Tripods with no preset leg angle stops and carbon fiber legs?

[Bob Mann]

Is there a tripod other than the Gitzo Explorer series that does not have preset leg angle stops and carbon fiber legs? I have done various internet searches without finding anything.

I would like a tripod where you can set and lock the legs at any angle. I am not keen on the presets most seem to have - 25 degrees is too narrow and 45 degrees is too wide - and there are times when using in between settings and leg spikes won't work.

[Bob Salomon]

Berlebach

[Pete Roody]

Look at CF tripods designed for video. I use a Miller tripod for my ULF camera. It has a mid level spreader that will lock the legs at any angle. Most of the time I leave it loose because the tripod is so stable.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I would like a tripod where you can set and lock the legs at any angle.

Just wondering if old tech would suffice: a cord that slides through loops on the legs. Once the legs are right, the cord is cinched using a sliding lock.

Regarding how to add the loops to CF legs, check out astronomy tripod braces. Look for just the small part that attaches to each leg. Something like this.

Hope this helps.

[Bob Salomon]

,

Just wondering if old tech would suffice: a cord that slides through loops on the legs. Once the legs are right, the cord is cinched using a sliding lock.

Regarding how to add the loops to CF legs, check out astronomy tripod braces. Look for just the small part that attaches to each leg. Something like this.

Hope this helps.

That is why the Berlebach's have small hooks on each leg, to use an accessory chain or string.

[Drew Wiley]

Gosh - how about feet that just don't slip? My smaller Ries is nice because the legs flip around, with spikes on one end, rubber tips on the other. With my Feisol CF,
the spikes simply unscrew and the rubber tips go back in. For the big wooden tripods I sold to contractors, we also sold something called a "spreader", which was
a folding triangle floor device for placing the feet in on smooth surfaces. But nobody bought them. It was simpler just to use rubber caster cups for the spike feet. And then there's that old string trick, which I never seem to need myself.

[Jac@stafford.net]

That is why the Berlebach's have small hooks on each leg, to use an accessory chain or string.

He wants carbon fiber legs.

Bob Mann wrote "...does not have preset leg angle stops and carbon fiber legs". If he did not want CF legs he would have written, "... nor/or carbon fiber legs."

Me be English is not so good. I only been in country short distance.
.

[Bob Salomon]

He wants carbon fiber legs.

The 3 original model Giottos CF tripods had a leg setting without stops.

[Ari]

Many modern CF tripods have legs that can rotate 180˚, and many also feature a reversible centre post.
When the legs are used "upside down" the leg locks don't come into play.
Of course, at that point, you lose the ability to secure the leg angles, but maybe it's a worthy trade-off.

[Bob Mann]

Thanks for the input - really looking for a built in lock (like Ries or Gitzo) so I would not have to deal with ropes, cords, or spreaders. Also, looking for light weight - thus carbon fiber. I am a little surprised that all most all have preset leg angles. On the Ries that I use, I use the spikes to set the legs when on soft ground and leave the locks loose (but it is nice to be able to lock them as insurance). I always lock the angle when using the rubber ends on a hard surface, and I prefer the locks to be at the top of the leg so I don't need to be bending over. So, if I want carbon fiber it looks like Gitzo is the only choice I have.