Experience with Zone VI tripod??

[Herb Cunningham]

I generally use Carbon Fiber tripods, but miss the vibration damping of my old Reis. I don't shoot a lot of LF these days, but mf cameras weigh almost as much as LF.
I see where one can buy a Zone VI tripod for less than $200 occasionally. I will use an Arca Ball head on any tripod.
Any votes for Zone VI tripods?? The Reis did not accomodate the ball head very well, looks like the Zone Vi might.

[Jim Noel]

They should pay you for taking the Zone VI tripod off their hands. It is a heavy, clumsy adaptation of a surveyors tripod. The bolts and screws which hold it together are notorious for vibrating out.

[Herb Cunningham]

sorry for the post. I see there were a number of reviews.
no need to respond to my earlier post

[Bruce Barlow]

I keep coming back to my Zone VI Lightweight after trying others. Yeah, I might prefer a Ries, but don't want to fork the bucks. Familiarity breeds affection in this case.

The vibration thing has been a non-issue with me for 25 years...

In fact, I bought a second one from eddie a while back, and am happy I did.

Works with everything through my 8x10 Sinar.

The Standard is really heavy, and overkill, in my opinion.

[Peter Gomena]

I've owned a Zone VI lightweight for 30 years. I've used it for 4x5, MF, whole-plate and an old Korona 8x10. Solid, dependable, a little heavier with each passing year. Is it perfect? No, but I won't replace it. I did refinish it and repainted the metal tips at one point. It's simple, functional, and I've never had a vibration problem.

Peter Gomena

[Leigh]

I'm quite pleased with my Zone VI tripod. I guess it's the original, not the "lightweight" (which is probably a Calumet invention).

I have no idea what the references to "vibration" might mean. Are you photographing from a moving freight train?

The tripod is nowhere near as heavy as my double-leg Majestic with the geared head, which is what I was using before I bought the Zone VI.

- Leigh

[speedfreak]

Hey Herb,
I'm using a Berlebach report 2042. Pretty nice and not too heavy. What I love the most is the leveling base for the main column. With this feature I don't have to be super anal about how legs are extended, as long as they're close I can level the column and know I just have to adjust the head at that point. Makes panning nice and easy when trying to get the comp. perfect.

[Alan Curtis]

I've been using the lighter Zone VI tripod for about 25 years. Yes it is heavier than some but, it is very stable. I use a metal one when I'm working in water but, I still prefer the wooden Zone VI over the lighter metal tripod. I'm not sure I could carry the heavy weight Zone VI. Make sure you have a cord through the eyelets on the legs or they could spread out, causing a major disaster.

[Peter De Smidt]

I prefer the standard tripod to the lightweight, mainly because I prefer the locks on the standard, but both are good items. In my experience, they are better in the muck than a Gitzo, but I prefer a Gitzo on hard surfaces. Ries tripods are more elegant than a Zone VI, but they should be for how much more they cost. Note that the Zone VI have very large platforms on the top. This might require a spacer with some heads, such as a Gitzo Rational Series V, but the Arca should be fine without one.

[Keith Fleming]

The lightweight Zone VI tripod came out way back when Fred Picker owned Zone VI, years before he sold the business to Calumet. The standard tripod, clearly an adaptation based on surveyors' tripods, weighs 16 pounds, and extends to 72 inches. The lightweight tripod weighs 9 pounds, extends to 66 inches, and resembles (to my mind) other wooden camera tripods. This info comes from an old Picker-era Zone VI catalog I've kept all these years.

Keith Fleming