What adds to the stability is to have the center of gravity of the camera with lens directly above the center post of the tripod and otherwise have the load directly over a leg.
Sinar has some good solutions for it.
Peter
What adds to the stability is to have the center of gravity of the camera with lens directly above the center post of the tripod and otherwise have the load directly over a leg.
Sinar has some good solutions for it.
Peter
Far too much hassle and work. You can place any TRIpod anywhere and it's set. Period. A Quadropod involves much more work. Worst of all, you can't use it with only 3 legs.
Where I use my tripod there are no windows, shelves, or any other kind of support for a fourth leg.
Just give it a try - you'll need several minutes to place the fourth leg without lifting one of the other three. It's an axiom in physics and math which nobody can beat or even prove wrong.
There are three variations of the Quadropod. All three are mentioned in the release but since you missed it I will reiterate, one model can use either 3 legs 120° apart or 4 legs 90° apart.Originally Posted by toyotadesigner
As for set up it is actually much faster to set up the four legs as the fourth leg is just pulled in tight. With a tripod there is frequently more adjusting of each leg for maximum stability on uneven surfaces.
And you apparently missed the set-up completely.
Just set it down, spread the legs. Pull the 4th leg in tight. That is it!
As for windows and shelves. The legs can end in rubber balls with spikes, clamps or suction cups. The clamps and suction cups allow you to mount the Quadropod to car roofs, book shelves, windows car seats, etc. The clamps and suction cups have a small ball head so any angle necessary is possible.
Additionally the Quadropod has interchangeable legs and each full size leg is a monopod. The Quadropod can use two standard legs and two short metal legs and let you place two legs on the ground and two legs against a building or a wall to allow you to set a camera support up as close as is feasibly possible to a structure to increase camera to subject distance when every inch counts.
As you obviously have not read the brochures nor seen the Quadropod at any of the shows where it has been exhibited since Photokina (NY Javits show, MacWorld, San Diego Show, PMA, NANPA in the USA) perhaps you should withhold your comments until you have at least read about it or seen it.
Like anything new, there are always doubters.
If what you say is correct, then it won't do a 180 like my Gitzo G1348 and allow me to position the camera a couple of inches off the ground. But, as you say, the best way to evaluate this tripod is in person with your camera.
Thomas
Minimum height is 2.75" and maximum current height is 61", the minimum height using the 61" maximum height legs is 3.9". Additional legs are in preparation to go up to the 90" range. Additionally with the center column version the column can be reversed to go as low as you like including the lens actually coming in contact with the ground. Although that would not necessarily be a choice with large format.
It has been shown in the Bay area at Gasser, K&S, Bear Images, Cameras West so you could ask one of these dealers what it is like. There is a very good chance that some of them have the preliminary brochures showing what it is and how it works.
Scientifically, woods (at least the ones used for tripods) dampen vibration far better than the metals that are used in tripods. This is a provable fact, if you care to delve into the science. It has to do with the elasticity of the material which is measurable.
Elasticity means how much you can flex a material before it permanently deforms.
Materials with a high elasticity (steel, for example, and other hard metals) tend to allow vibration or ringing. Materials with low elasticity such as wood tend to dampen vibration and ringing.
Think about a bell made out of wood or lead: strike it and it produces a dull thud. Think of a bell made out of brass or steel, and it rings for a long time.
There is no way to eliminate all sources of movement that can induce vibration in a camera/tripod/head combination, and for evaluation you have to consider all 3 as a system. Thus having a system that dampens vibrations well is a good thing if you want sharp photographs.
As for me, I own 2 aluminum tubular tripods, and a Ries wooden tripod. If I could only have one it would be the Ries. It's incredibly strong, and reasonable in weight for its capacity, and a pleasure to use.
Off topic, one of the biggest advantages to a wooden tripod (and perhaps carbon fiber) is that in cold or even cool weather, they do not suck the heat out of your hands the way metal tripods do, allowing for easier work.
Charlie Strack
Hmmm, somehow I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Bogen/Manfrotto is developing a carbon fiber hexapod to keep up with the competition.
Don Bryant
What do you mean by stressed in all directions? Do you have any photos of it or can you share the design?
It's going to take some convincing, to convince me that simply adding the mass of that 4th leg to the other three, won't give the same increase in stability. IOW, just get a heavier tripod, which ought to cost less. Not to mention, now there are 33% more joints and leg locks to fail at some point.
Might be a solution in search of a problem, IMHO.
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