FLM CF (sorry dont know their models that well, but any will be better then your ries), Gitzo CF (GT what i use) with 4 sections, will be more then you will ever want for 4X5.
Get a nice head as you like, i use a three way, but would have like a geared compact head instead. Spend the dough, you only buy a tripod once, and it should be a good one that actually serves you well without trying to kill you or your back.
Or do like I do and don't go far from my vehicle.Originally Posted by Old_Dick
Nimo, where did you end up going? I feel your pain about the tripod. Maybe a smaller mountain.
I was teasing the OP about not being a perfect human but I have had a back fusion so no hiking for me.
The middle ground would be a Ries J or Junior tripod. I bought a used Junior tripod. The J is 7 pounds and has the wood and spiky goodness people here like. I added a 3025 head (now called the 56 3d Junior head) for another pound and I'm in business for a mid-weight tripod that's well suited to 4x5. The head is not suited for 8x10, but a Ries or 3047 head would handle the 8x10 fine. At around 6 pounds, a $100ish tiltall will do the job well. Lesser weights with high capacity you are going to be paying handsomely to save weight. i have used a stretchy rifle sling to carry a tripod over my shoulder. One end loops around the bottom of the legs. The other end clips to the head.
I get dehydrated easily hiking so I'd also be carrying more weight of water than tripod on a longish hike. To be a more perfect human, I'd shed a few pounds of my body's insulation/flotation and would easily carry more gear.
To deal with the tipping risk, make sure one tripod leg is facing the same way as the camera and the camera won't likely tip forward. Just gotta stay with the camera/tripod when it's setup.
I went to Mt. Lafayette.Nimo, where did you end up going? I feel your pain about the tripod. Maybe a smaller mountain.
I second the idea of weighing down a light tripod. I often use a backpack that I can hang from my tripod.
The backpack carries everything - camera, lenses, tripod, film holders, water bottle, food, etc in it. I use a carbon fiber manfrotto 055 tripod, acratech gp ballhead, nagaoka 4x5, Nikon 75mm 4.5, 135mm 5.6 and 300mm 9.0. It's more than stable enough as is. I could probably get away with the lighter manfrotto 190 series of tripods really. If I want to travel even lighter I just take my Nikon 90mm f/8 and the 300.
-Adam
Sigh...The more I read about lightweight tripods, the more I think my Ries is still the best option for me.
Why? Have you actually tried a carbon tripod yet? It's pretty great for hiking. It's not like you have to throw away the Ries once you get an alternate tripod. You should rent or borrow a light carbon tripod and see how you like it.
If you do, hang your backpack on a carbon tripod with your camera on it and see how stable it is. You'll be surprised. Instead of carrying a 11lb tripod, you are carrying a 4lb tripod and hanging the 10lb backpack on it. Plus, with the backpack hanging below the camera, it doesn't get as dirty and is more convenient to access.
I've used my carbon Manfrotto 055 with a 4x5 Nagaoka (~3lbs), a 4x5 Sinar F (~6lbs) and a 4x5 Sinar P (~12lbs), no problems. The 055 handles "up to 19lbs of weight", but only weighs 4.5lbs. A Manfrotto 190 carbon handles "up to 15lbs" but only weighs 3.5lbs.
Either of those tripods, or something similar from another brand, are going to be more than enough for a Chamonix 4x5, which only weighs 3.2lbs. Even with a lens, you are looking at maybe a 5lb weight up top. The Chamonix is such a light camera that regardless of whether you believe Manfrotto's weight limits, you really don't have to worry about that aspect of things.
Obviously, you can lose weight or get in shape, but it's important to remember that weight you carry as part of your body vs. weight carried on a backpack are two totally different things. You will notice a 5lb weight reduction from your pack a lot more than you will notice if it's 5lbs of fat off of your torso.
-Adam
The mythical perfect tripod?
Cheap, light, and sturdy (stable). Pick any two -- all three is impossible.
Wilhelm (Sarasota)
I'm a big fan of Berlebach tripods. I own two, my wife uses one and we gave one to my daughter for Christmas a couple of years back. Nobody has ever expressed any reason to dislike it. And oddly enough all four tripods are different models, so I have a basis for comparing different models.
Put it this way. Unless I'm sick (rarely) or the weather is simply atrocious, I'm out with a full view camera pack every single week. And I try to keep the weight
artificially high, equivalent to actual long-haul backpacking. Or I might alternate that with fast walking with a smaller camera sometimes to work another set of muscles. Now I'll admit that I live in a part of the country with a lot of outdoor possibilities all year long, and that my knees and back are still good. My feet have
been miserable all my life. But the more you age, the more you simply have to keep at it routinely. That seems to be the secret. One foot ahead of another, maybe a little slower over time, or a little less far, or a little less far up, but just the same. And once in awhile, when I'm feeling downright lazy, well, that's what
carbon fiber was invented for. Not very often yet, however. Still the Ries.
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