Convenience in the Field

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

This post was inspired by John Hollenberg's comments about the Gitzo leveling base in the Ebony Counterpoint thread. Rather than post my comments there, I thought I'd start a separate thread on techniques and equipment that make shooting in the field faster and more convenient. I know large format is supposed to be a contemplative medium, but when the lighting conditions are changing fast, speed of operation often takes priority over deep thoughts.

While I've listed my post in the "Technique" category, it could have just as easily been listed under "Accessories", "Cameras - Brand-independent" or even "Carrying Equipment". I would like to see this thread evolve into a compilation of techniques and equipment that people use to speed up the process of photographing in the field. For example, some people have stated in the past that they leave a dedicated cable release attached to every lens to save time installing and removing cable releases every time they change lenses. I'll start by sharing a few tidbits of my own.

First a little background... Most long time readers of this forum probably know I shoot color landscapes, often in remote loactions, including on multiday backpacking trips. In the past, I've been a bit obsessed about keeping the weight of my kit down. This is still true when I am backpacking. However, as I've gotten older, I've come to favor convenience and ease of operation over weight when it comes to moderate dayhikes (up to 10 miles round trip on maintained trails), and especially when shooting close to my vehicle. For backpacking and longer dayhikes or when traversing more challenging terrain, I still prefer my Toho FC-45X and a set of three or four lightweight lenses.

Too keep this initial post from getting too long, I will make several separate posts over the next few days that describe the gear and methods I'm using these days to make my life easier in the field. Of course, other folks will have other preferences and working styles. So, don't take my particular equipment suggestions and working methods as the gospel truth. Please join in and tell us what works for you.

Kerry

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Tripod - I've always found a good tripod and head more important than camera brand or model. Let's face it, the most expensive camera and latest state-of-the-art lenses won't produce sharp images without adaquate support. I've been using the Gitzo 1325 carbon fiber legs for over six years and still love them. This is obviously a matter of personal preference, as some folks hate the Gitzo twist lock collars. Personally, I find as long as I don't overtighten them, they are just as fast to operate as lever style leg locks.

What I like about this tripod... The combination of height, light weight and rigidity can't be beat. I've used this leg set with 8x10 cameras weighing up to 12 1/2 pounds without problem, yet the legs only weigh 4.4 lbs. This tripod is tall enough, without being too tall (for me). I vastly prefer the Gitzo models with three section legs over those with four section legs. The three section models are lighter, faster to set-up/collapse (only six collars to loosen/tighten compared to nine on the four section models), less expensive (relative term when talking about Gitzo CF tripods). And although I have not done any scientific testing, it just seems logical that a model with fewer leg joints and a larger diameter bottom leg section would be more rigid. I also like the fact that this tripod comes standard without a center column. For large format work, I greatly prefer models without center columns. Again, just my opinion, no sceintific data, but they seem to offer greater stability for less weight.

For me, this has proven to be the perfect tripod. While I've changed cameras a couple times over the last six years, and even upgraded a couple of my lenses, I have not even thought about getting a new tripod. I really do think this is the best tripod for me - now and for the rest of my life. So far, it has held up well under heavy use. And it is covered by Gitzo's lifetime warranty.

One thing that does save me time in the field is that I generally hike with the tripod in my hand. The 1325 is light enough to make this a piece of cake (and I've done the same thing with heavier metal tripods in the past). This means the tripod is always ready to set-up without removing a pack and detaching the tripod. In fact, as I approach a subject/location I wish to photograph, I begin extending the legs and unfolding the tripod. By the time I select the spot where I want to photograph, the tripod is fully extended and to mount the camera. I do the same thing after I'm done shooting. After my other gear is stowed away in the pack on my back, I pick up the extended tripod and start walking away. I collapse the tripod while I'm walking. This only saves a minute or so, but I'm often photographing at last light miles from my vehicle. So, I like to get headed back to the trail head as soon as possible. Of course if I'm navigating terrain that requires both hands for climbing or balance, the tripod gets strapped to the pack.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Tripod Head and Quick Release - Although I've used the ARCA-SWISS B1 for years as my tripod head of choice, these days I'm using a Manfrotto 410 mini geared head most of the time. The B1 still offers about the best combination of weight vs. rigidity around. However, using a ballhead with a large format camera can be a bit tedious at times. Especially when trying to level the camera, or adjust one axis without disturbing the others. With it's built in tension control and assymetric ball, the B1 is better than most ballheads in this regard, but still a self-locking three-axis gear driven head is a pleasure that must be experienced to be appreciated.

Like the Gitzo leveling base that John Hollenberg mentioned, the 410 has a built in bubble level that allows me to level the tripod before mounting the camera. This is also a nice feature if your camera doesn't have built-in levels. Back in my early days of large format photography, I used nothing but three-axis heads. With those heads, adjusting each axis required loosening and then tightening a handle (not to mention three long handles that constantly caught on the bruch when hiking in areas with heavy vegetation). Since the 410's gear driven movements are self-locking, it is much faster to fine tune a composition by just tweaking the proper knob. While it weighs about 14 oz. more than the B1, this is one of those cases where I've come to accept the convenience of a grear driven three-axis head over a lighter weight ballhead. I still have my B1 and still use it on longer hikes.

Here's another tip... If you have a 1325 and more than one head, the easiest way to swap heads is to get a spare replacement top plate for the 1325 and attach one plate to each head. Swapping heads is then a piece of cake and only takes a minute or two.

Years ago when I bought my B1, I became instantly addicted to the ARCA style quick release clamps and plates. These clamps offer a very quick and very sturdy method for attaching the camera to the tripod head. Of course, the B1 came with this clamp built into the head (as do several other brands), but I have also adapted other heads, including my Manfrotto 410 mini geared head, to accept an ARCA style QR clamp. Of course all of my cameras have ARCA style mounting plates to match. There is an entire industry, supporting four or five companies that I cn think of, that manufacture custom mounting plates compatible with the ARCA style clamp.

In addition to quickly mounting the camera on the tripod, the ARCA style clamp has an added benefit. If you have a long enough mounting plate (or an ARCA-SWISS camera with an extension bracket), it allows you to slide the camera back and forth in the mounting clamp. This is especially handy for macro work as it lets you easily alter camera to subject distance without having to move the tripod. These days I use an ARCA-SWISS F-Line Classic with a 30cm extension bracket. The base of the extension bracket is directly compatible with the ARCA QR clamp. So, I don't even need the added weight or expense of a mounting plate. In addition to macro work, the open-ended ARCA style clamp means it's always a piece of cake to keep the weight of the camera well balanced over the apex of the tripod.

Kerry

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Two tricks which I find pretty useful are instead of using a quick release (which I dont trust) I tilt the pan head completly vertical and attach the camera. It is very quick and you get the benefit of using the entire surface area of the tripod head, not just those tiny QR surfaces.

The other one, is to turn the aperture scale sidewise instead of having it on top. Saves a lot of time you other wise spend on your toes trying to see the scale.

[Francis Abad]

When shooting 8x10 or larger it is hard to find tips that make things much faster than just simply practice, practice, practice! If I have not taken the beast out in over a week I practice setting up the camera at home.

Other ways to speed the process for me include: tripod carried by hand (legs already extended for my preferred height), light meter inside jacket pocket, film holders, lenses and cameras in separate compartments.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Tripods, Tripod Heads and Quick release

Thanks Kerry to share this experience with us.

My (small) personal experience is similar to yours when comes the time of comparing a 3-way head with a ball-head. So being unable to solve the dilemna, I now have both ;-);-) a 1370 low-profile Gitzo Rationnelle (3-way) and (recently) the Arca Swiss Monoball® B1. As far as tripods are concerned, I have a classical aluminum Gitzo # 1312 with geared column. I do not use the geared column with my 6X9 Arca Swiss F-compact, but I find it convenient for other photographic tasks in other formats. The smoothness of this geared column is such that I could use it as a macro focusing rail for quick-and-dirty vertical close-up shots in the corner of a desk !!

I like the classical aluminum Gitzo series 3 very much, but it is --to say the least!-- a bit of overweight for a small camera. I appreciate the Rationnelle, I did not consider the standard but preferred the low profile. I like the smoothness, independance of movements and precision of tilt angles you have with a Rationnelle. For a LF beginner like me a Rationnelle is very intuitive and probably easier to set-up than a ball-head. However from a mechanical point of view, you cannot beat the Monoball® with any Rationnelle in terms of admissible on-axis and even off-centre weights. Also the various controls of the 1370 are not very compact for backpacking when compared to the Monoball®.

In order to save weight for backpacking with the 6x9 monorail, I resisted the Carbon Fibre Technology and bought a second-hand wooden Berlebach #8013, 3 sections, no head, folded size = 65 cm (2 feet 2 inches) weight 2.2 kg without head (4.8 lbs) which I'll equip with the Monoball®. Winter-time users of view cameras seem to be pleased with wooden tripods ; the 8013 is rated for an incredible 10 kg(22 lbs) of on-axis load, which is hard to believe taking into account the weight of the tripod and price I paid for it. Sure, the simple clamping screws used on the Berlebach are not in the same world as the clamping rings on the Gitzo or the incredibly smooth clamping knob of the Arca ;-);-)

I had the privilege of a private demonstration of the Monoball® by Philippe Vogt himself, including, very frankly, all argumentations and critics that you could imagine, directly addressed to the designer and company owner. Should I mention that the device was really hard to resist (no, I was convinced before ;-)

I do not mention that I use the Arca Swiss quick-release clamp because with an Arca Monorail, it goes without saying, even on a 1312+1370 Gitzo combo ; the Arca clamp (or should-I say "vise" ?) seems to be designed on-purpose for the 1370 plate ;-);-) moreover, Gitzo is one of those now supporting the de-facto Arca Swiss standard for clamps and quick-release plates ;-)

[Steve Sherman]

For years I have photographed during the time before the sun is up or after it is down. At those times one is very likely to encounter reciprocity. My reciprocity conversion chart has been shrunk down so it fits on the side handle of my one degree spot meter. Many times I have watched other photograhers get the whole shot set up and then begin searching for their reciprocity table in their backpack all the while the sun is moving and changing it's intensity. Really, the only time you need a reciprocity conversion table is when your meter is in your hand. Thanks to Kerry for starting an interesting post.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Along the same lines as Steve Sherman, I have a small table of magnification ratio/exposure factor taped to the back of each of my LF cameras for quick calculation of bellows factor. I often estimate the magnification ratio by comparing the width of the scene at the subject plane to the width of the film format, but if it's a very close macro, then I'll measure it with a ruler or tape measure.

[jantman]

Tripod head? I use a monorail, I don't need a tripod head.

[Jerry Greer]

Kerry,

I've considered purchasing the 410 for the same reasons as you but my hang-up was the quick release; I use a Kirk BH-1 for all work. I would love to know how you converted the 410 to accept the ARCA style clamp. As for tripods, I use a Ries J600 (backpacker) for short hiking trips and for backpacking I use a Manfrotto CarbonOne 441, I switch the BH-1 between each. After reading your post, my new idea is to modify a 410 to accept the ARCA style clamp for the Ries and purchase the lighter Kirk BH-2 for the Manfrotto 441 for backpacking, any thoughts or ideas? I’m also considering a Toho FC-45X/Badger M2 or a Gowland Pocket View for backpacking. I’m aware that you are using the Toho, have you compared it to the Gowland?

Jerry

www.jerrygreerphotography.com