being securely LOCKED. I wish I still had my Gitzo...

AgX · Jun 11, 2019

jtk said:
Quick release plates vary tremendously. Most would be perilous with P67.

I can't think of any issues of danger, except for maybe using plastic plates. What am I overlooking?

craigclu · Jun 11, 2019

John Koehrer said:
I'm surprised no one hasn't mentioned Tiltall yet. I will handle at least up to 4X5 but the head is fixed to the tripod. The Bogen 3021 was similar but had
standard 3/8 & 1/4" threads. Another oldie is Quickset Husky contemporary to the Tiltall with crank column but again fixed head.
FWIW I'm partial to Gitzo reporter series*
*that's a very old series but they still make an equivalent.

I respect the Tiltall units and have had generally good experiences. They didn't seem to get along with the P67 for some reason. I tried my old original and also a new version from a friend. It was as if they exaggerated the particular vibrations of the P67's. This was one of many surprises I had when trying different combos.

guangong · Jun 11, 2019

As for tripods, I use my old Gitzo Reporter ( heavy enameled aluminum):With my Hasselblad with 300mm and 180mm Zeiss Olympic Sonnars. Both lenses have adjustable collar for horizontal and vertical shots (also use lenses on Nikon F). Both lenses are over engineered heavyweights.
A Linhof quick release should give you peace of mind. I use it with my Arriflex 16 and Beaulieu 16 on an old friction movie tripod. I also use it on Wista view camera. Your Pentax is lightweight compared to an Arri with 120mm zoom.
The best quick release sets are not cheap. If not near a photo supply store, I would check out KEH, simply because of easy return policy.

locutus · Jun 11, 2019

If weight isn't a problem Berlebach's are perfect and far cheaper then Gitzo's.

DREW WILEY · Jun 11, 2019

I can give you a good answer because I shoot both the regular 300 P67 telephoto and the fancier 300 EDIF version with the supplementary lens collar tripod attachment. I get utterly precise shots every single time. You might or might not like my answer. First of all, ignore nearly all the advice already given. Much of it won't work. No wonder everybody complains about results with these lenses. You need something truly solid. I use the same big wooden Ries tripod as I do with my 8x10 view camera, or else the same PLATFORM TOP big Feisol carbon fiber tripod when I want less cumulative weight. I do not use any kind of tripod head! They're bad enough, and ball heads in particular are the root of all evil when it comes to stability. These big heavy lenses create a lot torque leverage on any attachment system, more in fact than the average large view camera because it's all leaning forward and harder to balance above the center of the tripod. Plus there's risk of amplified vibration due to the large mirror kick of the P67, or even the shutter curtain when MLU is applied, which might not otherwise be a factor in shorter lenses or other kinds of MF SLR's. The older style 300 has no independent tripod attachment, so I use a very solid cast quick lease on the 67 camera and a matching quick release adapter mount ONLY atop the tripod (no head, no center column, no nonsense!) - you want to distribute that torque vector as strongly and directly as possible to the platform, where it is distributed straight to the legs. For the EDIF lens, I made a cute adapter out of solid maple, which I pickled with marine epoxy tinted with rust to match my weather-worn Ries tripod, but otherwise epoxied to machinable phenolic stock for total dimensional stability. It has two properly spaced 1/4-20 threads inserts, one accepting the lens collar ring, the other, the the thread screw fitting into the camera body itself - two points of attachment unified by a single precise adapter, which in turn is bolted directly to the tripod platform via its own 3/8-16 standard turnbolt. Incidentally, adjusting a tripod using legs only, and no head, is how surveyors did it for many decades, and how I've done it for several. It's easy, fast, and instinctive with practice.

AgX · Jun 11, 2019

DREW WILEY said:
(no head, no center column, no nonsense!)

A extended center collumn after little extension will eaily vibrate, however the statitc center tube of some tripods with center c collumn and the respective braces can add quite some sturdiness.

Your rejection of ball heads I do not understand. At same load capacity they are much smaller than 2- or 3-way heads and show less flexibility.

guangong · Jun 12, 2019

I have a Linhof ball head that I bought in early 1980s that I would trust with anything from a Minox to 4x5 as far as capability to support weight. Adjustments, however, for 4x5 are not very convenient using a ball head. But excellent for tracking a subject using long lens for still photography. All methods of fixing camera to tripod have their advantages and disadvantages. Size also matters, I wouldn’t use my Leitz ball head to support my massive 300mm Olympic Sonnar, but it can easily handle a Leitz 200mm lens and camera.

DREW WILEY · Jun 12, 2019

Ball heads: it's simple torque vector physics! You want as much torque and torsion directly distributed over as big an area as possible, not all concentrated on a tiny little neck. Second, we're talking about a heavy 300 lens P67 combination, not 35mm circumstances. This requires distinctly more stable support than even a 4x5 camera. Would anyone in their right mind use a comparably sized astronomical scope on a ballhead? Of course not! Yet this same camera /lens combination is popular with astrophotographers. The type of reinforcing adapter Jeffryg posted gives a clue; but for P67 long-lens work needs to be substantially beefed-up. Or something like the low-profile Ries platform head might be OK atop one of their own bigger tripods (not the lighter ones). But you're not going to kill a charging rhino with a BB gun. Argue if you must, but I actually use these 300 P67 lenses, frequently in windy conditions, and am not merely guessing.

markbau · Jun 12, 2019

Thanks to everyone who has replied. You have certainly given me some things to think about. Yesterday I went into a camera shop that specialises in Manfrotto and was introduced to the 055 tripod and the 405 geared head. They certainly seem to fit the bill as far as sturdiness goes but in doing a bit of Googling the head often gets very average reviews. I also printed yesterday and was dismayed that a shot taken with the 300mm (on a tripod, mirror locked up) was quite unsharp which is adding urgency to my quest for a new tripod.
I'm having trouble finding Ries tripods on the B&H site, do they go by a different name now?
The Mnafrotto lens support bracket looks promising regardles of which tripod/head I end up with, thanks for alerting me to that.
The Bogen 3040 and 3047 seem to be discontinued, does anyone know of their new equivalents?
The Berlebach looks promising, it's not a brand I'm familiar with. Any first hand reports on them? I assume a head like the Manfrotto 405 would fit into them, am I right?

DREW WILEY · Jun 12, 2019

Let me put this in perspective. The shortest regular Tele lens for the P67 is 150mm; the 165 is only slightly heavier, and the 200 only 20% heavier. All of these take a 67mm filter and work well with common tripods like a Gitzo Reporter or Tiltall with good midweight pan-tilt heads. But once you go to the next focal length of 300, you're talking about double the lens wt and 82mm filters, a whole new ballgame! I wasn't kidding when I stated it takes a more solid support than many 8x10's, because all that wt and torque is forward off-center, and you've got a potential vibration amplification problem due to the big SLR mirror slap. Mirror lock-up really helps; but for some subjects like wildlife you might want to keep your eye on the action. That Manfrotto 405 head is a useless TOY for this kind of application. I'm not trying to be rude, but save you wasting money or being disappointed.

Tripod recommendations needed for a Pentax 67

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