How far do you extend your bellows? How far away from level do you tilt the head? Excesses in these areas are what strain a tripod, combined with the C-1's weight.
Many disagree with me, but I think a 3-way head rather than a ball is more and more important as the weight of the camera goes up.
surveyors tripod with gitzo 1570 low-profile 3-way head will help you out better than the slimmer Berlebach, & cost will not kill you ($$ 60 for a new surveyors tripod in US, & sub $$ 100 for an used 1570...) . For the ultimate in stability: same tripod but with Linhof's "Neigkopf" 2-way head. This is Linhof's solution for absurdly heavy LF equipment - still not beaten. Impossibly for the camera to tilt away in any direction using this head. The Linhof Neigkopf's and the equivalent from Burke & James (I think) were typically supplied for 8x10 studio-cameras, can be found inexpensive on (german) ebay.
The problem you run into with telescopic-style leg is lack of torsional stability in the horizontal plane. So if you slap a 600mm lens on your 8x10 it will not be stable even with the biggest Gitzo. I have tried, I have a G1548 which is great but not with the 810G and a 600.
The fork-style legs of surveyor's tripods (and Sachtler plus many wooden tripods) solve this problem to some degree. This design adds weight which is good for stability and bad for your back.
The alternative (which is what I do now) is to carry an extra tripod to stabilize the front. The second tripod does not have to be very stable - all it needs to do is prevent oscillations by providing an independent support point. Actually any cheapo consumer tripod will probably do as long as it is tall enough. A geared center column is a convenience as it allows for fine adjustments. Just don't extend it more than necessary. I think the solution of carrying two tripods will actually save you weight, as your primary tripod can be less rigid. In addition, two tripods means you get good torsional rigidity in the vertical plane as well.
Hello.
Thanks for the replies, gentlepeople. I bought a Berlebach. Pretty. Wood and metal. Brand new, it cost a mere $99. Camera was very wobbly , even with legs extended to widest angle. I returned it the very next day.
Ended up with an old, ridiculously stable Majestic, in rough, but extremely functional condition.
Cost: $75. Camera (actually an Orbit) with titanic 300mm f5.6 Fujinon W is far more stable than on the girlie-pod I returned.
I might purchase the Berlebach again to use with Hasselblads.
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