Gitzo gt5532 vs gt5542ls? + matching three way head?

[l2oBiN]

Does anyone have any experience with the above tripods and how do they cOmpare for stability and portability?

I have a rss bh 55 which Is annoying to level the camera with. Any recommendations on a heavy duty 3 way head to match the above tripods keeping in mind stability and portability..???

The aim would be to use them for arca f classic 4x5 & 8x10 shooting without compromising stability while prividing a portable package.

[Daniel Stone]

If you're tall(over 6' tall), or occasionally just need a taller tripod, I'd go with the 5542LS.

I use a 1548MKII CF tripod (prior model to the 5-series line) w/ a PL-5 3-way Gitzo head.
Pretty much the same as this head below:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/170918-REG/Gitzo_G1570M_G1570_3_Way_Head.html

This head is SOLID as a rock, and it'll last you for YEARS. Nothing beats metal parts vs these plastic things some people buy these days expecting quality...

-Dan

[l2oBiN]

Thanks Dan, but the 42ls is only 3.5cm taller than the 32... Perhaps this is negligible? I wonder how much the extra leg section on the 42 would impact on stability?

[Jeff Keller]

When I got my first CF tripod I opted for fewer leg sections thinking it would be stiffer. Since then I don't think the number of leg sections is significant with regard to stability. The thinner sections are further away from the camera and have less force applied to them by rotational forces.

The tradeoff seems to be ...
Fewer sections: less weight, slightly quicker to setup
More sections: easier to fit in a suitcase

I don't have a direct comparison because my tripods are all different series. I do have a 5561sgt which having six leg sections should show reduced stability if the number of leg sections is a very important factor. I don't see any issues with it.

Jeff Keller

[l2oBiN]

After seeing both tripods, I have settled with the GT5532LS. Its faster to setup and gives a more reassuring/rigid feel.

I am in hunt for an appropriate head now...

I thought the Gitzo 1570m would be appropriate, however, after playing around with the canon 500mm+DSLRBody (~4-5kg) mounted on it a few concerns came up;
-The horizontal platform was not as steady as I expected as even a light tap to the platform induced shake to the camera.
-I was also concerned on how one is to mount a arca swiss type clamp to the head. The horizontal/mounting platform of the 1570m is very large and the clamp tightening knob would likely not clear the platform (its too short). The solution might be raising the clamp a bit using a spacer.. but this seems like an awkward solution that adds an additional weakness in head stability. It would be nice to have a clap run all the way along the platform itself, but this, in addition to the extra long tightening knobs, would need to be custom designed..
-Finally, I have noticed that the left/right tilt handle was significantly smaller than the fore/aft handle, and this impacted on the degree/finesse one had at disposal in controlling the left/right tilt.

I am still left scratching my head on what to do.. I would prefer something significantly more stable head, without extra bulk and weight. The Majestic head and the gitzo 400 seem to be overkill in terms of bulkiness and weight.

So, alternative candidates passing through my mind are...

The Gitzo 405: seems a bit weak??? but might be a good candidate to explore, although a custom arca swiss clamp on solution would be needed.

Arca cube: way too expensive and some net whispers suggest it might be a bit weak for a heavy (8x10) setup

Photoclam: cube copy, a bit cheaper but still expensive (~1300USD!)

Arca swiss z2: elusive..have not seen one..might be hard to get, and I bet its expensive.. but supposedly offers tri-axial control.

Manfrotto 229 super: high profile and awkward hexagonal plate...



any suggestions on others?

[Frank Petronio]

A Linhof head.

What camera do you intend to use? If it is a Sinar, get a Sinar head. If an Arca, get an Arca head, etc.

If it is a flatbed, putting an Arca clamp between the camera and head will be worse than simply screwing the camera into the Gitzo 1570 head. Buy a spare Gitzo screw for $12 and carry on.

Millions of good photographs have and are being made without Arca clamps but you could have the Arca clamp welded or otherwise securely mounted (drilled, tapped, bolted).

[l2oBiN]

Hi Frank,

I hope I can address some of your comments..


What camera do you intend to use?
Arca F classic 4x5 and 8x10 (with optical benches)



A Linhof head.
Which Linhof head do you have in mind?



...you could have the Arca clamp welded or otherwise securely mounted (drilled, tapped, bolted)
I was referring more to the problem of not being able to use standard arca clamps on this head as the top platform is so wide/big that is does not allow room for the arca clamp's tightening knob. In addition, it would be be great to have a clamp that utilises the whole length of the top platform as to maximise arca optical bench to plate contact.

[Frank Petronio]

When I had an 8x10 and 4x5 Arca I used an Arca ball head and it worked very well. I know many people discourage others from using a ball head with a view camera but the better quality heads with adjustable "drag" allow you to use a heavier camera safely. The larger B2 head has two spheres allowing independent axis movement without accidentally flopping the camera over (I think there is a new model). I know people like David Goldfarb really likes his with his 8x10.

Otherwise if you are committed to the Gitzo 3-way, look for a lever rather than knob clamp, like the Really Right Stuff B2 LLR II 80mm-long clamp. If you ask RRS perhaps they can advise you as to the really right way to mount it to a Gitzo head. Perhaps some Asian knock off or Kirk makes a longer clamp base, but you'll have to look yourself.

I see in the Linhof catalog that they make a high quality robust 3-way head that is very expensive - never seen it in person though. They also make excellent heads for their monorail cameras but not ideal for other brands.

Another high quality head would be a 2-way or 3-way Foba head like this one shown below. Very robust, I had one and it was excellent but heavy. It is Linhof quality and also expensive but sometime available used. I would choose this for anything that needed to be solid.

80790

This just came to me ~ just get the short 150mm Arca base clamp for the camera and semi-permanently mount it onto the Gitzo 1570 with bolts and wing nuts (or locking nuts). Then just slide the camera into the clamp. No plates or any extra stuff in-between, simple yet more solid and less expensive. It's actually better than anything else now that I think about it.

Just use this part (red arrow) and some hardware store nuts and bolts. The diagram is here: http://precisioncameraworks.com/Media/Syst.pdf

80791

As you can see, I am still doing Arca's customer service work for them.... Herr Vogt please send my commission Euros.

As for your other question about the length of the Gitzo's arms, you could easily screw a long replacement arm into place instead of the short arm. But usually the camera needs little yaw movement so the arm is short for ease of transport - whereas most people use the pitch movement quite a bit, so that arm is longer, also along the axis of your monorail. In my opinion they got it right but nobody saws you can't buy a long arm and use it if you really want to.

I think the Gitzo 1570 is a fine head but it is sort of crude next to the Arca, RRS, Foba, and other quality heads. I am not a fan of the Manfrottos.

[l2oBiN]

...The larger B2 head has two spheres allowing independent axis movement without accidentally flopping the camera over (I think there is a new model).

I think its the Z2 model. It seems to be quite elusive...



This just came to me ~ just get the short 150mm Arca base clamp for the camera and semi-permanently mount it onto the Gitzo 1570 with bolts and wing nuts (or locking nuts). Then just slide the camera into the clamp. No plates or any extra stuff in-between, simple yet more solid and less expensive. It's actually better than anything else now that I think about it.

Just use this part (red arrow) and some hardware store nuts and bolts.

Sounds like one possible solution. =)


The foba also looks interesting! =)

Thank you.

[Frank Petronio]

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?95108-FS-ARCA-SWISS-B2-3-Way-Ball-Head-New!

What a coincidence - the perfect solution and John is a very trustworthy seller.

[john biskupski]

Sunway do a range of Arca Swiss compatible plates and clamps suitable for large format cameras, see http://www.sunwayfoto.com

I have some of these, and the products are heavy duty and impeccably finished. I recall they were initially a tip off from Kerry Thalmann on this forum, for folk looking for extra long plates which could take both 1/4" and 3/8" mounting bolts for heavy cameras, as the Arca Swiss long plate only accepted 1/4".