Head for Backpacking Tripod

[Larry Huppert]

What style of tripod head do you prefer for LF use? Some of us are ball head advocates and others would only consider using a pan/tilt style head.

For ball head preference, the Arca Swiss B1 is hard to beat. For pan/tilt the choices are less clear. I know a bunch of folks here love the Bogen 410 head, and believe it's a relatively light weight head. A previous post described the Arca Swiss B2 as a "tank" (i.e. "heavy"). Take a look at the spec sheets - the 410 weighs 3.25 lbs and the B2 is 3.4 lbs. I tried out a 410 about a year ago, and had my reservations regarding it's long term stability. Even when new, the joints flex a little bit. I didn't see this situation improving with age. I picked up a used B2 about a year ago, and it truely is a "tank" in the best sense. Solid beyond belief (no play in the joints here), and a nice design where you get the benefits of pan/tilt control without the long unwieldy handles. If you get either Arca Swiss head (or compatible), get the A-S compatible plate from RRS for the Canham DLC.

[QT Luong]

I have a Linhof Profi II. Not as rigid as a B1, but certainly usable with my Canham 5x7, and lighter than the B1.

[Ben Diss]

I went throught this very thing about a year ago. If you compare the weight of the 410 to an Arca Swiss B1, you'll see a big difference. You've got a super light camera, and a super light tripod. Why lug around a heavy head? I have both heads. The B1 on a Gitzo 1325 and the 410 on a Bogen 3236. One for the field, the other for indoors.

Get a 1325 and a B1.

-Ben

[Struan Gray]

The 1227 is adequate for 4x5, but will cause pain and distress with long lenses unless you add extra bracing. The 13** series tripods are much stiffer, and you can always strip them down if you need to reduce weight further: when I want to travel light I remove the centre column and the two bottom leg sections from my 1349. I have to stoop a little, but the weight savings are significant.

Another advantage of the 13** series is the wide top platform and the ease with which it can be replaced/adjusted. Most of the head suggestions here have been for luxury solutions, but the simplest and lightest way to get where you are going is to buy or make one of the old-style tilting plate mounts and attach it directly to the a 13**'s flat top plate. You then adjust the tilt with the plate and the azimuth buy rotating the tripod's top plate (a ratching handle on the collar lock helps). It's a bit more of a pain, but about the only way you can match the stiffness of heads like the B1 in anything significantly lighter.

An in-between solution is the cheap Manfrotto 128RC (Bogen 3130) video head. This only weighs a kilo but is stiff enough to hold a 4x5 properly and pans and tilts very smoothly using the included arm.

[jose angel]

I used with a DLC45 the 1227 with an Arca Swiss B1. But I don't like how the ball head works with this camera. Now I have an old Gitzo pan/tilt head, (I think is an older version of the 1172, but lighter, I look for the really lightest system) and works better for me. I'm reading now about the Manfrotto 410 head with its geared mechanism, the idea sounds very good. I love how the Arca Swiss B1 works with my 35mm macro system and MF.

[Michael_527]

Thanks for answers! There is definately a group of you that like the A-S B-1. BUT, we're talking about a 1.75 pound ballhead here. I'm wondering if there is anything lighter than that option that people consider capable of holding a lightweight 4x5?

The more I consider it, the less I want to carry so massive a head on my backcountry trips. This may end up as a Grail Quest, but I have to believe there is a smaller package out there that will do the job. FWIW, I love the A-S ballheads too, but I am also intrested in getting out of Dodge with less than a 70 pound backpack.

To that effect, I am planning on getting some titanium cookwear, and other weight saving things, because I don't want to compromise too much on the camera, lenses I take, or amount of film I take. But clearly, the tripod is the single most massive piece I will be taking along.

I noticed that John Fielder appears to use the Bogen 3028 head, which comes in at 1.25 pounds.

[Ellis Vener]

How about no head at all? Just level the camera using the legs.

[Michael_527]

Ellis,

That's a very good idea, in fact, I was at the Bogen website last night, and they announced a new model in their Carbon No. 1 line, a tripod that uses a 75mm video cup. This would allow me to go directly to the camera, and do a certain amount of levelling with the cup. It may eliminate the need for a head under most circumstances, thus saving me 1-2 pounds.

I picture this working similar to the various wood tripods (Berlebach, et.al.) that have a built in ball adjustment at the head. I have one of those, but I use a 3047 head on it for convienance. I may go out and try to see if I can use it that way.

---Michael

[tim atherton]

Try the Benbo ball head, simple, functional, but strong (and reasonably light). Save more weight by not getting the revolving base version. Just make sure it's nice and tight wiht those longer lenses.

Tim A

[Doremus Scudder]

My expensive Gitzo ballhead was lost on a recent trip and I purchased a used "cheapie" bogen 3025 three-way head as a temporary replacement. Lo and behold, I loved the thing! It holds my Wista with the 300mm lens steadier than the Gitzo did and has separate controls for pan and vertical and horizontal tilts. It now is my standard field head. Try one out and see if you like it. Regards, ;^D)