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The great tripod & head thread!

Required

Required

Member
docholliday said:
I have the same head and tripod, with the same issue. Acratech makes a spacer that raises the head off of the platform to give it clearance. https://www.acratech.net/ballhead-riser-raises-your-ballhead-on-tripod-plateform/ Or, you could always have a machine shop mill you a plate of your desired height and diameter tapped 3/8" on the bottom and studded on top.
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Thank you DocH.
That’s one solution. It builds a bit much perhaps but I’ll look into it.
Getting a shop to produce a slim one would be an option as well. Didn’t think of that.

I’ve looked at some spare parts for Monopod top plates as well but did not find a suitable one.
 
nameBrandon

nameBrandon

Well-known member
OK, Dante is whispering to me.. I was out shooting at an abandoned mine a couple of weeks back and I was on a wooden deck kind of platform overlooking the mining area (since filled with water). There were other people walking around on the platform, and though it was relatively sturdy as platforms go, there was some vibration that was picked up by my Feisol travel tripod (was shooting with the GFX100S and 100-200 attached.. 100-200 was mounted to the tripod via lens foot). So I went over to the center column to look at stiffness ratings, and I see the other tripod I have (TVC-24L) isn't that much of an improvement in the overall stiffness values (~700 vs ~1100). I slide my mouse pointer all the way up to the top of the stiffness index and I see the Gitzo GT5533L. Before I just go buy one, I wanted to see what the thought was as far as how 'portable' it is. I see the weight increases quite a bit at ~6lbs, but the TV-24L is ~4lbs so I don't think it's a massive increase.

This tripod would be the nuclear option, limited to car drivable spots and maybe a hike of <1 mile. Price-wise, it seems on par with the TVC-34L everyone here seems to like, but appears to perform almost 3x better with TCC's stiffness value.. Would you pick one of these over the other for GFX sized kit? Would probably stick with the p0+ hybrid as the head for the geared adjustments.
 
A

akaru

Active member
I’d say go for the giant if you’re already in that territory. While I do love the simple look of just the two joints, but it’s nice to know you can tower above if needed.
 
nameBrandon

nameBrandon

Well-known member
akaru said:
I’d say go for the giant if you’re already in that territory. While I do love the simple look of just the two joints, but it’s nice to know you can tower above if needed.
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Hah! You do make a good point, though I'm not that tall to begin with, so 9ft may be pushing it a bit… :) But in that spirit, the 4 section 5543XL adds quite a bit of working height, and I imagine at an equivalent height as the 5533L it's probably not significantly less stiff. Though with the 4 section XL were almost at 7lbs. If this gets much heavier, I might as well just bring my own concrete pylon with me…
 
nameBrandon

nameBrandon

Well-known member
Abstraction said:
How much stiffness do you REALLY need?
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All of it. All the stiffness. ;) :)

But being serious, I really don't know.. and that's the problem. I don't know if a slight improvement in stiffness would've helped in that scenario, or if a drastic increase is required. Since I have no way to tell, the thought was that 'd just go all the way to the top and essentially remove that as a variable.

Outside Gitzo and RRS, it appears like FLM may offer some interesting options in this space as well.. more research required!
 
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Abstraction

Abstraction

Well-known member
It depends on the conditions you're shooting under. Take a look at the tests Dave from the center column site where he essentially gives you a breakdown of wind speed needed to cause bluriness with various lenses.
 
MGrayson

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
As much as I love the P0 design, I've found it a floppy head. In that weight range, the RRS BH-30 does remarkably well. Even better is if you can get away with just a geared leveling base like the L60 (AKA MicroCube)

BTW, my "scientific" test was to take a 2 second exposure with a GF 250/4 on a GFX 100 and tap the lens. This showed me the magnificence of the RRS 1-series at the light end, and a Gitzo 4 series with Cube or L75 at the other. I also used a seismometer app to check vibration decay. It's why I got rid of my Novoflex tripods. They rang like a bell. A 3 series Gitzo had twice the damping factor as the Novy Pro-75. I should have done the "stomp on the floor" test as well. Unfortunately, I have downstairs neighbors. :LOL:

In the end, though, it comes down to which tripods stay at home and which come with you.
 
nameBrandon

nameBrandon

Well-known member
MGrayson said:
As much as I love the P0 design, I've found it a floppy head. In that weight range, the RRS BH-30 does remarkably well. Even better is if you can get away with just a geared leveling base like the L60 (AKA MicroCube)

BTW, my "scientific" test was to take a 2 second exposure with a GF 250/4 on a GFX 100 and tap the lens. This showed me the magnificence of the RRS 1-series at the light end, and a Gitzo 4 series with Cube or L75 at the other. I also used a seismometer app to check vibration decay. It's why I got rid of my Novoflex tripods. They rang like a bell. A 3 series Gitzo had twice the damping factor as the Novy Pro-75. I should have done the "stomp on the floor" test as well. Unfortunately, I have downstairs neighbors. :LOL:

In the end, though, it comes down to which tripods stay at home and which come with you.
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Brilliant.. off to find a seismometer app..! :)

I'll be curious to evaluate the tripods alone, and then with the various heads I have to see the potential impact. Good to hear the Gitzo 3/4 series did so well! You didn't test the FLM tripods did you? That CP-38 II looks interesting given the price point.
 
Godfrey

Godfrey

Well-known member
Well, I'm going walking with the Hasselblad 500CM now. I've got it fitted with the 80mm lens and a roll of 100 speed film in the A16 back. I'll use the PD Travel Tripod and see how it fares.

G
 
MGrayson

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Abstraction said:
FYI, This is the link to the article I was talking about. It gives you a really good idea of what type of a tripod you actually need.
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Their test assumes a constant wind. I would like to see the results on an actual windy day - with gusts, and possible resonant frequencies. In any event, I would want to double their required stiffness. Fortunately, that's not hard to achieve at wide to medium focal lengths.
 
Abstraction

Abstraction

Well-known member
You could double it fairly easily and without breaking a bank. What these tests show is that the stiffness requirements are pretty low unless you're dealing with some serious wind.
 
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