Stability on tripod head

[Herb Cunningham]

If it is bolted down, it won't come loose. That way one does not have to be sure they

are maintaining the qr devices. Arca type is the only one I use. I have a bunch of the pentagonal stuff, it sits in a drawer.

[DrPablo]

I've decided to press on with my hex plates, because I just can't deal with getting a different tripod head right now. Enough damn money already.

So for my 8x10, which is a wooden folding camera, I'm thinking of drilling a couple holes into the base of the camera, then using two peripheral holes (on the hex plate) in addition to the larger center screw. I'd imagine that 2 or 3 points of attachment should be fine.

My 4x5 is a Cambo Legend with a metal rail. There is one additional hole there that I can secure to the hex plate with an additional screw, so I can affix the rail to the plate at two points.

Now the one thing I just don't understand about these Bogen Hex Plates is why one of the angles is supposed to be pointed at the lens (as opposed to one of the sides). The problem with this is it means that I can't isolate the movements on the 3 axes to position the camera. When just using the center screw it makes no difference, I mean I can do what I want. But if I'm using a second screw into a pre-made hole in a metal rail, I'm stuck positioning the hex plate as indicated by Bogen, and that's a big nuisance when trying to make small adjustments in the 3-axis tripod head.

[Stephen Willard]

For the first two years I owned the Nikkor 720mm lens I never got a sharp image from the lens. I traced the problem not to the tripod itself, but rather the tripod head and where the plate attached to the camera. I solve the problem by buying a Bogen 3057 head which is the biggest head Bogen ever made. It is made of solid steel and has a 4x4 QR plate. Once I made the switch every image taken from my 720mm is razor sharp.

To help offset the weight of the head, I switched to a smaller and lighter tripod with no effect on image sharpness.

Unfortunately, Bogen no longer makes the 3057 head, but I believe if you search on Google, or ebay eventually you will find one. I ended up buying two of the heads. At the time I bought my second head Bogen had stop making them. I found my second head at a scientific web store which were sold for big telescopes. I think I paid around $160 for it.

[Gene McCluney]

You know, you could do as I did, and find a vintage wooden large format tripod for your large format wooden view camera. I have a Agfa/Ansco tripod that has a mounting plate of about 5x7 inches, it has two screw holes, and my Agfa/Ansco 8x10 has two tripod screw attachment points on the bottom. I got two 1/4/20 Wing type screws. They just fit fine. The tripod also weighs less than the Bogen alternative metal tripod. This tripod has forward tilt, sideways tilt, and rotation, plus a geared raising center column.