linhof technika 5x7, 500mm tele xenar, which tripod?

[boris]

till now i was happy with my gear, but with the "new" lens it have reached it's limit. i have a berlebach report tripod but with the tele-xenar 5.5/500 and the linhof technika 5x7 the tripod suffers :o
i love tripods with a levelling base. no need of a head or center column.
it should be 55" tall and max. 28" when folded. i rarely use it under windy conditions.
so as far as i can see the options are limited to this candidates:
gitzo 3541; gitzo 5541
i would love to stay with berlebach but can't find nothing matching my needs. the two stage tripods will be strong enough but will not match the required 55"- 28". criteria
faisol could be a candidate but as i have read in this forum, their levelling ball provide no friction. it is closed or open. this is not an option to level a technika with such a long lens
my questions,
1. are there any alternativs? (keep in mide ii need a levelling ball)
2. will the 3541 be appropriate for the task?
3. do somebody use video tripods like sachtler or vinten?

happy new year and good light!
boris

[jens peter]

Gitzo carbon 5-series with arca B2, plates (a rail) made by RRS - you can more or less configure it to your needs - it is very stable. The 3 series is in my opinion not enough.

This combo allow the use 600 and 800 mm Xenars on a 8x10 in non-windy conditions.

[Bob Salomon]

A Berlebach UNI series can handle it as will the Linhof Heavy Duty Pro or the Linhof Profi III tripod. The new Novoflex Quadropod is the lightest system that will easily support it. The Novoflex supports 110 pounds of camera but weighs about the same as your report (depending on the legs chosen)!

[boris]

bob,
the quadropod is realy new and an altenativ. any idea about the price? on the novoflex site i could't finde any aditional information.
unfortunately without a levelling ball.
however very interesting! thanks for sharing.
boris

[ljsegil]

Have you checked the Feisol tripods and accessories at reallybigcameras.com? Awaiting delivery of my 3372, so can not yet comment from personal experience but it does look as though it will more than suit my needs at a reasonable cost. Kerry Thalman is a pleasure to deal with and most helpful.
Larry

[Bob Salomon]

bob,
the quadropod is realy new and an altenativ. any idea about the price? on the novoflex site i could't finde any aditional information.
unfortunately without a levelling ball.
however very interesting! thanks for sharing.
boris

Roughly $1000.00 depending on the choice of legs (3 or 4 section, carbon or aluminum). That would put it in the same price range as some of the UNI models and less then half of the big Linhof tripods. A Linhof leveling head will easily compensate for the lack of a leveling column. It levels 15° in all directions.

[boris]

hi bob,
well i can't spend 1300$ on a quadropod ans yes i have a berlebach uni. great tripod! when i was young and creazy enought i even took it outside the house. today it is not an option... i need something portable below 8kg.:D
i saw that berlebach have a new serial with a 75mm levelling ball.
http://www.berlebach.de/grafiken/22360a_gross.jpg
the 9063/75 would fit but its load capacity is rated with 8kg.
unfortunately i still see only the gitzo (35xx or 55xx) as the way to go. i am sure it is a great tripod, the downside... it is expensive and to get worse it looks expensive! i often stand in places where appearance is crucial. sure my linhof is much more expensive but nobody knows! people sometimes feel pity that i have to work with such an old camera :eek: