The great tripod & head thread!

[sog1927]

Now get one of these: https://petapixel.com/2012/04/29/a-look-back-massive-carl-zeiss-lens-from-photokina-2006/

 

[Shashin]

I have to ask, your cat is OK, right...

 

[MGrayson]

What, no 500mm ApoTessar?????????

Now get one of these: https://petapixel.com/2012/04/29/a-look-back-massive-carl-zeiss-lens-from-photokina-2006/

Well, there is the 300/2.8 Superachromat. They run around $55,000 on eBay... And then there's this.



See the Full Frame body on the far right?

I have to ask, your cat is OK, right...

Thank you for asking. Yes, Soup is fine. He just likes to sleep. Here he is a few minutes later with the 250/5.6 SA. This time 1.5 seconds.


Matt

 

[jng]

I have to ask, your cat is OK, right...

Well, there is the 300/2.8 Superachromat. They run around $55,000 on eBay...



Thank you for asking. Yes, Soup is fine. He just likes to sleep. Here he is a few minutes later with the 250/5.6 SA. This time 1.5 seconds.


Matt

LOL. I've taken similar long exposures of my sleeping cats. The slight blur of their fur on the chest gives away the fact that they are still breathing (but just). Of course if you shot Soup wide open then maybe it's just bokeh.

And fear not, the APO 1.4XE will bring you pretty close to 500 Apo-Tessar territory!

John

 

[P. Chong]

wow Matt…now that is a lens. Does it come with a truck?

Btw, I am really enjoying this thread. Thanks for sharing the tripod adventures. I feel I already know Soup.

Well, there is the 300/2.8 Superachromat. They run around $55,000 on eBay... And then there's this.

View attachment 189200

See the Full Frame body on the far right?



Thank you for asking. Yes, Soup is fine. He just likes to sleep. Here he is a few minutes later with the 250/5.6 SA. This time 1.5 seconds.


Matt

 

[Ed Hurst]

Matt, while I haven't had time yet to fully digest all your wonderful ideas and contributions, I want to thank you for them. As a fellow owner of the massive FLM ballhead, I will try my best to understand all your thinking and feel confident that, when I do, I'll have a much more powerful relationship with my ball. (Puns on a postcard please)

 

[Thunderhill]

Hi,
I've been lurking for a while now while slowly putting together my GFX 50S kit. Great thread btw. Still can't seem to decide with certainty on which Gitzo to buy.
I have the Arca Swiss P0 Monoball w/panning head.

questions:
1. Can I put the P0 Monoball onto a Arca Swiss Leveler 60 without any issues? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...swiss_860103_l60_leveler_fliplock_tripod.html

2. A Gitzo: I'm wondering at what point is overkill for a GFX 50S if many tripods can support 40+ lbs of weight? (and I do want a centre column)
Would the Mountaineer series be more than enough or should I be considering the larger leg diameter Gitzo Systematic line?
(I shoot portraits (135mm is the longest lens in my bag) and also like to wander the city with a camera on a tripod, don't do hiking/landscape in all kinds of weather)

I now realize this is a (hopefully) buy once/cry once purchase,
so, thanks in advance.
Stephen

 

[SylB]

Hi,

I use a Hasselblad H system on Gitzo systematic : the most stable, efficient in almost all situations.
I use it on a Mountaineer too (354X) : very efficient too, but I would be more careful in case of (strong) wind, especially with central columns up.
I even use a Traveller GT1545 with this H system in case of need (portability and available space) : it can work with extra precautions.

So I would say that your GFX will work with a Mountaineer without any doubt (you will find the acceptable limits by using it).

 

[FloatingLens]

Hi! Me again. Just some more observations with some other long lenses. While the HC 300/4.5 is a more modern lens and has a usable leaf shutter on the S, it's a dead end. No extension tube or teleconverter will work with it and the S and, having no manual aperture setting, it suddenly becomes harder to use than a perfectly manual lens. Enter the older Hasselblad V lenses. There is an S adapter with no electrical or moving mechanical connections. So what do our elder brethren provide? The 250/5.6 and 350/5.6 Superachromats and the APO teleconverter 1.4XE. With Dante as my Virgil (think about that...), I got my hands on both of those lenses and have had a few weeks with the 250 and a few days with the 350, and I can report a few things.

Matt, is it possible to combine the APO extender 1.4XE with the 250 SA, too? I am asking because of the protruding teleconverter front element.

 

[jng]

Matt, is it possible to combine the APO extender 1.4XE with the 250 SA, too? I am asking because of the protruding teleconverter front element.

They are not compatible due to the rear element of the 250 SA interfering with the protruding element of the converter (I tried).

John

 

[docholliday]

They are not compatible due to the rear element of the 250 SA interfering with the protruding element of the converter (I tried).

John

Try using a tube 8 or 16 between the two. Used to get mine to work that way. Not the best image quality, but it kinda works.

 

[FloatingLens]

Try using a tube 8 or 16 between the two. Used to get mine to work that way. Not the best image quality, but it kinda works.

Not that I did not try some freak contraption similar to this ->

Contax 645 + C645 Mutar 1,4 + Contax MAM-1 + Hasselblad Sonnar 5,6/250 SA ...

Felt a bit uneasy even attempting to do this to say the least

(in theory it should even give proper infinity focus)

 

[jng]

Try using a tube 8 or 16 between the two. Used to get mine to work that way. Not the best image quality, but it kinda works.

Interesting suggestion! I never thought of trying that but since most if not all of my use of the longer tele's is at infinity (or near infinity) focus, this hack wouldn't work for me anyway. I've used the non-APO 1.4X and 2X teleconverters (mostly as a test) but the degradation in sharpness and CA just seemed, well, wrong considering what the 250 SA can achieve natively. When I need the extra reach, I turn to my trusty 350 Tele-Superachromat. The main downside to the 350 is its weight, but that's something I've learned to live with.

John

 

[Thunderhill]

Hi,

I use a Hasselblad H system on Gitzo systematic : the most stable, efficient in almost all situations.
I use it on a Mountaineer too (354X) : very efficient too, but I would be more careful in case of (strong) wind, especially with central columns up.
I even use a Traveller GT1545 with this H system in case of need (portability and available space) : it can work with extra precautions.

So I would say that your GFX will work with a Mountaineer without any doubt (you will find the acceptable limits by using it).

 

[Thunderhill]

Thanks everyone for your replies, looks like I can employ one of the
Mountaineer tripods with full confidence.
Cheers!

 

[akaru]

Is this not the best thread on the internet?

Thanks @MGrayson and others for your contributions. I’m perpetually debating a wood tripod for wide field astrophotography. I’m a fan of the Gitzo series 5 (have a Giant that I might sell only to replace with a bit shorter one as I rarely need such height). RRS apparently makes an inverted one but they market it solely for shooting rifles. Seems it would fit the bill nicely for my needs. Not very portable as it is 3’ folded up, but then I can just pull the legs apart, level, and be at a good height for sitting down for those long exposures.

 

[JeffK]

Added an L75 a few weeks ago. Fun to use.

 

[MGrayson]

Is this not the best thread on the internet?

Thanks @MGrayson and others for your contributions. I’m perpetually debating a wood tripod for wide field astrophotography. I’m a fan of the Gitzo series 5 (have a Giant that I might sell only to replace with a bit shorter one as I rarely need such height). RRS apparently makes an inverted one but they market it solely for shooting rifles. Seems it would fit the bill nicely for my needs. Not very portable as it is 3’ folded up, but then I can just pull the legs apart, level, and be at a good height for sitting down for those long exposures.

Actually, a Ries J100-2 that I ordered several months ago just arrived. They had a flood, and then supply issues, and... well, I had forgotten about it, and now I have this beautiful thing. So if I can hire a porter , I'll take the Ries, the Gitzo 5, the S3 (back from Germany), and my oddball collection of MF telephotos (250/5.6, 300/4, 350/5.6, 400/4) of wildly varying quality, and see how everything works. Oh, and I have 1.4x and 2x teleconverters for both sets of lenses. I can say that the 350 with 2x is shockingly good (as @jng can attest). I expect the 400 with anything to be terrible, but we'll see. An 800 f/8 is getting into good telescope territory. Unfortunately, the 400 by itself has more CA than the cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. (Any lens whose price is less than its focal length is likely to be bad... There are no doubt exceptions.)

The Pentax 67 300mm f/4 ED-IF is the dark horse here. We'll see...

Matt

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

I’m perpetually debating a wood tripod for wide field astrophotography.

Hi !
I'm a happy user of a wooden tripod made by the German manufacturer Berlebach ... they have a nice range of tripods and accessories for astronomers ...

Products Listing Astronomy from Berlebach ® Tripods

Products listing of Berlebach Online-Shop for product range of Astronomy

www.berlebach.de

(I'm not in anyway related to Berlebach, just a happy user)

Stay safe, but have fun,
Rafael

 

[ThdeDude]

happy user of a wooden tripod made by the German manufacturer Berlebach ... they have a nice range of tripods and accessories for astronomers ...

Thanks for the info and link. Wonder whether a wooden tripod would handle saltwater environment better than any metal/carbon tripod.