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Thread: tripod

  1. #1

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    Aug 2004
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    tripod

    Hi. Well, I went and done it: just bought a hideously enormous Calumet C1 8x10. Guess my wimpy
    manfrotto 3042 and 3011 legs won't be sturdy enough. Anybody familiar with the Berlebach (Germany) ash wood Tripods?
    I found one locally at a good price. There web site idicates the particular model (3042) has a "maximum stress" of 10 kg/22 lbs. The camera weighs (per seller) 17 lbs. I am planning on ordering a 300 f5.6 Fujinon, weighing in at 2.5 lbs, or so I have been told. The camera with lens will weigh approx 19.5 lbs.....I guess with a film holder, I'll be right at 22 lbs. Am I pushing it? Are tripods generally rated conservatively? I am completely new to this, and don't want to risk my camera falling over!

    Any advice appreciated.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    tripod

    I don't know about the particular Berlebach tripod you're looking at, but I would say that tripods are not rated conservatively in general. Some of them seem to be rated for how much weight they can hold without collapsing, rather than how much weight they can hold steady, accounting for the leverage of a long camera rail with an 8x10" back at one end and perhaps a bellows vibrating in the wind.

    Also pay attention to the head, which is often more of a weak point than the legs.

    The good news--for an 8x10" camera of around 20 lbs., you might think about a Majestic head. These are often fairly cheap used, and they are very solid. I can point my 8x10" Sinar P straight down on my Majestic head for copy work, and it doesn't budge. If you find a Majestic head with a post mount and you end up with a legset that has a 3/8" stud, you can buy an adapter inexpensively.

  3. #3
    Mark Sawyer's Avatar
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    tripod

    Percy- I have a Berlebach (but seldom use it as I also have a Reis and Bogen 3021; I can't turn down a nice tripod under $50...) I think it would hold up fine under the weight of a C-1. Most tripods are rated very conservatively, and are in more danger of wobbling a little than collapsing if overloaded. I doubt you even need to worry about the wobble. A metal camera on a wooden tripod may look a little strange, though...
    "I love my Verito lens, but I always have to sharpen everything in Photoshop..."

  4. #4

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    Apr 2004
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    tripod

    So far we've read that tripods are overrated and underrated. I guess I'll take the middle road and say they are unrated.

    Anywho, the Burlebach that I have (aw, am I gonna have to get off my butt and look?) Okay, did that and there's no model number. I put a 29 pound camera on it, legs fully extended (not the center post) and it was steady as a rock - in fact, the legs were bent such that it was at the point of exploding. Or not. Not it was. Vibration free, nailed to the earth. I use it that way when I'm lazy.

    Point: You really can overload some tripods.

    Now don't get heavy on me or I'll have to show you the massive 'pod that actually scares people.

  5. #5

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    Nov 2004
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    Grand Rapids, MI
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    tripod

    I use the Berlebach 3032 with an Arca Discovery 4x5 monorail. Weight isn't an issue for me and I don't think it would be a problem up to its 26.5 lbs rating. I use it fully extended and with legs spread--very sturdy. Easy to use. Relatively lightweight for its capacity. It goes very low to the ground--4". Good tripod for the price, about $200.

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=302815&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

    Of course, buy a bigger tripod if you can afford it. At 22 lbs I'd want an even larger tripod than the 3032.

  6. #6

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    tripod

    I was using a Gitzo 410 with an Arca ballhead. It worked OK, but not the best in the woods. Then I got an older wooden surveyor's tripod, and mounted the Arca ballhead. Now I can sink those legs deep in the ground, and it's the most sturdy tripod I've ever used. I'm convinced it could hold 50 pounds or more.

  7. #7

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    Feb 1999
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    1,094

    tripod

    Percy,

    I take my hat off to you for being willing to shoot with the battleship otherwise known as the C-1. I had one, but the weight, for field use, just got me down. As a man on the wrong side of 50, I found the C-1 to be a real pain to use. I used it with a Bogen 3050, with a 3047 head, which I found to be too small. The Majestic head is good advice with that camera.

  8. #8

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    Feb 2004
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    76

    tripod

    I do have a Berlebach, but I don't remember the model number either (Report 3032? 3082? 3042?, two section, no center post, integral ball head).

    I think its great. The legs are rock solid with a big ole B&J Commercial View 8x10 and a Symmar S 300/5.6 on it. The integral head, on the other hand, tends to be a little loose unless I really tighten it down. Perhaps tha'ts normal, though, as this is the largest, heaviest camera I own (and likely ever will).

    I wouldn't hestitate to recommend a Berlebach for anyone who wanted a classy looking tripod (wood!), with excellent capacity especially compared to its price and weight. Its not exactly small, though...

  9. #9

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    tripod

    Eric is on the point - surveyors' tripods are super sturdy. Zone VI had the temerity to actually rebrand one for their large tripod. They substituted a flat top for the typical surveyors mount and called it photographic. It weighs about 17 pounds. Now I am curious about the modern versions made of composites; they could solve a lot of support problems.

  10. #10

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    tripod

    Time to check out that famous photo store - Home Depot. I have seen modern surveyor's tipods made of some sort of high tech plastic that look like they could support me - and I am more like a 1950s TV camera.:-) Spiked legs that could probably be driven into concrete as well. Height is usually the issue with these, but with an 8x10 and a big head, that might not matter.

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