Tripod weight rating question for Mamiya 7II

[brian steinberger]

I'm looking to purchase a Mamiya 7 soon and am going to look for a nice light tripod that folds up fairly small but that will work well with this camera. I'm wondering what tripod rating I will need for both the legs and the ballhead that I will also need.

I was assuming something that will support between 13 and 17 lbs. The actual camera with a lens attached can't weigh more than a few pounds. Could I actually get away with with something rated between 8 and 13 lbs? What about a ballhead? Same weight rating for that as well? I'd rather go stronger than to try and save a few ounces of tripod weight or 1" of folding length.

I've never really researched for lightweight hiking tripods. I have a Gitzo 1340 that I love and used for years and years now, but not ideal for day hiking obviously.

Thanks for the help!

 

[keithwms]

Oh you don't need much tripod at all with the mammie. Think of it as a 35mm camera. I'd just get a lightweight tripod that has a center hook so that if the wind is blowing you can hang a backpack and make the whole thing more stable.

Ballhead would be fine, as would just about any head, although for the 7/7ii in particular, I think you will find a lot of folks using an L bracket for orientational convenience. I use the 6 so I don't have that issue

 

[Pinholemaster]

A very lightweight tripod is all that's needed with a Mamiya 7 system. I own the 7 system, and find a lightweight carbon tripod worths very well.

 

[brian steinberger]

Thanks for the responses guys. So you think I could get away with a tripod with a rating between 8-13 lbs? Benro makes some good carbon fiber lightweight tripods at a good price. I was also looking at Induro. Any suggestions?

 

[Robert Hall]

Consider that delicate balance between light weight and being able to hold the tripod steady with a breeze. I have a basalt Gitzo and it is a great tripod for me because it holds the camera steady, such as against the winds on the plains of Spain, but back home, it holds my 8x10 without a complaint.

 

[edtbjon]

I got a Feisol 3401 which serves me fine for a Hasselblad. Something similar would without doubt be very stable with your Mamaya 7. The tripod weighs in at 1.36 kilos (3 pounds) and with a Feisol ballhead (CB-50H) it totals around 4.3 pounds. It costs around $420 plus shipping plus extra QR plates, which in my book is very good value. I got this setup a couple of years ago, so now there's other versions available.
Again, it holds a 'blad with a 150 with no hickups (I wouldn't hesitate using a 250), so a Mamaya 7 shouldn't really pose any problem.

//Björn

 

[Vertigo]

All you'll ever need..at the right price!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...ripod&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1173577949568

Just my 2 cents....

 

[Mark Fisher]

I also have a Feisol 3401 that I use with a Hasselblad, 35mm and 4x5. I have it paired with the smaller Kirk head. I highly recommend it. It is probably overkill for the 7, but the most weight you'd save is a pound with a different tripod.

 

[katphood]

I did a lot of tests with my rigs to see what the limits were. The only way to tell for sure is to do some tests. If you could borrow the tripod you are thinking of buying or similar, that would be great. Ditto for the head.

Barry Thornton in "Edge of Darkness" shows how to figure out camera vibration on a tripod: In a dark room or at night in a very dark place, set up a small LED light so that is the only light source around. Take several photos of it with your rig from about 1/60 (as a control) down to 1 sec or so. The negatives should come out with just a tiny speck of a light. Use a loupe and see if there are differences at different speeds. If all is well, you should not see any differences.

I did this using different lenses, with and without Mirror Lock Up (irrelevant for rangefinders) and it was quite instructive. What I found out:

- MLU helps
- Adding weight to the tripod helps much more than MLU
- Heavier tripods are better, but adding weight to a light tripod can be just as good (provided its of decent quality to begin with)
- Adding a bag of sand or some weight to the camera helps.
- Holding your hand on the camera, contrary to what some say, made things worse

That's what I learned, but you should do the tests yourself and then decide. YMMV. I did the same experiment with my monopod to see exactly how many stops I could get there.

I've summarized all my findings here:

http://home.comcast.net/~kurt.thompson/

- (http://home.comcast.net/~kurt.thompson/MLUTest.html)
- (http://home.comcast.net/~kurt.thompson/Monopod.html)