Tripod for handicapped

[sultanofcognac]

Greetings all,

I'm a member of a forum for photographers in France and one member has asked this question:
I am slightly handicapped and only have proper use of my left hand. Can anybody give me advise on a good tripod and head that is easy to use with just one hand,

do any of you have any recommendations? Would very much appreciate any help you can offer.

Thanks,

Johnny

[cdholden]

I used to have a Bogen 3036 tripod and 405 head that was easy to setup one handed after a bit of practice. When i was into birdwatching years ago, I could setup tripod with 800mm telephoto lens in the other hand. You could also use a sling/pack with the camera. Walking the Everglades and frequently being in water keeps you from wanting to put the camera/lens down. The hardest part is getting the camera mounted. It can be done with a heavy camera, but i would be concerned with a light or large camera being caught/carried by the wind.
The 405 head is a nice 3 way that can be quick adjusted if you can steady the camera with another arm or body. Fine focusing can be done easily with one hand.

[kev curry]

I've personally never used one but I think something like the Gitzo G1372M 3 way pan tilt head could be operated one handed. The head would normally be used one handed anyway. But then its the mounting and dismounting that would be the hardest part...hmm

http://www.microglobe.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?pName=gitzo-g1372m-3-way-pan-tilt-tripod-head-with-quick-release

Not sure about a tripod...I have trouble enough using the twisting leg locks on a gitzo and a freisol with two hands at times. The secret with them of course is not to tighten them to much, thats where the problems start...but I still do at times.

I'm sure theres tripods around with lever leg locks rather than twist locks. They might be easier to work with...just a thought.

[John Koehrer]

A combination of a lever lock tripod and three way tripod should work very well.
If you can leave the tripod set up when you're carrying it, It would be less fiddly to set up for an exposure. If you need extensions could be made to extend the levers for easier use.
The pan head gives the ability to lock each axis independently whereas a ball head needs to be balanced when you make adjustments.

[Ash]

When my left hand was useless after being hit by a car (radial nerve palsy) I used the same tripod I've used for ages.

The main consideration is the head rather than the tripod legs. My Benro tripod legs had the quick snap-close-to-lock style for leg extension, so it was easy with just a thumb to release.

My tripod head is an older model Manfrotto video head. Again, all the tensions are key-shaped so it's easy to use a couple fingers to tighten or loosen.

The biggest pain for me was getting the camera on the tripod in the first place. The manfrotto quick release lever was a bit fiddly under the camera because I couldn't even hold the camera in the other hand. Usage will vary if the other hand is available to balance the camera whilst releasing the lock to put the camera on.

I think some of the more recent Manfrotto heads pull back and have a pin to hold them open until the camera is put in place. These would be easier again.

[Brian C. Miller]

+1 on Bogen. My Bogen heads have a locking mechanism that locks open. Once it's open, just set the camera's quick release onto the head, and it snaps closed.

Oh, yeah: It takes two hands to get the camera back off the head, without it falling to the ground.

Hmmm... How about using a neck strap, too? Click the head open, place the camera on it and let it snap shut. Wiggle to seat the camera. To safely get it apart, he can put the neck strap over his head, and then release the camera from the tripod head. The neck strap will catch the camera before it hits the ground.

No problem.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Hmmm... How about using a neck strap, too? Click the head open, place the camera on it and let it snap shut. Wiggle to seat the camera. To safely get it apart, he can put the neck strap over his head, and then release the camera from the tripod head. The neck strap will catch the camera before it hits the ground.

I wonder what camera he will be using? Ultra LF might snap his neck.

[Scott Davis]

Depending on your weight handling requirements, look into a Manfrotto Neotec tripod- the legs extend and collapse based on a button push. No need to twist or grasp something small with high resistance. The Neotec should be able to handle up to a light 4x5. It might even handle a light 5x7 (think Canham or Tachihara) with the right head.

[Juergen Sattler]

I would think this would work very well as a tripod head - unless he/she really uses LF equipment.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/733655-REG/Vanguard_GH_100_GH_100_Pistol_Grip_Ballhead.html

[Frank Petronio]

If he could steady the camera with the arm of his weak hand laid over the top of the camera, he could twist the clamping screw on an Arca-style quick release clamp. With a larger platform than other quick releases and a level head, he could simply set the camera on the clamp and use the weak arm to keep it held down.

Likewise an Arca type ballhead with the tension adjusted so the camera wouldn't flop over would allow one-handed X-Y-Z adjustments.

As for leg locks, the video style tripods with the twin-shanks and larger leg locks might work best. I think the Schacter has nice big knobs.

[Bryan Lemasters]

Depending on your weight handling requirements, look into a Manfrotto Neotec tripod- the legs extend and collapse based on a button push. No need to twist or grasp something small with high resistance. The Neotec should be able to handle up to a light 4x5. It might even handle a light 5x7 (think Canham or Tachihara) with the right head.

I had a Neotec and, quite frankly, was entirely unimpressed.

Pros: The legs extend individually by simply pulling on them (there is some resistance) and collapse by operating each leg release button and pushing the leg back in - definitely easier to do with one hand (and a foot or two) than messing with 2 or 3 locks per leg, but............

Cons: This tripod is rather short without the column extended, and is a flimsy POS when you use it with column extended; not nearly stable enough for large format, IMHO.

I have never use a 3036 but if I understand correctly, the legs were spring-loaded so that when you pushed a leg release button they would extend "automatically" (not so with the Neotec)........and they were a much sturdier tripod.

[Brian C. Miller]

The Bogen 3036 is not spring loaded. If it was, it could cause serious damage. It is an extremely sturdy tripod, with three sections per leg, extending way out there. It is a beast. This is something to wrestle into position, and then put your camera on it. I have a 3039 pan head, and the quick release locks in the open position. Using this setup one-handed would be completely out of the question for an 8x10 camera.

-- Brian "tripod wrestler" Miller

[Bryan Lemasters]

[QUOTE=Brian C. Miller;686548]The Bogen 3036 is not spring loaded. If it was, it could cause serious damage. It is an extremely sturdy tripod, with three sections per leg, extending way out there.

Yeah, my bad. First, I mistook the 3036 for the 3051, which has the pushbutton leg releases. Second, they probably wouldn't be spring-loaded simply due to the safety concerns that Brian stated (hate the thought of a spiked tripod foot spearing a bystander - or my own foot!!). Third, I guess the thing weighs 12 or 13 pounds without a head, making it a bit of a monster to handle in the field.

Now if you will excuse me, I have a rock to crawl under.............:(

[Brian C. Miller]

Bryan, now you've got me thinking of making a cheap kung-fu ninja flick featuring a spring-loaded Bogen 3036! "8x10's of Hidden Death"

(I do not need a Bolex, I do not need a Bolex, I do not need a Bolex, ...)