Tiltall or investment?

[Sarah Lighthouse]

Hello all,

Sorry for yet another tripod q but I'm supremely stuck. I've read through countless threads on tripod decision making and it has helped but the final choice is giving me a headache. Far harder than deciding on a camera! Any advise would be much appreciated.

I'm new to large format and I've just bought a wista 45N metal field with 150mm and 210mm lenses. Weighs 5.2lb.

I won't be taking it hiking but may be carrying for 30 mins to 1 hour on rare occasions but unlikely to ever be far from a car. I take a mixture of still life shots on location so sometimes get into tight corners, portraits outdoors and occasional landscapes (May get more into this with large format though) I'm a 5'8 9st female so 6-7lb of tripod is probably my limit.

My biggest decision is whether to buy a cheap tiltall. I'm in the UK but even with customs and shipping should be no more than $175. Buy a more expensive ltripod later if I need one later.

Or.... Rake out a bit more I can afford up to $500. I thought I'd buy a nice head. A monfrotto 410 or a flm cb38ft. Cheaper legs such as second hand monfrotto 055probx and upgrade later if I need them.

Or... Berlebach 222 and forget about the head. Not sure if this is a good idea for a beginner though.

What would you do if just starting out? Thank you in at advance. Looking forward to future conversations about large format

Sarah

Ps my current tripod won't hack it. It's a light mid range Velbon. Served me well with 35mm though.

[Darin Boville]

You should buy used. Look for a carbon fiber model--soooo much lighter. I bought a Gitzo G1327 with head for just under $500. Some of the Chinese knock-offs are good, plus other brands liek FLM etc.

But buy used. That way if you don't like it you can sell it without much loss, if any.

--Darin

[cowanw]

But the point of a Tiltall is that you don't need a head.

[Ari]

I went through many tripods, spending a lot of money on them, only to find them lacking in some way; I sold them all at a loss, which is normal.
What I did gain from all that tripod-swapping was first-hand knowledge of what I want and need from a tripod.
If you can first get some good experience with a few different tripods, it will save you money in the long run, as will buying a new tripod when you are well-informed.
Maybe you can arrange to have a day with a few selected tripods from your local retailer, and make your own tests to see what you need; the people at Snapperstuff UK are quite knowledgeable and helpful.

These days, you don't have to spend a lot on a good tripod; the Chinese have made some decent inroads in this area, and CF tripods are quite affordable.
Feisol and Induro are both good brands, and assuming there is no QC issue, their tripods should easily last 3-5 years.

[Bill_1856]

Used TILTALL (get the one made by Leitz), about $100 on ebay, plus shipping and duties to UK. Only weighs 6#. Head is built-in and is one of the best you'll ever find. It will take a LOT of money to get anything better!

[djdister]

You will get all kinds of advice, so here's mine. If weight is a concern, then do not get the Manfrotto 410 jr geared head. It adds a fair amount of weight to the legs (it weighs 2.7 lbs). I would also avoid a ball head, and will suggest a simple pan/tilt head instead for your tripod legs. Or get a Tiltall to start with and worry about getting tripod components later.

[jp]

I use a tiltall for 4x5/MF and a surveying tripod with no head for 8x10. Both work. It's very much more enjoyable to use a tripod with a head. Any small camera aim adjustments require readjusting everything if you do not have a tripod head. I do only a little 8x10 shooting otherwise I'd have bought a head for it. If you want to be practical a tiltall is a good choice for small-midsized 4x5. Manfrotto is good, but I don't think it's that much better to be 2x the cost of a tiltall. Ball heads are good for light cameras, but with LF, they'll flop right over if they get loose and pinch you or jar the camera.

[Jim Jones]

Used TILTALL (get the one made by Leitz), about $100 on ebay, plus shipping and duties to UK. Only weighs 6#. Head is built-in and is one of the best you'll ever find. It will take a LOT of money to get anything better!

Yes, indeed. I've used many tripods, but for 45 years have almost always used Tiltalls; the original American ones, not the recent copies from China. Tiltalls branded Leica, Marchioni, and Star D all worked fine for me for cameras up to 5x7 with a 500mm lens.

[Roger Hesketh]

Sarah check out German Ebay I bought a twin shank Linhof tripod on their for under a hundred quid. No import duty etc to the UK from within the EU. Tripod is Stativ in German.

[DrTang]

again..I'm the only anti tiltall person here

I loath them..I've turned them down for free


I also have about 8 tripods in my apartment..for myself and about 11 or 12 I need to sell

I can't seem to help myself with tripods or camera bags/cases

of all the tripods I own that would not be overkill with a 4x5 (majestic, husky, etc) the one two I tend to grab are a medium weight Linhof and an old Bolex tripod I put a 4027 head on - curiously enough.. both are aluminum legged and I think built by the same company

I am ver leery of any tripod that is too light... I like a measure of heft for sturdiness

my 2 cents and yes.. I will grab the next free tiltall I come across for you tiltall lovers