Dan Fromm
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- Mar 23, 2005
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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
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