Need help finding a tall tripod

[John Brady]

I am looking for a really tall tripod to hold up to 15 lbs. I would like one that is at least 7 ft tall or taller. It will need to handle being stood in water up to 6 ft deep. I don't need a Rolls-Royce quality just functionality.

Someone had suggested that I look at Majestic but I'm afraid I'll screw up the geared head sticking it under water.

Any model, brands etc would be appreciated!

www.timeandlight.com

[Alan Gales]

Google Bencher. I have heard that they have an adapter that allows you to mount a
regular tripod head to a Majestic tripod.

[cdholden]

I would be interested in a barrel/post adapter to 3/8" for using other heads on my Majestic tripod if anyone knows where to find such an adapter. The geared head is nice, but I agree with John. I wouldn't want it in water, especially not in his area.
My old Bogen 3047 had all kinds of muck from Everglades and Loxahatchee trips when I lived in Florida.

John,
For what it's worth, my old Bogen 3036 legs stood up to water pretty well. It uses the center post to get its height. It even spent time in the Indian River Lagoon and on various beaches and inlets from Sebastian to Key West. While washing it after use is important, the oxidized aluminum always annoyed me. No matter how much I tried to clean it, I always got the grey hands from handling it. If I was living in south Florida again, I'd consider wood offerings.

Chris

[Alan Gales]

I would be interested in a barrel/post adapter to 3/8" for using other heads on my Majestic tripod if anyone knows where to find such an adapter. The geared head is nice, but I agree with John. I wouldn't want it in water, especially not in his area.
My old Bogen 3047 had all kinds of muck from Everglades and Loxahatchee trips when I lived in Florida.

Contact Bencher. I have heard that they one.

[Alan Gales]

Sorry! That should have said that I heard that they have one!

[cdholden]

Sorry! That should have said that I heard that they have one!

I just called. They don't have one.
On the bright side, I was able to score a 3/8" (part # 555) to replace the 1/4" screw I currently have on my 6x7" platform. Apparently, they only have a few of these 3/8" screws left and will not be making any more. If you need one, now is the time to get one.

[Alan Gales]

That's too bad. I had heard a couple years ago that they had them. It seems like every time I turn around something else is no longer made!

[rdenney]

I have an old Bogen 3046 with extension legs. It will put the top of the legs at about six feet, and with the center column extended it will be at seven feet and change. It will put the base of the tripod head at 7'-4", and if you use a tall head like the Bogen 3047, the camera platform will be at 7'-9". I just stood mine up and measured it.

The Bogen number for the extension legs is 3052, and they fit on the 3046 and 3051 tripods that had feet held in with twist collars. The 3046 and 3051 tripods legs are abundant and can often be had in banged-up condition for under a hundred bucks.

Cambridge (shudder!) lists them for $38, which is a deal if they really do have them. Otherwise, you'll have to dig for them.

For this application, they are ideal--these tripods can be hosed down and disassembled pretty easily.

Rick "don't forget to bring a ladder" Denney

[John Brady]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I will have to look for the Bogen.
Any of you with experience with the Majestic, would you recommend the twin beam like the 4800 or the single legs? I have found several of each type reasonably priced.
Thanks!
www.timeandlight.com

[lenser]

John, Mine is single beam and thus very light weight while still very sturdy. Compare weights on the Bogens. I had for many years that broke my back without a camera attached so they can be quite heavy for any sort of trekking and about 18 inches shorter. Great tripods though. Finding the Majestic was what allowed me to sell the Bogen.

[Sizam]

Look into the Gitzo 500xG (Giant) series, they're 102' tall w/out a column.

http://www.gitzo.com/product/GT5561SGT

[Richard Wasserman]

Since you'll need a ladder anyway with a tripod this tall, what about just mounting a tripod head to the top of a stepladder and not using a tripod at all?

[Alan Gales]

Since you'll need a ladder anyway with a tripod this tall, what about just mounting a tripod head to the top of a stepladder and not using a tripod at all?

What a great idea! :)

[rdenney]

Look into the Gitzo 500xG (Giant) series, they're 102' tall w/out a column.

http://www.gitzo.com/product/GT5561SGT

102'? Wow, that's tall! (Did you mean 102"--yes, I'm being a jerk.)

Remember that he intends to put this underwater. I would therefore buy something that is all metal, cheap, and easily taken apart.

Rick "who dropped a Gitzo monopod in a lake once and had to replace the fiber friction rings in the clamping collars" Denney

[Alan Gales]

I think Richard might be on to something. If you bought an 8' aluminum step ladder and fastened a plate on top of it for rigidity and then attached a tripod head onto it.

If you are handy you could even rig up a short center column using a lockable collar and a piece of pipe. Of course you would need to attach a plate onto the end of the pipe for the tripod head to mount.

[John Brady]

I have a ladder rig I currently use, I mount a gitzo lveling head with a ball head through a hole on the top of various step ladders. This works great in the field, but my current project is to photograph in about 5 ft of water on the edge of lakes while sitting beside the tripod in my small boat. I have a shallow water anchor system that keeps the boat from moving so I don't knock over the tripod. I considered using a ladder in the water but it's too unstable.

Sorry I can't post pictures from my iPad, on Monday when I'm back in the studio I will post my 8x10 on top of a ladder.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Please keep em coming!

Here is a link to my ladder on face book.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150458996608147&set=a.102007643146.89897.67225743146&type=1&ref=nf

www.timeandlight.com

[Alan Gales]

Well John, I hope you find your answer. You take beautiful photographs!

[John Brady]

Thanks Alan!
Here is my ladder rig discussed above with my Ebony 810 slw. The other image is a tree I shot last week in about 5 feet of water. The best composition was setting up in six feet which my tripod couldn't handle. The last one is just for fun!

I think I have purchased a Majestic 2500 and head very reasonably. The Gizo gint series looks awesome but I can't find any used ones and the new ones are, forget about it!

www.timeandlight.com

[johnmsanderson]

I use a Gitzo 504 Giant, bought from a forum member 2 years after he listed it. They are hard to find used. I love mine, goes up to 100" or so and pretty rock solid. I have a folding ladder that I take with me in the car. A pretty economical setup for some extra height which comes in handy in and around cities.

As long as you're of average height you only need a 4-5' ladder to see to the top of a big tripod like the G504. Mounting the camera on a 9 foot ladder would never work for me in nyc.

John -- how do you keep water out of the tripod leg sections or is that not an issue?

www.john-sanderson.com

[Kirk Gittings]

The Bogen extention legs have been hard to find for a very long time. I think they are no longer made.

OTOH, It is easy to make extension legs for those tripods of any length. I use some 10' made of 1/2" pipe-very heavy and very stable. They get me up about 13' if I need it. I tried aluminum but it was too flexi in the wind. I think maybe electrical conduit might be a good compromise.

[rdenney]

The Bogen extention legs have been hard to find for a very long time. I think they are no longer made.

OTOH, It is easy to make extension legs for those tripods of any length. I use some 10' made of 1/2" pipe-very heavy and very stable. They get me up about 13' if I need it. I tried aluminum but it was too flexi in the wind. I think maybe electrical conduit might be a good compromise.

I'll have to measure the diameter of my extension legs to see if they correspond to any common diameter.

Of course, this tripod will be protected from the wind by being damped (and dampened) by immersion. Water currents are another matter, heh.

Rick "noting the need for Bogen legs that came with the removable feet" Denney

[John Brady]

John -- how do you keep water out of the tripod leg sections or is that not an issue?

www.john-sanderson.com
I don't do anything to keep the water out. Just do my best to rinse after use. I have completely destroyed one Gitzo CF tripod and am well on my way to destroying another. The couplings that join the legs don't like the combination of sand and salt water.

I would love to find an aluminum gitzo giant series but it may take a while. I have started the process of buying a majestic tripod from a private individual, #2500 with a majestic head for $150. At that price I'm sure it will work out great for now. Weight isn't an issue because I will be working from my boat. Actually, I think the heavier the better for submerging in deep water. My Berlebach tries to float when I submerge it up to the top.

Thanks for all the great ideas for extending legs with conduit, etc.

www.timeandlight.com

[Brian C. Miller]

Here is what may be the current record holder without actually being a ladder: Tree-pod from Fishbone (http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2012/09/05/scale-new-heights-with-the-tree-pod/). This is a 3.3m tripod that you can climb up.