tripod for Sinar f2?

[buggz]

Anyone know what tripod I will need for Sinar f2?
And, a ball head, or a pan head?
I welcome direct experiences, thanks!

[Leigh]

Here's my 8x10 F2 with 360mm Nikkor and Sinar pan/tilt mount on the small Majestic tripod.
http://www.mayadate.org/pix/SinarF2Majestic_0627s.jpg
Absolutely rock solid, although I usually use the larger Majestic for this camera.

(Pardon the p&s grab shot.)

I would never recommend a ball head for a view camera. It's hard enough setting up one axis at a time.

- Leigh

[Peter De Smidt]

Get a Sinar Pan/Tilt head, and put it on a Gitzo series III or series V tripod.

[buggz]

It may seem trivial, but I really appreciate the replies.
I am getting prepared for my f2 system arrival.
The wait is killing me.

[rdenney]

Actually, any decent-size tripod will work. I would MUCH rather have a cheaper set of used Bogen legs with a Sinar tilt-head than the latest Glitzo-matic (sic) with its own head, at any price. If the Sinar head seems too pricey, get cheaper legs.

Bogen 3036 legs are heavy and sometimes a bit rattly, but they usually lock down to a very tight and stiff truss. They are easy to level and provide a lot of flexibility for camera height. With a Sinar tilt-head, they are completely competent for an F2. The legs are often available in the hundred-buck range.

You could also get a Ries wooden tripod and spend real money, and do better than the Gitzo in my opinion--wood is the original composite and it damps high-frequency vibrations pretty well. Berlebach makes a reasonable and much cheaper alternative wooden tripod.

Whatever legs you get, put a Sinar tilt-head on it. Used, they run between $200 and $300, and are worth it for use with Sinar cameras.

Rick "who has tried all the favored alternatives and still ended up with the Sinar tilt-head--on Bogen legs" Denney

[buggz]

Thanks, the Sinar pan/tilt head was included w/ my kit purchase, cool.
I have it mounted on my current tripod, seems okay.
What about a leveling base? What would hold this enormous load?
I don't think all the cheapy ones I see would, I would guess all the reviews are from 35mm users.

[Leigh]

You can easily level the tripod itself without a leveling base.

Those are just marketing gimmicks to separate you from your money.

- Leigh

[Frank Petronio]

The leveling base is quite nice with a heavy camera but I would first put the money into legs myself. A Gitzo 3-series for 4x5 and 5-series for 8x10 is a good starting point but you'll hear a lot of amateurs saying they use lighter legs and a lot of old pros saying that tripods are never heavy enough....

The Sinar Pan-Tilt is gold ;-)

[buggz]

Okay, thanks, I really do need another tripod anyway, just for this system, as it would be VERY inconvenient/difficult to remove this monster weight just to simply be able to use my 5DMkII.
Monster weight is an understatement, coming from a DSLR, this thing is huge!
I like it though, I've always wanted to learn this, now I have many days of work ahead to keep me occupied, yey!
I did purchase the Sinar tripod mount clamp #2, or whatever, it is MUCH better built than the standard Sinar tripod mount bracket, it just makes me feel better, *8^)
So new tripod it is, thanks again, much appreciated.

[Jim Andrada]

I use my Libec video tripod with an appropriate pan tilt head on top. The Libec(like a lot of video tripods) accommodates a leveling half-ball. So I get sort of close with the legs and then final adjust with the leveling ball - there's a locking handle underneath the ball that just takes a quick twist to lock everything up firmly.

The tripod itself is light and pretty sturdy.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/459153-REG/Libec_T72_T72_75mm_2_Stage_Aluminum.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/366662-REG/Manfrotto_520BALLSH_520BALLSH_75mm_Half_Ball_with.html

[erie patsellis]

I use my Libec video tripod with an appropriate pan tilt head on top. The Libec(like a lot of video tripods) accommodates a leveling half-ball. So I get sort of close with the legs and then final adjust with the leveling ball - there's a locking handle underneath the ball that just takes a quick twist to lock everything up firmly.

The tripod itself is light and pretty sturdy.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/459153-REG/Libec_T72_T72_75mm_2_Stage_Aluminum.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/366662-REG/Manfrotto_520BALLSH_520BALLSH_75mm_Half_Ball_with.html

I have a Lisand that is similar, it was given to me and I had my doubts, but after taking it out a couple of times all my other tripods sit at home.

erie

[jbog]

Get a Majestic tripod & the geared head. Some models will support cameras up to 40 pounds. You will never be disappointed with it. It is still made in the USA. They usually go for very reasonable prices on eBay. I have 2.
Link >>> http://www.bencher.com/photo/tripods.php

>>> Jim

[Leigh]

I also have two Majestic tripods. Either one will handle my 8x10 Sinar F2 with all its accessories quite easily.

Excellent product. I highly recommend them.

- Leigh

[George E. Sheils]

When I had my F2 I used it with a Berlebach Report 3032.

This had the hemispherical levelling base built in and I could use the Sinar P&T head with it.

Worked great. :)