Tripod help!

Hi all,

I'm looking to get a tripod for use with my Zone VI field camera. I currently am borrowing a VERY HEAVY manfrotto tripod and 3 way head. I wanted to get something that is light enough to carry out into the field with me, but price is also an issue. I've been reading up on tripods, but am a bit overwhelmed by everything. Any suggestions? My requirements:

-Light enough to carry in the field for a week or so
-Fairly sturdy (not sure of the weight of the Zone VI and my 210 (7-8 lbs?)
-Tall (I'm 6'4", I don't want to have to bend in half!)
-Less than $250 or so (with a 3 way head, if possible)

Thanks!

-Chris

Used Leitz Tiltall. Six pounds including head.

I'd suggest looking at the Feisol line of tripods. They're carbon fiber, made in Taiwan, very well made and much less expensive than something like a Gitzo (I have both a Gitzo and a Feisol, IMHO there's no significant difference in materials or build quality). Mine would probably be too short for you but they make several different models. In my one experience their customer service was exemplary. www.feisol.net. Also www.reallybigcameras.com.

Thanks, I'll check those out. I forgot, I'd prefer something with adjustable tilt angle on the legs. And a head with a quick release plate too...

Tiltall is a good choice, and under $100.
I have an Induro, more expensive, but great bang for the buck.
The AT413 sells for $220 at B&H and is rated for 44 lbs or 20kg.

I really like my Feisol CT-3442 Rapid (and it's enough for 4x5) but it's not going to meet your budget unless you can find a secondhand one.

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Originally Posted by Bill_1856

Used Leitz Tiltall. Six pounds including head.

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Hard to beat the Tiltall. I regard it as the ideal tripod for my Linhof STIV, which is quite a bit heavier than the Zone VI.

Warning-Alternative Tiltall Viewpoint. Read at your own risk.

FWIW. I hate the Tiltall-owned two of them (Leitz) back in the 70's. We nicknamed them the "guillotine" because of the way the head tends to flop over with camera (unless it is really tight-there is no static tensioning in this head-not good) unexpectedly and pinch your fingers. Leg knobs in the SW get gunked up with sand and won't lock down. I was so happy when I could afford a better tripod, In my humble opinion a poor choice for 4x5, but in that price range you are going to be very limited. Worst tripod I ever owned.

I've used an old Tiltall Pro for many years. It meets all your needs. I finally got myself Calumet carbon fiber legs with a Induro 5 way head. It is slightly ligher than the Tiltall and a bit more compact and easier to use, but it also costs more than your budget allows.

I'm a tiltall fan. I don't deal with desert, so fine sand isn't a problem. It was designed for high end pre-war cameras, which would seem to include 4x5. For the price range and versatility (I even use it for some video), it can't be beat.

Kurt's concern about being pinched isn't if you hold the camera/lens while adjusting it. [Even still, it's a tame experience compared to getting your hand bit by the slide of a semiautomatic pistol or a garand] Lots of ball heads and other heads in this price range will flop over if not tight. If you get another tripod and outfit it with a cheap $50 chinese ball head (as would be fine for a consumer dslr), it's gonna get floppy on top for a 4x5 camera.

Pre which war? Not WW II.

I don't care for the Tiltall either, I sometimes got weird vibration if the wind was blowing.

This gets frustrating. I know we are all hurting financially. Almost all of us, I am sure. I also appreciate that as a student, it is even worse. However, I keep hearing these requests like, what's the best camera that will do xyz for a price that is unreasonable. Just the other day it was a monitor for less than $200 or so that is terrific. That isn't the price range of the terrific ones... certainly not new. (This isn't about the OP's request.)

One doesn't say "where can I find a Sironar S for $100", "where can I buy a great scanner that will do just as well as a drum scanner for $100" or "where can I get a brand new Leica for $100". These aren't what these things cost, for right or wrong.

I think the Tiltall is a horrible device (no offense to anyone). I had one, used them for years when I was in school. They are heavy, super-pinching and overall don't work that well. I threw the last one out - yes, in the garbage. I have a carbon fiber Gitzo I love that is lightweight, and I ascribe to the philosophy that you don't need a 15 pound tripod to do the job, just something steady. I know lots of people disagree, it seems like half are in one camp and half in the other. That's fine. However, I carry the thing, with my 4x5 on it all over the place.

There are used ones available all the time on this list. They are generally more than $250, tho' not that much, in the scheme of things. For large format, unless you are hand holding (which is a small percentage of LFF'er's), a tripod is an essential element, one that should last for years and years. You should be willing to spend a little on it... maybe twice what you would like..

Just my opinion,

Lenny

I recommend a used, fairly recent Gitzo series 3 tripod. I just bought one myself, as I got a little tired of carrying my series 5 around. I use it with a Toyo AX, mainly with a 210mm or a 120mm lens.

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Originally Posted by Bob Salomon - HP Marketing

Pre which war? Not WW II.

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According to the leitz brochure here:

http://tiltallsupport.blogspot.com/2...ioni-bros.html

The head was designed and sold during the depression, and after WWII, they started selling complete tripods.

Yeah, I figured that I'm probably asking a bit too much for $250, how much is reasonable to spend on something half decent? I need money for more lenses too!

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Originally Posted by Dr_Rocks

Yeah, I figured that I'm probably asking a bit too much for $250, how much is reasonable to spend on something half decent? I need money for more lenses too!

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Spend $100 on a Tiltall, and you'll have $150 to put towards lenses.

After using the same Tiltall since the late 70s, I can't think of a better tripod for 35mm up to Linhof-weight cameras. The pinched fingers problem can be dealt with very simply by holding the camera when unlocking the head, the sand problem is really the only flaw in the design. Water can be trouble, too.

I wouldn't use a different tripod if you gave it to me.

edit - Another virtue of the Tiltall is that you can buy a used one, try it out, and if you don't like it, you'll have no trouble selling it.

The head or a head?

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Originally Posted by jp498

According to the leitz brochure here:

http://tiltallsupport.blogspot.com/2...ioni-bros.html

The head was designed and sold during the depression, and after WWII, they started selling complete tripods.

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Originally Posted by Peter J. De Smidt

I recommend a used, fairly recent Gitzo series 3 tripod. I just bought one myself, as I got a little tired of carrying my series 5 around. I use it with a Toyo AX, mainly with a 210mm or a 120mm lens.

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I have a 3 series for my 8x10.... For the 4x5, I use a Gitzo 2530, with a small Gitzo magnesium three-way head. An Ebony 45 SVTi sits on top. I have a 150 Sironar S and the Fuji 240 A, and that's all. I am a big believer in very few lenses. If you are too far away, pick up the tripod and move closer... etc. I leave my camera on the tripod and carry it and my pack just has 8 or 10 holders and one extra lens. Makes it very easy. The tripod works very well for this setup... nice and stable.

Most of the photographers in the history books used one lens and one camera, for many years at a time. It made them sensitive to what would fit in the format. Everyone has their own idea about working, but IMO, you need fewer lenses. It takes a while to find a lens like a Sironar S, you have to wait for it. It took me a year or so trolling the for sale area here before one showed up. I sold the others to pay for it... Give it time... to find that lens that you drool over. And don't forget that they are all pretty good...

Lenny

Fewer lenses?? HERESY!!

Here's one which can be purchased new. Weighs one pound more than the Tiltall (7#). Has flip-lock legs and included quick release head.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ipod_with.html

I use a Linhof 003333 tripod that I purchased used on ebay for $179. It weighs about 7 1/2 pounds and is rated to support 27 pounds. I have used it successfully with both my Wisner trandtional 4x5 and my Sinar Norma 4x5. I believe that a Tiltall is not adequate for your Zone VI camera. This tripod is often available used, solid, and is a great bargain.

Sturdy, Cheap, and Light as far as tripods are concerned, are all terms which are mutually excluding.


You can have one or two,


but only at the expense of excluding the second or third item.


Oxymoronic best describes tripod features consisting of sturdy, cheap, and light.

003317 is the more common version. the 33 has a pneumatic center column. The 003317 is exactly the same with a non-pneumatic column.

The Tiltall is way MORE than adequate for your Zone VI camera. The Linhof 3333, on the other hand, whle a superb bit of German engineering, is gross overkill, suitable for an 8x10.

Bite the bullet and buy one good tripod and head that will last a lifetime. I bought a Gitzo G1348 (~$600 new) and Arca Swiss zp-s1 for my Toyo 45AX and Pentax 67II cameras and while the cost really put a dent in the checkbook (~$1100 with the case) I'm glad that I did and haven't looked back. Unless I loose the tripod I will never have to buy another one for those formats.

If you shoot multiple formats like I do, you'll find it necessary to have more than one tripod. I have a Gitzo Series 0 for light weight backpacking/bicycle touring and a Series 5 for 8x10.

Thomas

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Originally Posted by Bill_1856

The Tiltall is way MORE than adequate for your Zone VI camera. The Linhof 3333, on the other hand, whle a superb bit of German engineering, is gross overkill, suitable for an 8x10.

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I'm willing to bet he's never seen a Tiltall. I've had a Deardorff V8 on mine, no it isn't adequate, but it worked for the first photo I made with it.

My first impression of a Tiltall in a camera store wasn't favorable, but I bought it anyhow and enjoyed it for three years before selling it due to a major relocation. Then, in 1972 I bought a used one, and would still be using it if I hadn't lost it a few years ago. The replacements were two more Tiltalls, one for the house and one to keep in a vehicle. I'd been using Tiltalls for many years before discovering that Ansel Adams also used one. For the OP, they have a universal 1/4" tripod screw rather than a QD, and the angle of the leg spread is fixed. The height is 57" plus 12" more if the center column is extended. I usually don't quite fully extend the legs, but it is steady enough for much use when I do. Even the column is steady when extended. The column can be inverted for low camera positions, but this is awkward. The largest camera I've used on it was a 5x7 B&J flatbed with 19" lens. That was with no wind.

I've used a Deardorff V8 on a tiltall too, and a B&J 8x10. Not ideal, but it worked. I only used it because it got me lower than the big beastly tripods would. I wouldn't recommend it. Normally, I'd say 4x5 is about as big as is practical.

I think the Tiltall appeals to folks who want a dirt simple, durable, inexpensive, utterly functional tripod. If you want lever locks, QD abominations and the like, it isn't for you. If you want a simple tool that does it's job exceedingly well, it is.

E. "who's been using the same Tiltall since 1977 or '78" von Hoegh.

I know tripods well. I have some thoughts. First, I think you are underestimating just how important a tripod is. After buying a series of less expensive ones that just didn't do what I want, I finally broke down and bought a Gitzo 1325 and an AcraTech head. Cost me about $700. That was about 10 years ago and the tripod is still going great. It's seen nine different cameras and sets of lenses come & go during that time. A tripod is something to put money into because you keep good ones. You are asking too much for $250. You want it light. You want it tall. You want it stable. What you want is a Gitzo 1325, used. But even used the tripod alone still runs about $400. There's no way you'll even come close to what you want with a new tripod--go with a used one. Don't go cheap on a tripod head either. A cheap one will drive you absolutely insane. Really, about the only thing I'd even suggest for you for $250 would be a used Bogen/Manfrotto 3221 or similar such as 3 series aluminum Gitzo. Solid, cheap, tall, but not light. There is no way you'll get everything you want for under $250 unless you steal one.


Kent in SD