The great tripod & head thread!

[gmfotografie]

i like this setup ... as i do a lot of architectural pictures i´m not that guy who is moving the ballhead a lot .... i´m the straight one... so i will try this solution ... with the tvc 24 :thumbup:

 

[dchew]

I don't mind being on the edge but that's a step too far for me. :facesmack:

You're right. I think this is more of a "you could if you had to" picture. A few things to note: First, its more stable to put two legs forward and lengthen the one in the back, but a leg sticking behind the camera is a leg to trip over, so both methods have their problems.

Second, I find myself leveling the camera almost all the time, as I'm sure most of us tech camera users do. But there are times...

Third, without live view I would never recommend anything but a geared head. That is especially true with this set up.

Dave

 

[JohnBrew]

Agree with Dave about geared head. I use a d4 normally, but after last weeks Death Valley Death March, I switched to my panning head just to give myself a break from the weight. Still haven't properly cleaned the equipment since the trip! I think RRS must buy spirit levels by the thousands as they put them on everything...
This is a RRS TVC-3X, leveling base and panning head combo.


Dave, I did have an incident exactly as the one you indicate might happen. Camera and tripod hit the salt flats, back of camera landing first. Ouch! Surprisingly the camera was fine but my Zeiss 21 cratered on me. Something in the electrical contacts.

 

[Shashin]

Here is the the base (TA-2_LC) alone on top of the TVC-24-L. It really is amazing how light tripods are without a ball head:

Dave, that is really neat thinking. I was considering just a leveling base because of the low profile.

On a side note for the OP, the Arca Swiss P0 is the same weight as this leveling base and more flexible.

 

[Don Libby]

I just began using a P0 with my XF and can't say enough nice things about it. The combination of the bubble level and ring on the P0 makes for one of the smoothest efforts to level I've had since using a Cube. I'm also excited to see the new P0 Hybrid.

 

[MomentsForZen]

Hi there everyone. I know nothing (!!) about tripods and heads other than do they do the job of holding up the camera or do they stop me from getting the shot that they want. I have spent a lot of time looking up the terms and the acronyms that have been posted here. The few bits that I have understood have been very interesting - so thanks for adding to my education.

The question posed to us was ...

"I´m still searching for a stable, light tripod for hiking - i think the maximum weight including the head should not be more than 2kg. My equipment is a canon dslr 24-70mm - maybe the fuji gfx with the zoom lens - and my hasselblad 503 with the 80mm."

===================

I do landscape photography (poorly) and carry a tripod quite some distance, so I can speak to the requirement of low weight. I use a Hasselblad 501CM so I can speak to that aspect as well. The 80mm lens is not very demanding in terms of weight. I tend to shoot on a tripod with long or short lenses that would be 1 to 1.5 kg heavier than the 80mm lens.

My set up is ...

- Hasselblad 501CM Body (Chrome) - S/N 10SH26953 (2002).
- Hasselblad CFV-50c Digital Back for Hasselblad V mount camera.
- Hasselblad Focusing Screen for the CFV-50c digital back, with focussing prism and crop markings.
- Hasselblad 45 Degree Viewfinder PME-45 42297 (2001).
- Hasselblad Carl Zeiss lens - Planar T* 80mm f/2.8 CFE (2000).
- FotodioX B60 Lens Hood for Select Hasselblad Standard Length CF Lenses.

- Really Right Stuff (RRS) TFC-14 Series 1 Carbon Fiber Tripod - MFR # 13996.
- Really Right Stuff (RRS) BH-30 Ball Head with Mini Screw-Knob Clamp - MFR # BH-30 PRO.
- Hasselblad HATQCH (3043326) Tripod Quick Coupling.
- Arca-Swiss ARUCP38 Universal Camera Plate 3/8".
- Nikon AR-3 Shutter Release Cable.
- Artisan & Artist ACAM-302 Silk Cord for Hassleblad Cameras (Black).

The tripod and head have a combined weight of 1.332 kg.

I am very happy with the low weight and the sturdyness. When taking photos of the night sky, the camera can be at some prettly alarming angles yet it hold the camera firmly and easily.

... MomentsForZen (Richard)

 

[dchew]

My set up is ...

- Really Right Stuff (RRS) TFC-14 Series 1 Carbon Fiber Tripod - MFR # 13996.
- Really Right Stuff (RRS) BH-30 Ball Head with Mini Screw-Knob Clamp - MFR # BH-30 PRO.
- Hasselblad HATQCH (3043326) Tripod Quick Coupling.
- Arca-Swiss ARUCP38 Universal Camera Plate 3/8".
- Nikon AR-3 Shutter Release Cable.
- Artisan & Artist ACAM-302 Silk Cord for Hassleblad Cameras (Black).

The tripod and head have a combined weight of 1.332 kg.

Richard,
Very nice!. It makes me think of all the criteria we look at when making tripod/head selections:

1. Stability: This is a weird one because tripod/head manufacturers use weight to define this. I get why they do that but I have no idea how they come up with those numbers nor how relevant it is to our needs. There are a lot of factors that go into whether a tripod is "stable" enough: Weight of camera + lens, resolution, pixel pitch, focal length, wind, ...
2. Tripod/head weight: We've all been posting about this a lot lately. Usually we want the lightest combination that meets our other criteria, but some may want tripod mass for #1 above...?
3. Extended height: This hasn't been in the discussion much, but it can be important: Note that if you stack Don Libby and me on top of each other we are scratching 4 meters. So we may not be normal in our tripod height requirements!
4. Folded height: How small do we need it to be? This can be important if we have specific backpacks or luggage we want to stuff them into.
5. Head features: Tilt angle, flip to portrait, geared operation, panning, bubble levels, Arca clamps, type of release, tension adjustment, ...
6. Leg sections: 3 or 4? That's a debate in itself!
7. Price
8. Other: Some may want Aluminum no matter what; others CF no matter what.

Although I have never tried a TFC-14, I bet it would check all of my criteria really well except height. Although my post above barely meets gmfotographie's 2kg requirement, the head is obviously lacking in several ways. As Will pointed out, the A/S P0 provides more features for about the same weight. Perhaps the BH-30/40 do too. Truth is, I investigated the leveling base because sometimes I don't want to worry about setting my pack down on a pile of rocks. Therefore I tend to remove the ball head and pack it inside the backpack, which is kind of a pain. The leveling base, on the other hand, is pretty indestructible.

This is a great thread because some of the "other" criteria that affect our choices are being revealed. :toocool:

Dave

 

[sc_john]

Those of you using the A/S PO, are you using standard A/S plates or the smaller ones designed for the PO head? Thanks.

John

 

[MGrayson]

Bigger ones - so they'll work on my other heads.

--Matt

 

[sc_john]

Bigger ones - so they'll work on my other heads.

--Matt

Thanks, Matt.

 

[ejpeiker]

I've settled on a Gitzo 4542LS tripod, KPS Research & Design T5 Geared Ballhead with RRS Panorama Clamp, and Hejnar Photo Lens Support Rail and RRS L-bracket for my Phase One XF rig...
View attachment 124589

 

[MomentsForZen]

@dchew ...

Great list of various criteria that might be in play when looking for a tripod and/or head. All too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everyone has the same requirements as we do.

... MomentsForZen (Richard)

 

[Abstraction]

How do you flip your camera from horizontal to vertical position using cubes and geared heads? Tech cameras may have rotating backs, so that may not be an issue, but what about just using your SLRs?

 

[dchew]

How do you flip your camera from horizontal to vertical position using cubes and geared heads? Tech cameras may have rotating backs, so that may not be an issue, but what about just using your SLRs?

I don't use an SLR, but the Alpa has two RRS plates, one next to the grip and one on the "bottom" 90 degrees away so I can orient it rise/fall or shift.

My Sony a7rII has a RRS L-plate.

Note even with the cube you can tilt it 90 degrees if you want.

Dave

 

[MGrayson]

L plates!

 

[Abstraction]

L plates!

I don't use an SLR, but the Alpa has two RRS plates, one next to the grip and one on the "bottom" 90 degrees away so I can orient it rise/fall or shift.

My Sony a7rII has a RRS L-plate.

Note even with the cube you can tilt it 90 degrees if you want.

Dave

Do you guys dismount the camera, flip it and then remount it on the tripod? That's a pain especially with a heavy rig!

Can you tilt the cube 90 degrees quickly or is it a matter of turning 3 or 4 screws?

 

[MGrayson]

You CAN tilt the cube 90 degrees, but it leads to an unstable side load. If you have a huge lens, it probably has a rotating collar. For a smaller lens, flipping the camera takes a few seconds. I'd rather rotate the camera than take off the back, rotate and reattach it. Rotating the camera won't let dust in!

--Matt

 

[dchew]

Do you guys dismount the camera, flip it and then remount it on the tripod? That's a pain especially with a heavy rig!

Can you tilt the cube 90 degrees quickly or is it a matter of turning 3 or 4 screws?

Actually I much prefer rotating the camera vs flopping a ballhead over for two reasons: 1) I find it quicker, and 2) it is more stable sitting square on top of the head. I've done both and much prefer L-plates even on my ball heads. But you mention a heavy rig; I'm not sure about that because I don't have heavy rigs.

The cube requires moving 2 screws to go 90 degrees: the release at the bottom gets about ~65 degrees and turning the tilt for the remaining ~25 degrees.

Dave

 

[Abstraction]

Are there any sort of brackets that would allow flipping the camera on its axis without being flimsy and shaky? There's gotta be a better way to flip the camera than to mount and dismount the entire rig.

 

[dchew]

I've never uploaded a video before so not sure how this will go. I don't think mounting and unmounting is difficult at all. In fact, if I have the camera level and want it to be level after flipping, this is much faster...

[video]http://www.davechewphotography.com/temp_images/flip01.mov[/video]

12 seconds, and that's doing the dance twice.