Vibration indicator for large format cameras.

johnielvis said:

note there will be more than one axis of vibration and the torsional back and forth twisting (left and right) is probably the biggest problem as the general tripod construction with long thin flexy legs and a big camera with big rotational inertia on top provides a natural torsional vibration system--back and forth ("left and right") rotation about the tripod column axis

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Couldn't agree more.

Torsional vibration issues are exacerbated by looseness in the leg locks and, in many tripods, by the leg locks' short bearing surfaces. If your tripod has, like the Bogen 3221 in my closet, cam type leg locks make sure that the cams clamp as tightly as possible. If your tripod has screw type leg locks, tighten them well. The Berlebach that replaced my 3221 has much longer bearing surfaces between the leg sections than the 3221, is much stiffer in torsion.

Make sure that the head is securely attached to the tripod's platform. My 3221 and the Berlebach 8023 that replaced it have set screws in their platforms for locking the head. These can back out in transit, have to be checked from time to time. If there's a leveler between platform and head, check its set screws too.

Make sure that the head is well-locked down. If you have a Manfrotto head with a hexagonal QR plate, make sure that the clamp is tight. I have a couple of those hex plates that are a little thin. I put shims under them to raise them so they'll be secure in the head.

And don't forget to make sure that the camera is securely attached to the head.

I had an unexpected vibration problem with the Berlebach. The center post rocks a tiny bit in the platform no matter how much I tighten its lock. This is a bad problem only when I use a really long lens that for balance reasons can't be mounted nearly over the centerpost. You can read about stability woes and how I solved them at http://www.galerie-photo.com/baby-bertha-6x9-en.html

I've tried laser before. In daylight it can be hard to see the spot. Plus you are fidgeting with another gizmo.

Lots of great suggestions! Both high-tech and low tech! Keep em comin!

photo tools app: I did not see a vibration tool.. maybe its only in the pro version?
I did try my tricorder app and while it does have an accelerometer graph, it does not seem to be sensitive enough.

I like may things about the laser pointer suggestion, I may play around with that.

I use an extremely heavy Horseman 8x10 on my 35 year old Leitz Tiltall. Talk about an anvil on 3 toothpicks.... It shakes and wobbles and nearly crushes my poor little tripod. So I set up, load in the holder, pull the slide, and wait for the whole shebang to stop wobbling. Then I push the cable release. So far, so good. I'm just waiting for the day when the whole neck of my tripod just snaps off, with the camera and half my tripod still connected to it: crashing to the ground. But it's all I've got, and it'll have to do.

Regarding tripods.. I have some heavy manfrottos that I use for large format. I prefer my 055XPROB under my shen-hao. I'm actually not too worried about the tripod.. I can always move up if I think its a problem.

The camera, though is another story. The front standard is not what I would call sturdy, and most wood fields I would count in the same catagory.
While playing around with my 4x5 indoors and a digital camera adapted on back, I became immediately aware that any vibrations from the floor were amplified by the front standard.
Outdoors, I'm less worried about vibrations and more concerned about wind.

Tom1956 said:

a little cup of water?

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A small bottle half full of water..

darinwc said:

…. I became immediately aware that any vibrations from the floor were amplified by the front standard.
Outdoors, I'm less worried about vibrations and more concerned about wind.

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A flexible floor can be a huge movement problem. In winter you may only find out after a long wait. I was shooting a large 100 year old weaving loom in an equally old building last winter using only the light coming through the windows. 8x10 RH Phillips camera on a Ries tripod, HP5+, f45+, 26 minute exposure. Only when I developed the negative did I realize that the floor was related to a trampoline.

B&H Photo sells these air bulb shutter releases. On the retake I just set everything up on the camera, walked out of the building, pressed the bulb, waited another 26 minutes in the warm car, squeezed the bulb again and had a picture. The longer Kaiser worked for me. I don’t have any experience with the others.

Kaiser Air (Bulb) Release - 16.5'

Samigon Air (Bulb) Release - 20'

Kaiser Air (Bulb) Release - 33'

When outside in the wind, once in a while you can get lucky and use a portable wind barrier. In my current series I shoot near the street and have used my SUV as a shield between the wind and me.

Several years ago I was shooting with Bob Herbst on a bridge construction site, the largest construction in Ohio history, crossing the Maume River in Toledo. We had permission and a minder driving us around in an 18 foot van. When the wind came up to a howl our minder moved her 18 foot van upwind of us, sheltering both Bob’s 12x20 and my 7x17.

John Powers

How about driving a stake in the ground then attaching a cable to the stake with a turn buckle to pull the tripod center toward the ground. In softer ground, could use one of those screw in stakes they use to hold your pet.