Need stable tripod for 8x10, long lenses

[Lars Åke Vinberg]

My Gitzo G1548 is great. But with my Toyo G810 monorail and a 600+ mm 2 lbs lens it still falls short when it comes to torsional stability around the vertical axis - it is prone to sideways oscillation.

It seems to me that round tripod legs simply are not rigid enough.

Would something like a Sachtler or similar tripod work better? I still need triple (or is it called double?) extension to be able to pack the tripod for travel.

[Gudmundur Ingolfsson]

http://www.riestripod.com/tripod.htm

The A 100 + an extra leg of some kind on the front of the monorail.

[Capocheny]

Lars,

Consider one of those Majestic tripods with the geared heads... they're very stable and will give you lOTS of extension. The only drawback is that it weighs a ton! :) You'll need a Sherpa to carry it along with your 8x10 camera and accessories! :)

Lastly, they're going fairly inexpensively on *ba*.

Cheers

[george jiri loun]

Lars, in my opinion you'd have better to use a second tripod - it can be a real cheapy, a light one. Weightwise you'll be better off and the stability is far, far greater - you can beat even heavy winds with such a setup.

[mark blackman]

I use a Manfrotto 028 tripod with a Gitzo 1370m head. It can handle by 10x8 Wista and sinar 300mm at full extension with quite a bit of bed drop, see here for an example:

http://www.f32.net/discus/messages/18/8887.jpg

[Wilbur Wong]

I recently got to see and handle Chris Burkett's 8 x 10 outfit. He has some lenses which easily approach 8 pounds or so! His favored tripod is a Sachtler, which is extraordinarily light for the load it can handle. His choice is a "dual stage" carbon fiber. The head is also Sachtler, which is really built for video since it is fluid.

As for packing and toting, it feels light enough - in it's own dedicated case, but I wouldn't want to go back packing with it solo.

They are also pretty pricey, depending on model and load capacity I think this could be 4 to 6 grand.

[Eric Leppanen]

I second the suggestion of using a second tripod. I use my G1325 as my main tripod for my 8x10 field camera, and supplement it with my G1228 when using long lenses. This setup is especially flexible on trips in that I also use the 1228 for lightweight hiking with my 4x5 or MF cameras.

[tor kviljo]

I will once again wote for the inexpensive but impeccable stability of an aluminium surveyors tripod. The one I use (from Clas Ohlsson of Sweden...Åke!) costed less than $$ 130 new, have two sections: rectangular central section and twin-alu-tubing upper leg. Large presicion-ground top-plate is very easy for fitting the big Gitzo 570/1570 3-way pan-tilt head which is the one I recommend for 8x10. I have shortened the legs on mine - now having a perfect height & quite light tripod for use with the sinar. The work necessary to shorten it: 3 hours with hacksaw & drill + subsequent riveting everything in place. I also have a Manfrotto 028 (mentioned in one of the post further up) for in-house/studio work, but it's considerable heavier than the suerveyors tripod - not any more stable, and it lacks the essencial strong spikes/feet of the surveyors tripod which anchors it better to any non-rock surface than any other. Both Leica & Topcon also supplies inexpensive surveyors-tripods. Stay away from those with a centre column (greate reduced stability). The Gitzo 570/1570 often found used on e bay, were nott terribly expensive new either, but I don't know what they'are called today.

[george jiri loun]

Eric, that's exactly my setup too, used for 800mm and 600mm lenses...

[Ola Lagarhus]

Do you have a product number, Tor, from the Clas Ohlson catalogue? Can`t find the aluminium surveyors tripod in the current C. O catalogue. Thank you for your suggestion - hope it`s still available.

[Lars Åke Vinberg]

All,

Thanks for sharing your creative suggestions and experiences. This is a great community, as always!

I currently have an extra support leg that attaches to the front of the monorail and the bottom/middle of one leg. It helps in the up-down direction, but when it comes to oscillation around the vertical axis.

There are some cool-looking Sachler CF tripods for about $2000.

I will try the extra tripod over the summer, to see how practical it is. I have a Gitzo G1128 that I use for my little Ebony SW23 - what a great little camera - and I think it will do the job if I reinsert the center column.

- Lars

[Dave Moeller]

I use a Berlebach 3032 with a Calumet Green Monster and a Nikon 480mm f/9 lens (about four or five pounds worth of lens, I'm guessing). I crank the bellows all of the way out for closeup work (around 30") and the whole thing is rock-solid. You might give the Berlebach's a look.

(I've also mounted a Cambo monorail on the Berlebach, opened all of the way out with the same lens...no problems with that setup either.)

[George Stewart]

I use the 1549 (the 1548 with center column and hook) for 8x10 work when close to the car. This lets me hang weight on the tripod when needed, adding stability. Perhaps you should try adding weight to your tripod to see if it improves the situation, if so get the center column and use the hook regularly.

Also, is it possible that the head is the real issue?

[Stan. Laurenson-Batten]

For my Sinar P2 10X8 I use the large Gitzo's for normal extentions. When I rack out for 1:1
I use the smaller Gitzo under the front end of the rail. I have made a cup fitting for the rail to nest on the tripod head.
As stated , any cheapo tripod will do the job supporting the extention.

My gear must be the most weighty in 10X8's, it has some advantages; no one can run off with it, it will even stand up to quite a wind without recourse to weights.

[Gregory Gomez]

Hi Lars!

Here are a few Internet sites that carry large tripods:

http://www.professionalequipment.com/xq/ASP/ProductID.1179/id.15/subID.317/qx/default.htm

http://www.bigbinoculars.com/obwtri.htm

http://www.mytoolstore.com/berger/tripod1.html?source=goto&OVRAW=surveyors%20tripod&OVKEY=surveyor%20tripod&OVMTC=standard

http://www.usa.nedo.com/produkte/stativ3.html

http://www.usa.nedo.com/produkte/stativ7.html