Tripod

schwefel · Jul 8, 2008

(I guess this a little off topic for medium format, but I do want to put my RB on top of it.)

I am looking to get a tripod for my RB67. The one I have is about to fall apart anyway.

Other than how "big" it is and why type of head it has, what differentiates a "cheap" tripod from an "expensive" one.

Anyone provide clarification and/or recomendations?

Jason

Pinholemaster · Jul 8, 2008

Don't buy cheap.

A good tripod will last for years, not fall apart after little use.

You don't want a top heavy, expensive RB67 falling to the ground.

Get a Gitzo or something equivalent in quality. Check out Really Right Stuff for quality heads for your tripod.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/home.html

sun of sand · Jul 8, 2008

I'm just going to be honest here
I use an adorama tripod and not even one of their carbon fibers $50
I use an Adorama pan/tilt head at about $40

It weighs about 9 pounds. I hike with it. I'm young. No big deal at all.
I spray foam into whatever sections I can to minimize vibration
I tape the leg in glass tape where the leg locks for a tiiiighter fit.
I put pipe insulation on the legs for added cushion ..this is actually stuck to the cushion already there through use of double sided carpet tape
I superglue 35mm cassette felt strips on the tripod head/QR platform for tight wobble-free support.
I tighten everything down

At some point I will add leg spikes

I use 35mm and a 4x5 tachihara at maybe 5.5 pounds with a large lens on it

I'm happy with it
Apug will hate me but I turned down a NOS Ries Jr tri-lock w/o head for $75. There were 4 of them.

Conspicious Consumption Sucks!
OTOH
If I ever shoot bigger than lightweight 4x5 :/

schwefel · Jul 8, 2008

Pinholemaster said:
Don't buy cheap.

A good tripod will last for years, not all apart after little use.

You don't want a top heavy, expensive RB67 falling to the ground.

Get a Gitzo or something equivalent in quality. Check out Really Right Stuff for quality heads for your tripod.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/home.html

What makes a cheap tripod "cheap"? After all, a three legged design is the most stable structure there is and as long as the center of gravity does not extend too far from the vertical centerline, it will not fall. If the legs lock well, it will not colopse, either. Weight ratings I can understand. The legs/structure are engineered to support a certain weight and any more will compromist the physical integrity.

I am not trying to combative, just trying to understand what seperates and/or differentiates a cheap(bad) from a not cheap(good) tripod.

Christopher Walrath · Jul 8, 2008

I gotta do that to my tripod. It might stand up to my 4x5. All I have is an old Manfrotto 6400 light weight tripod.

David Brown · Jul 8, 2008

All other things being equal (weight, material, function) is gets down to quality. Why is a Leica better than a Zorki? Same design ...

papagene · Jul 8, 2008

I use a Bogen 3021 w/ 3030 head for my Calumet Cadet, Kodak 2D 5x7 and both my Fuji MF rangefinders. I have had no problems with stability in the almost 20 years I have had it.

gene

John Koehrer · Jul 9, 2008

schwefel,
When you go tripod hunting, grasp the apex of the tripod & give it a twist. A stable tripod won't have any flex in it. Then raise the center column as high as it will go & see if there's any flex in the column or crown. If there is, move along. I'm a believer in heavier, thicker, more massive tripods. But. The Bogen 3021, older Tiltalls & Quicksets will give excellent value. Gitzos are terrific but more costly. Bogen & Gitzo will have interchangeable heads where Tiltall & Quickset don't.

panastasia · Jul 9, 2008

I use various tripods and heads for various purposes with my RB; Bogen, Gitzo (carbon fiber and aluminum) but always grab my Tiltall for studio type settings and for short trips close to home - I just throw it over my shoulder and go. The black Tiltall looks like it was made for the RB (my favorite - toughest and least expensive tripod). My Gitzo carbon fiber is best for backpacking and macro work close to ground level.

I think tripods are like the cameras, there isn't one that will serve all purposes.

schwefel · Jul 9, 2008

John Koehrer said:
schwefel,
When you go tripod hunting, grasp the apex of the tripod & give it a twist. A stable tripod won't have any flex in it. Then raise the center column as high as it will go & see if there's any flex in the column or crown. If there is, move along. I'm a believer in heavier, thicker, more massive tripods. But. The Bogen 3021, older Tiltalls & Quicksets will give excellent value. Gitzos are terrific but more costly. Bogen & Gitzo will have interchangeable heads where Tiltall & Quickset don't.

Thank you! That is the kind of info I am looking for.

Maris · Jul 10, 2008

I often use a Manfrotto 390 Junior tripod (yes, the one with the diabolical leg locks) with my RB67 system. The tripod is light, cheap, and rigid enough. The real reason it works well is because the RB has a waist level finder so the tripod can be much lower; less extension, more stability.

Akalai · Jul 10, 2008

sun of sand said:
... Apug will hate me but I turned down a NOS Ries Jr tri-lock w/o head for $75. There were 4 of them. :/

Wow, great offer.... wish I could find something like that here in OZ right now... I need a tripod!!!

Sparky · Jul 10, 2008

Stiff is all well and good.. but there's really no substitute for mass. Nobody really seems to consider the vibration of tripods. They should. That's the big problem, IMO, with the carbon fiber tripods. The heavier the tripod, the more stable, and the lower it's resonant frequency is.

Greg_E · Jul 10, 2008

I made mine out of 1 inch square hardwood (3 pieces per leg) and finally stuck a great big Bogen ball head/leveler/spacer on top of it. It's pretty heavy, along the weight of our carbon fiber video tripods/heads, somewhere in the more than 10 pounds range.

panastasia · Jul 10, 2008

The total mass (weight) of the camera/tripod combination is what's important; the RB can work well with relatively light tripods because the RB adds the needed weight for stability. There was an old rule: heavy camera/light tripod, or heavy tripod/light camera - same result. The wind direction and speed can also be a factor - the harmonics of each combination will differ.

Ralph Javins · Jul 10, 2008

Yup, Sparky is right.

When you are concerned with any vibration of your camera, whether from you hitting it, the wind, the shutter or mirror, or other stimulus, a tripod with mass, rigidity, bracing, and a reasonable cross section should have a lower frequency natural resonance and help damp any vibration. Simple basic physics.

It is also good exercise for you.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

Tripod

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