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Thread: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

  1. #1
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    Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    I'm looking for a tripod. The one I have now is a consumer-grade bitsy format tripod with a small ball head on it. It barely holds up my speed graphic, but now that I got a Calumet monorail I really need to upgrade. I'm not even going to try to mount the Calumet on the tripod I have.

    It's hard for me to shop for tripods because I need to see them in person and all the ones I see at lame-o camera stores are for bitsy/digital formats. I have never seen a photographic tripod that appears sturdy enough to mount my metal 4x5 on, although of course they exist. For hundreds of dollars. Did I mention that my budget is very small?

    I have seen construction tripods for laser levels and the like at hardware stores. They look like they would make a very sturdy camera tripod, if you could mount the camera on them. I'm quite sure I could get either my existing small ball head mounted to one, or the massive, giant Majestic Tripod Head of Doom that I have kicking around here.

    >The the construction tripods look like they have no 'stops' on the legs, so that the legs hinge freely and never stop. This might be a problem on slick surfaces.
    >They always have spike feet which might be annoying for indoor use.
    >They are usually orange
    >And obviously they have no column.

    What do you think? Should I pursue the modified construction tripod route for $75 or so, or should I travel to a real camera store that has proper tripods? Would a proper photographic tripod have any real advantage over a construction tripod other than being lighter and better looking?

  2. #2

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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    Take a look on eBay at the Davis and Sanford tripods...the big ones with the rectangular upper legs often sell for around $50, leaving you $25 for shipping and still in your range.

  3. #3

    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    There is also this.

    I would also suggest a tiltall, they have a reputation for being tough and cheap!

  4. #4
    Joanna Carter's Avatar
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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    You could get a way with the Manfrotto 055ProB, which is adequate for a light monorail. Either that or the Gitzo 2 series, if price is a problem, otherwise the ultimate has to be a Gitzo 3 series.
    Joanna Carter
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  5. #5
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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    Wow, I looked at the Tiltall tripods and they really look sturdy and only $120 or so new with head. I might be able to afford that .I would like to be able to check one out in person, but even if I can't I might order one online. Does anyone have anything else to say about the Tiltall's, compared to other photographic tripods, when it comes to holding up a camera? I know that a carbon fiber or other modern tripod might be lighter but I mostly work right next to the car or indoors, and I'm not keen on paying for anything that doesn't contribute to just holding the camera steady.

  6. #6
    Photographer, Machinist, etc. Jeffrey Sipress's Avatar
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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    You need to visit a real camera store. Even average size stores usually have manfrottos, induros, giottos or sliks that will work for 4x5 and are not so spendy as a gitzo. Or, you can simply buy a Gitzo and be happy the rest of your life.

  7. #7

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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    I have a Leitz tiltall and I would not trust it with a monorail. The tripod is OK, but there is no damping in the head and you would dump the camera the second you got distracted and did not completely tighten the head. The momentum from the swing might then take the tripod over.

  8. #8

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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    I have a vanguard setup with the large "300" sized ballhead that I bought to work with MF and my crown graphic, and when I got my omega 45F, it just wasn't cutting it. I'd have to really crank down on the ballhead to keep it from flopping over, and it was very tough to level both axes at once.

    I bought photobizz's ginormo-sized zoneVI wooden legset and bogen 3039 3-way head, and it's WAY stable now. Overkill, really, but at least I have a tripod that'll work when I inevitably move up to 810 or ULF


  9. #9
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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    See that's the thing, I already have a Majestic 1200 geared head that weighs like 6 pounds. It would probably be ULF-able. It has a 6x7 inch platform, tilts in two directions but doesn't seem to have any facility for panning. The thing is it's designed to clamp onto a 1 1/2" round pipe, but I'm sure I could figure out how to adapt it. What I need is a leg set. The construction tripods sell for about $60 and seem pretty sturdy. LF-type wood legsets are too expensive and pretty for me.

    Or I guess I could trade the gearhead for a more reasonable-size complete tripod.

  10. #10

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    Re: Cheap, sturdy tripod--construction tripod?

    Have you looked on eBay for cheap Majestic legs or a complete tripod? It is fairly easy to get spare parts for most Majestics from Bencher, so refurbishing a battered example isn't difficult.

    The head does pan around the top of the vertical tube.

    Regards,
    Helen

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