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Gitzo CF and Cube: the shocking truth...

tashley

Subscriber Member
Daybreak. Mist. Gorgeous creamy light. Grab the Cambo WRS with Schneider 35 XL and P45+. Grab Gitzo, Cube, WB stuff, Lens Cast stuff, loads of stuff.

Head off up the local hills to a point in a sheep field where the view is to the valley below and the mists are starting to pull back, revealing hundreds of acres of gorgeous Sussex weald and one of England's loveliest houses.

Erect tripod. Settle it into the damp grass. Level the Cube. Then nudge the entire assembly forward an inch.

OWWWWW!

Front leg of Gitzo, Carbon Fibre, has made contact with electric fence. Shock has travelled up tripod and into me. Heart races. Have I fried myself?

More importantly have I fried the P45+?

As it happens, the Phase back functions perfectly thereafter but the Cube is fused, solid. Melted back into the block from whence it came.

OK that last bit is a dramatic lie. The Cube is fine too. Only I am slightly frazzled.

The moral: Carbon fibre conducts nicely but somewhere upstream, in the tripod head or the Cambo foot or wherever, lies insulation.

Thank God.

Tim
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
I almost spit-coffee on my keyboard!

This is another "Phase One Tough" commercial....

(okay---just funny in retrospect---glad you, Cambo, P45+ and Cube are fine...)
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Tim,

Agreed, glad you are not hurt, glad nothing is damaged and this is only funny in retrospect -- and perhaps a bit ironic because it happened, err, well to you. (But I got in trouble last time I teased you about having a little black photography-gear cloud over your head, so I won't go there now :D)

FWIW, Carbon fiber is a well-known conductor of electricity --- fishermen are reminded all the time to be careful around power with long fly rods made of it. OTOH, hard anodized aluminum does not conduct well, and the Cube is hard anodized :)
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Very glad to hear you're okay.

At first I was thinking you were out in a cow pasture when you hit the fence then while reading about of electrifying experience I started wondering if you were by the outer fence of some top secret facility. I've experienced the normal cow fence but try to stay clear of the more electric fence.

Again glad you are okay as is the gear. Just wondering here but based on your past experiences with gear and such who do you have to go through for insurance - Lloyds of London?

Thank you for a great story to start my day:clap:

Don
 

BradleyGibson

New member
Arca-Swiss thought of everything. :)

Glad to hear neither you nor your gear were injured, Tim... So, that scene you described sounded lovely--did you end up taking the pic, or was it noon by the time you came to? ;)
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
Thanks Guys (and Gal) for your concern, advice and amusement!

Here's a photo taken a few minutes later, with me standing WELL back from the electric fence, clearly visible in front of the tree. I't not the world's most exciting photo! But if you zoom in to the about the bottom left thirds intersection you should make out Parham House, an Elizabethan gem... though I have shrunk the file somewhat for upload...

As for the ones I took nearer the fence, they're for a pano and need work! And guess who managed to set the WRS to an upshift of 10 by accident in the panic.....?

Thanks again

Tim

 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Tim glad your okay. But if we are ever together shooting stand 10 paces away bud. Nice to see all the gear held up under some pretty heavy electrical charge.
 
T

tetsrfun

Guest
fishermen are reminded all the time to be careful around power with long fly rods made of it.
******
That is very true..I was fishing in Montana a few years ago, a storm came up, I stopped fishing and put my fly rod away. The guide was making fun of me. The next day, in the same spot, a different guide was killed when lightening hit is carbon fiber fly rod.
 

gogopix

Subscriber
ok, beautiful wide shot
how the heck did you post it with a 2000 pixel limit?

Is there a secret handshake I don't know? (amongst 16 zillion other things :wtf:

victor
 

Terry

New member
Victor,
If you upload a picture to the gallery it can be any size. Then you paste the link into the thread and you get the big size.

Gallery
Upload
Pick files from your hard drive
Category (I chose myself - I guess you would choose regular member gallery
do the upload
click on the url below the picture about 2/3 of the way down the page
go back to your post
chose the little sun/mountain symbol
paste the url in there
Voila......

Here is the long version....

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1081&postcount=4
 
J

Johannes01

Guest
what a story.I'll offer myself a cup of coffee.then read it.Would you like?
 
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