Which Berlebach for 8x10?

[muskedear]

Good day,

Can anyone please provide their opinion on Berlebach tripods, for example, the Report 4012, for use with an 8x10 camera? I am looking for a Berlebach with about the same capability as a Ries J100-2 and I want to use it with a Ries J250 double tilt head.

Thanks in advance.

[Bob Salomon]

Then you should be looking at a Berlebach UNI tripod.

[Michael E]

What Bob said.

What camera are you using? I do have to admit that I use my 8x10" Eastman 2-D on a Berlebach Report. But I also used a Gandolfi 8x10" and there was no way the Report could have handled it. I wouldn't put any monorail on it, either. The Uni tripods are much sturdier.

I have used Berlebachs for 20 years now, the Uni being my first. They are beautiful, reliable, and simple enough to fix them yourself.

Michael

[muskedear]

Then you should be looking at a Berlebach UNI tripod.

Which one? It seems that the UNI series tripods are either too short or too heavy for 8x10. My Ries J100-2 weighs ca. 11 lbs, extends to 62" and is fully adequate for 8x10.

[john biskupski]

Berlebach's Report 3032 (without centre column, with levelling ball head) is rated at 12klgs load and is sometimes recommended for up to 8x10. The 4012 you're looking at is rated for 10kgs (maybe just because it's taller at 62" vs 56"). My 3032 is certainly a great tripod for 5x7, I use one with a heavy Rittreck metal. A lighter weight 8x10 might be OK with it, say a Canham or KMV with backpacking (not studio) lenses.

Point to watch about the Report series, the top plate is only 60mm dia, and most heavy-duty heads want 75 or 90 (like the Ries J250 double head). The Uni has the 90mm dia top plate.

Otherwise, to be safe, go with Bob's recommendation for a Uni. Skip through Berlebach's website product listing, much longer than Ries, to find the one you want. You can get taller Uni tripods, but they get up to 7kgs and are very expensive. But a 56" height heavy tripod is plenty for most people.

I agree however with the comment above about the Ries J100/2, a brilliant tripod, positioned in between the Berlebach Report and Uni range for weight and load factor, definately able to handle an 8x10 field camera.

[muskedear]

All,

Thanks for your comments. I am better off with another Ries J100-2. The plan is to deposit one tripod in Germany for regular trips in the foreseeable future. One option would have been to purchase a Berlebach there but none of their models suits my needs.

[Bob Salomon]

All,

Thanks for your comments. I am better off with another Ries J100-2. The plan is to deposit one tripod in Germany for regular trips in the foreseeable future. One option would have been to purchase a Berlebach there but none of their models suits my needs.

None? There are dozens of models, none?

[muskedear]

None? There are dozens of models, none?

That's right. None.

[Bob Salomon]

That's right. None.

You mean that you looked at all 130+ photographic tripods on the Berlebach web site could not find one that met your needs? Did you also look at their Astro and Industrial models as well?

[David R Munson]

Maybe at heart he just wants another Ries. They're nice.

[Fred L]

I think the number of tripods and the various permutations available from Berlebach is rather overwhelming and might actually deter people from doing more research. Sometimes less is more ;)

[muskedear]

You mean that you looked at all 130+ photographic tripods on the Berlebach web site could not find one that met your needs? Did you also look at their Astro and Industrial models as well?

It is actually straightforward to use the principle of exclusion utilizing the search feature on Berlebach's website. They are either too heavy, too light, too short, or too expensive for my purpose.

[starvingartist]

I know it has been a while since the original thread, I had recently bought a Berlebach to go with my Deardorf 8X10. The only reason I bought it is because my teacher had a wooden tripod years ago and assumed that it was a Berlebach, all I remembered of his was what he taught us about vibration and how to control (damp) it. Mostly, that wood has better qualities. My wife and I wanted to take pictures last fall in Vermont. She shoots medium format film and some digital with a leaf back. I, my self, only shoot Large format 8X10, although I am more the amateur when compared to her. I bought my Berlbach UNI 16C from an unnamed camera store over the internet. At first glance out of box it seemed pleasing to me, although it was short lived by the amount of plastic parts it contained. I immediately went to mount my camera directly the tripod using my Acratech Ball Head. I immediately noticed the stark contrast in the quality, actually the lack of it. I remember my wife saying the next morning that it looked like something Ikea would sell. This was not what I remembered from school. I found the locking mechanisms not well thought out or made. The legs were difficult to slide in and out. At first I thought it was unfinished but after calling around it was finished, just a dull finish. After looking over the tripod while set up with my equipment in my back yard all day on a weekend I decided that it was not what I wanted. I immediately returned the tripod the next day. I had continued to use my Bogen tripod on our trip. My Bogen was so cumbersome to use on uneven terrain I did not even attempt to set up at most of the places my wife was shooting. All that said, I did some research and found Ries tripods on ebay and became quite interested because after some research that was what my teacher had. At first I thought they were out of business, but to my surprise they are not. That is what led me to this post. I bought the Ries A100 tripod and the A250 Head. The tripods quality is totally in a different category compared to the Berlebachs. Like a Yugo vs. a Bently. Easy to use and lighter. They are more expensive but are definitely worth it. The A250 Head was a purchase that I was not intending to make but found it to be rock solid and a keeper. I bought mine over the phone with them and highly recommend over buying online as they were extremely helpful in deciding. There website could be better, in that they do offer a lot of custom upgrades and accessories that is not mentioned online. I got mine with handles that fit better in my hands. My wife is now sold on Ries too and is looking at the H100-2 and the Acratec GPS Head for her cameras. She has been talking to View Camera Store in Arizona.

[starvingartist]

Buy a Ries A100 it is a lot better. You will regret the Berlebach.

[Greg Y]

Ries......there is no substitute :-)

[Tin Can]

Good to know, your review has made me positive the next tripod I buy will be Ries.

Thank you!


Buy a Ries A100 it is a lot better. You will regret the Berlebach.

[Bob Salomon]

You do know that there are two different series of Berlebach tripods, correct?
Did you use the Report series or the Uni series to do the comparison?

[starvingartist]

You do know that there are two different series of Berlebach tripods, correct?
Did you use the Report series or the Uni series to do the comparison?
The Uni Series. I did know that there is a difference.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Why limit yourself to Berlebach?