Thoughts on wood tripods

[Merg Ross]

Brett Weston used a metal tripod and used it with the center colomn raised up. His photographs are stunning in quality so using it wasn't a detrement to his work.

True enough, Curt, but only for his medium format work. His companion for large format was most often a Ries with a Baco Sr. head. I have his old Baco head and use it with the 8x10's (C1, Agfa/Ansco).

Have fun in the sand, hope you get some winners!

[falth j]

What the heck?


If you all are so worried about resonance, vibrations, moon phase and sun spots, just follow along AA lines and buy and old two ton woody wagon for a base, make sure it has a wood top, again to stop the vibrations, and secure a wooden post through the roof, floor and into a drilled hole in bedrock, that should make do for the most foolhardy perfectionists...

[Brian Ellis]

My family has been in the engineering equipment business for decades. Modern tripods (either elevating or surveying) are made from aluminum, composite, fiberglass, wood/fiberglass, and wood. Wood is somewhat of a holdover from the 'old days' of brass and wood materials. However the point of using wood has nothing to do with wind and vibrations. It has to do with expansion and contraction during long set up times. Aluminum tripods are used primarily when set up times are under 2-3 hours because they can expand (in the sun) and contact (as temperatures drop.) Wooden tripods are used for long duration jobs because the heat from the sun (or cooling from temperature and sunlight changes) over time has less of an effect on them. Fiberglass and composite are more flexible and can also change during climatic shifts (e.g., long time setups.)

Modern tripods (Crain, Leica, Dutch Hill, Berger, Northwest, Seco, etc.) are made of aluminum, composite, fiberglass, or wood. But the choice isn't about wind and vibration, it's about contraction and expansion. Surveyors will use multiple tripods of all materials depending on the job's environment. e.g., fiberglass, despite it being flexible, can be trashed around with little damage.

Any good surveyor knows to use an appropriate tripod for the job. But it's the accuracy of aluminum that's an issue (from temperature changes) and not because of wind/resonance/vibration. And as far as photographers are concerned, the issue of materials isn't nearly as vital as it's being made out here (aside from personal choice.) Expansion/contraction isn't really much of a concern in making a photograph, but it is with surveyors using theodolites, etc..

Thanks, it's nice to hear from someone who actually knows something about the subject he's discussing.

Without having anything like your knowledge of tripods, and therefore never claiming one material was better than another, it's been my impression that too much was often made of tripod materials for photography. I've used aluminum, wood, and carbon fiber tripods made by Bogen/Manfrotto, Gitzo, Feisol, and Zone VI Studios with 35mm, 6x7, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, and DSLR cameras. All have done a perfectly acceptable job notwithstanding whatever "harmonic vibrations and wind" or "flute wind singing" I happened to encounter.

[Merg Ross]

Thanks, it's nice to hear from someone who actually knows something about the subject he's discussing.

Without having anything like your knowledge of tripods, and therefore never claiming one material was better than another, it's been my impression that too much was often made of tripod materials for photography. I've used aluminum, wood, and carbon fiber tripods made by Bogen/Manfrotto, Gitzo, Feisol, and Zone VI Studios with 35mm, 6x7, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, and DSLR cameras. All have done a perfectly acceptable job notwithstanding whatever "harmonic vibrations and wind" or "flute wind singing" I happened to encounter.

That has also been my experience. I think more important than choice of materials, is cosideration of where the tripod will be used. Some are better than others in the sand, for instance.

[Heroique]

Before I splurged on my Ries, I learned a lot from the cheap tripod it replaced. Its limitations made it a good teacher, and it made some of my best images possible. My Ries would have been an unhappy purchase if I didn’t remember what its predecessor taught me about fitting tripod technique to compositional purpose.

[jwanerman]

I think that design and craftsmanship are far more important than materials. I currently use a Linhof Twin Shank tripod that I bought used on Ebay for $ 179. It has been rock solid for my Wisner Traditional 4x5 and my SINAR Norma 4x5, even in the field on uneven surfaces. It even weighs less that the Manfrotto 3033 that it replaced. I was considering a wood tripod, but this one is intelligently designed and sturdy. The legs have a very easy to use cam-lock, far more efficient than flip the flip or twisting locks of other tripods that I examined. I did spend a morning at B&H, and this baby beats them all in my opinion. Good luck and happy shooting.

[Brian Ellis]

I think that design and craftsmanship are far more important than materials. I currently use a Linhof Twin Shank tripod that I bought used on Ebay for $ 179. It has been rock solid for my Wisner Traditional 4x5 and my SINAR Norma 4x5, even in the field on uneven surfaces. It even weighs less that the Manfrotto 3033 that it replaced. I was considering a wood tripod, but this one is intelligently designed and sturdy. The legs have a very easy to use cam-lock, far more efficient than flip the flip or twisting locks of other tripods that I examined. I did spend a morning at B&H, and this baby beats them all in my opinion. Good luck and happy shooting.

Whoever named that tripod certainly wasn't a golfer. I wouldn't even look at a tripod called the "twin shank."

[Drew Wiley]

Dear Meerkat: I don't know what part of the country you market to, but around here
the wind is nearly incessant on the hills. Nobody uses alum survey tripods except for
very casual work. Large traditional wood tripods provide sheer mass. This give not only
stability but bully weight for plunging those spikes down into the clay muck of trenches. Analagously, sudden gusts of wind have picked up my entire 8x10 along with
my bigger Ries tripod. I can hardly imagine the risk with aluminum, or how numb my
fingers would feel handling it. I do own a couple of carbon tripods too and use them
on longer treks, generally in the summer high country. For snow or beach sand, plus
these hills around here, it's really hard to get away from Ries for sheer reliability. I can't
afford to waste too many 8x10 color shots. Just too expensive!

[E. von Hoegh]

Whoever named that tripod certainly wasn't a golfer. I wouldn't even look at a tripod called the "twink shank."

It was likely some ad copywriting wiz kid that named it the twin-shank (certainly not a prison guard). I've used an earlier version of that tripod, and it really is excellent. But - I wouldn't get it near mud or sand.

[Vaughn]

I use nothing but wood. Warmer in winter, cooler in summer, and the very best at dampening vibrations.

True. And I am always taking my 8x10 off the beaten path, and a metal or carbon fiber tripod would have been trashed several times over the way I (mis)use my Ries. Between falls I have taken and using it to ford creeks and as a general climbing tool, it has held up remarkably well.

Now I just took an hour-long exposure the other day -- I had not thought about a metal pod changing in length as it heat or cools! The temps in the redwoods, though are fairly consistent. I do have to watch that a leg does not slowly sink into the ground instead. (This is what ruined many of Edward W's shots in the redwoods.)

Vaughn