same old tripod thread

[bizarrius]

Hello ! First post here.
My name is Demetris and i am from Cyprus. I didn't know how to start my posts going so i will start with a boring to you question but really troublesome for me. a new guy in Large format.
I've been doing street photography with rangefinders for years now and also some medium format work. i develop and print in my own place and now i feel like i want to join the LF area.
since i'm on a lookout for a tripod i'll start with this.
How heavy should i expect a cambo monorail 4x5 basic camera with lens to be? i'm on a lookout for a good tripod but i don't know how many max kg should i look for
My cambo isn't here yet but i would love to be ready when she arrives so i can take her for a spin.

Thank you for having me

[metalsmith]

I believe my Cambo 4x5 weighs 14.5 Pounds,

Kevin

[bizarrius]

I believe my Cambo 4x5 weighs 14.5 Pounds,

Kevin

so a tripod with 8kg max weight load is fine?

[N Dhananjay]

In smaller formats, the tripod is arguably the main source of weight. In LF, the weight of camera, lenses, holder is already pretty large and the tripod is just one more heavy thing to carry. LF also tends to result in more unbalanced loads, sometimes with the load cantilevered out well beyond the center of gravity. So, I would suggest a tripod that is over-rated for the load you have. The other advantage is that when you (inevitably) decide to go to an even larger format, the tripod will (probably) work for that format as well. In addition, if weight is seriously an issue, modern carbon fibre tripods are remarkably light. So I would suggest getting a tripod rated for holding up 20-25 lbs or so. Please ignore this if you are hiking long distances where every ounce saved is important. Cheers, DJ

[Randy]

I believe my Cambo 4x5 weighs 14.5 Pounds

Forgive my ignorance, but my Fulmer & Shwing 8X10 is right at 15 lbs. How can a 4X5, any 4X5, weigh that much...? I think a Graflex Speed Graphic weighs about 5 lbs.

[bizarrius]

i don't think i will be hiking for a long time but i WILL be going outside. maybe park 1km away from where i will take the pictures max each time. so i don't really mind the weight? i guess? well i am not going to get a large wooden tripod but i don't think i mind the weight as long as it does a good job holding my camera steady.

any suggestions? i can't really go overboard with gitzo since they cost 800 euros but something around 150-200 would be sweet.

thanks

[Dan Fromm]

Forgive my ignorance, but my Fulmer & Shwing 8X10 is right at 15 lbs. How can a 4X5, any 4X5, weigh that much...? I think a Graflex Speed Graphic weighs about 5 lbs.

Fair question, Randy. It prompted me to weigh my hybrid Cambo. 2x3 front standard, 4x5 intermediate standard, 4x5 rear standard, 21" rail, 2x3 board, 4x5 graflok back, tripod mounting block but no bellows. 4,050 g. A 4x5 Cambo standard weighs ~ 1.05 kg. The OP's camera, bellows and all, can't weigh much more than mine.

My Berlebach 8023 (discontinued) weighs 2.8 kg, is rated to support 10.2 kg. It easily supports the camera with bellows and lens in shutter, a Manfrotto 438 leveler (.65 kg) and a Manfrotto 229 head (2 kg).

OP, we don't buy tripods by weight, we buy them by capacity. And wood tripods with adequate capacity don't have to be very heavy. Look into Berlebach and Wolf.

[Leszek Vogt]

Welcome to LF forum. I'd add Tiltall (made by Leitz or in Italy) tripod to the above recommendations. I use CF Feisol for 5yrs and it suits me just fine. No idea if the tripod would hold something larger like 8x10.
Good luck.

Les

[bizarrius]

Thank you for your answers.

is this a bad tripod? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KINGJOY-VT...3D132102252025

why shouldn't i choose a video tripod that can hold 15kg? i am fairly confused

berlebach tripods don't mention max weight. do they take it like they should or i should go for something in particular?

[Bob Salomon]

Thank you for your answers.

is this a bad tripod? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KINGJOY-VT...3D132102252025

why shouldn't i choose a video tripod that can hold 15kg? i am fairly confused

berlebach tripods don't mention max weight. do they take it like they should or i should go for something in particular?

Berlebach lists their tripod weights and capacities for all models on their web site. Why not go there and check.