Ries A100 or A100-2?

[Chris S]

Hello again, I've been looking into getting a Ries tripod and head for my black Calumet C-1.The A100 is rated at 25lbs, and the A100-2 is rated at 60lbs.My camera is 18lbs, the Ries head 4lbs, long lens 4lbs, so right there I'm at 26lbs, plus there is the leverage of extending the bellows.So should I then get the A100-2?I'm not sure how conservative Ries is on their weight ratings.As to the head, there is the A200 and A250 double tilt.I'm assuming for my heavy 8x10 there is no need for the double tilt model?Thanks!

Chris

[Frank Petronio]

You know that a Majestic tripod is more of a match for the design and era of the C-1? It pains me to see a beautiful wooden Ries under such an brute of an industrial camera like the Calumet... the Majestic is aluminum and steel - tough, bullet-proof, and made in Chicago, like the Calumet (Where photographers are tougher than those NY wimps). We're talking classic 1950s real American might and heavy duty industrial design.

But I'm a sensitive artist - err gearhead - and I like my stuff to match.

Ansel used a Majestic and they aren't that expensive - probably less than a Ries and even their lightest model will hold a really heavy ULF camera. Their geared head is also nice.

[Chris S]

I don't know, seems like it worked pretty good for Brett and his C-1.I've never seen a Majestic up close, will it let you get low to the ground like a Ries?How about leg placement in precarious places like rocks and tide pools?Can you hose off the legs of a Majestic and not worry about it?I live near the coast in So.Cal. and shoot in windy areas like the coastal bluffs, tidepools, and the Mojave Desert where the wind can really howl at times.Thats one reason I went with a fairly heavy metal field camera.It just seemed a Ries would be the best match for it in my topography and climates.Almost all my work is done out of a lifted and locked go anywhere Jeep Cherokee XJ, so weight is not a concern, just rigidity.

http://www.pbase.com/cloudswimmer/image/57935879/original.jpg

[Michael Kadillak]

I use a Wisner 12x20 ULF camera that weights 34# on an A100 and it handles it with the A250 double tilt head with ease. I feel that the weight recommendations from the manufacturer are far to conservative particularly with the A series. But it is still a bear of a heavy tripod at 13#. Avoid the two pounds of additional weight and use the $260 in savings for film and go with the A100.

Wooden tripods are simply marvelous in the field.

Cheers!

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Go with the A100- the specifications are very conservative, so you don't need the A100-2. I would go with the double tilt head- it's easier than having to adjust the legs to move around the camera- but that's my personal preference. One thing you will need, if you plan on shooting more than a few feet from the car, is a cart to move the whole setup around in- that's going to be a beast of a camera!

[John Hoenstine]

I agree with Brian and having had both heads I would go with the double tilt head. Ries really underates their tripods unlike some other makers.

[Walt Calahan]

Double head.

I zero the camera out pretty well with the legs, but always need a little fine tuning, so having the double tilt head makes that last little bit SO easy.

A-100 will be fine, but the A-100-2 can't hurt if you're really concerned.

You can't go wrong with a Ries. All comes down to your personal working habits.

[S. Preston Jones]

The A-100 is an outstanding tripod. I use it with both flatbed and rail cameras up to 8x10. I found that I did not like the Ries head and now use the Majastic hed. That is my personal preferences. I use the large Majastic in the studio. I like the Ries outside for the adjustable legs. Great in working in uneven terrain. I bought my Ries after photographing in the salt water on the Calif coast and having the legs on my aluminum tripod freeze up because I had not washed the salt off. No problen with the Ries ever.