Bogen / Manfrotto 745B MDeVe Aluminum Video Tripod

[Ed Richards]

I am looking for a tripod that is a little easier to pack with the luggage than my 3046. I use a leveling base with the 3046 and would not like to live without one - if you have not tried one, they make set up really fast and when the head is level, you can set up the movements and still pan the head a bit without having to reset everything.

I also like old fashioned metal tripods - the extra weight more than makes up for worring about shattering a leg when I whack a rock or use the tripod to spear a snake.:-)

This tripod is designed for video, which has a lot of the same requirments as LF. There is a built in leveling base, and no center column so it should be very rigid. Weighs under 6 pounds and there are spikes available. Anyone have experience with this, or have you at least seen one? With my 3047 head on top I should have plenty of height, and enough weight with my technika to hold it in the wind. The 3046, leveling base, and 3047 are about 16 pounds, or about 23 with the Technika, which makes things stable and also helps keep me in shape.:-)

[Michael Ting]

Doesn't big video tripods use a half-ball mounting platform? I don't think that it's compatible with still cameras. Anyway I might be wrong.

In the studio we use a Manfrotto 058 Triaut camera tripod, with a geared center column. It is very very heavy and very solid. Might want to look into it. Very famous among professionals and big studios.

[Ed Richards]

> Doesn't big video tripods use a half-ball mounting platform?

They do, but this is designed for the new generation of mini-DV (as in less than 50#s) that do not have the balls built in. It appears to be a leveling head attached to the top of the tripod, with a handle below to adjust.

As for the Manfrotto 058 - I already have big and heavy and sturdy. I am looking for something I can stick in the car after I pack the luggage.:-)

ed

[Roger Hein]

I use the 755B (ie. w/center column) for anything from 35mm to 5x7. I normally like to use a tripod that's 'overkill' for LF work but have found the 755B adequate for 5x7 w/normal to short focal lengths. Over 12 months of use I haven't found any issues in using the levelling ball or the tripod for that matter - everything still locks down 'tight'. Not sure how much of an advantage the levelling ball is with LF though it's a great feature to have when doing stitched 'panos'.

[Ed Richards]

Thanks Roger! I have done one stitched pano with 4x5 negatives, and I have done several with my 10D, which is what originallly got me interested in a level base. I then found that it was handy on uneven ground when I am trying different camera locations.

[Roger Hein]

Ed, that's the beauty of working within 50 ft of the car - the ground is almost always level (and often paved). ;-)

[Ed Richards]

> that's the beauty of working within 50 ft of the car

Worked for Edward Weston. Most of his best pictures were done on the porch and went into the salad later.

[Michael Ting]

Hmm.. interesting.. I was actually thinking of getting something like a Manfrotto 055 Carbon fiber tripod, cause right now I'm using the metal/steel version for field work using Sinar F2.

Will the light weight of Carbon fiber tripods affect rigidity/stability, compared to the same design but metal counterpart?

In the mean time I'll look into the 745B tripod.