Tripod head for pointing down

[cyrus]

If I want to take photos of something on the ground - what would be a good setup to do this? Thnx

[Colleen K]

Manfrotto has tripods that allow for horizontal positioning of the center column-I have used this a few times with the 4x5 to shoot straight up or down, but it was a little tippy-have something to use as a counterweight on the other end of the column.

Colleen

[Leigh]

The standard Majestic head rotates a full 90° forward, enabling you to point the camera straight down.

This is quite rigid, and would support a large camera pointing down between two legs. A weight on the rear leg wouldn't be a bad idea.

Majestic tripods come in two styles, one leg per side and two legs per side. They're both extremely strong. The heads are rated for 35 pounds.

- Leigh

[Dan Fromm]

If I want to take photos of something on the ground - what would be a good setup to do this? Thnx
With the optical axis pointing down or parallel to the ground?

[Darin Boville]

The standard Majestic head rotates a full 90° forward, enabling you to point the camera straight down.

This is quite rigid, and would support a large camera pointing down between two legs. A weight on the rear leg wouldn't be a bad idea.

Majestic tripods come in two styles, one leg per side and two legs per side. They're both extremely strong. The heads are rated for 35 pounds.

- Leigh

They also sell an extension arm which will move the head away from the tripod center column, if you want to point down over a table, for example. Not as rigid in that case but will work for most purposes. I have one and am very happy with it.

--Darin

[Dave Hally]

I just used my Chamonix, on my Manfrotto 3221(I think that is the tripod number) with my 410 geared head. I wanted to get the camera out over an edge, and still shoot a vertical frame, so I tilted the head 90 degrees to the right, with the film frame vertical, and got the shot. I could have turned the camera 90 degrees on the release plate and pointed it down also, though probably not straight down. When I was using a huge Bogen, I could really hang the camera out there and not have it budge, not as much with this lighter rig.
Dave Hally

[Frank Petronio]

Your enlarger minus the head.

[Leigh]

I forgot to mention that the Majestic heads are all geared heads.

- Leigh

[Pat Kearns]

Cyrus, you only mentioned a tripod head for pointing down. My Feisol tripod, horizontal adapter and Giottos MH5001 pan head looks like this. Of course counter weight is required.

[Frank Petronio]

http://www.glennview.com/copy.htm

That's a nice bit of reading on the subject ;-)

A studio stand, like a Cambo or Foba, is a nice way for studio still life with creative lighting. They are well balanced and their camera arms are counterweighted so it is easy to adjust height.

Once I did a shot through the ceiling. We removed a skylight and shot down.

[Jon Shiu]

Crown tilt top!

Jon

[jeroldharter]

Crown tilt top!

Jon

Competitively priced. I wonder what they charged for the flash device also listed. Imagine what flash photography would have been like back then with LFF input.

[Jon Shiu]

Competitively priced. I wonder what they charged for the flash device also listed. Imagine what flash photography would have been like back then with LFF input.

Flash with magnesium powder and alcohol? I might want to try that sometime, perhaps not near the draperies. And what do they mean by "mouthpiece". Try not to set hair on fire.

Jon


[page from the 1916 Graflex catalog at cameraeccentric.com]

[Bob Salomon]

Linhof 003663 3-Way Leveling Head.

[r.e.]

If you're going to do it with a tripod and no horizontal bar, the trick is to keep the tripod legs out of the shot. This would seem to mean that the factors are how high the camera is from the ground, how wide the lens is and the width of the subject.

There's a photo of a 4x5 at 90º, on a Ries head and Gitzo carbon fibre tripod, here: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=83828

[Jon Shiu]

Also, you can often use rise or shift movements to keep the legs out of the frame.

Jon

[r.e.]

Also, you can often use rise or shift movements to keep the legs out of the frame.

Jon

Clever.

[cyrus]

Thank you all. I am waiting for the first snow now.

[r.e.]

Thank you all. I am waiting for the first snow now.

You mean that the snowstorm on October 29 was a figment of our imagination?

[Merg Ross]

For years, I used a Baco Senior clamshell design for straight down 4x5 and 8x10 field photography. An understanding of tripod positioning is essential when using a clamshell design head. With practice, they are as fast as a three-way head for set-up. If you find one available, grab it; I still use mine from the 1950's.