Advice about tripod

[Leonard Evens]

I've been using a Toho (not Toyo) FC-45X camera with an old Tiltall Professional tripod. The camera with my heaviest lens weighs about 4 lbs, so in terms of weight is more like a medium format camera than a large format camera. My tripod weighs about 6 lbs, and is more than adequate to handle the camera. But it is somewhat large and bulky.

I haven't been doing much photography of any sort for the past two years because of pain from spinal stenosis. But in January I had surgery which fused three vertebrae. I am still in recovery, but already I have much less pain, and in a month or so, I expect to be close to pain free. So I will want to be going out with my Toho again. To this end I am considering getting a Calumet Carbon fiber tripod weighing under 4 lbs. If I get a 3 way pan head, which is what I am used to, the result will weigh about the same as my Tiltall, but if I get a small ball head, adequate for the weight, I will save one lb. In either case the resulting tripod will be easier to pack and take up less space, but clearly the ball head will have an advantage.

I am nervous about switching to a ball head. The weight of the camera and lens is not an issue, but the question is how easy will it be for me to set up the camera. I am used to leveling the camera from front to back and then from side to side. Is there any danger of an accident of some sort because of failure to tighten the head?

So what advice can any of you offer, particularly those who use ball heads with a view camera.

[wmsey]

No need to be nervous - that's all I use with LF gear - with the exception of architectural work. A pan head is in it's element when a building or building interior is the subject - they are just faster to use.

I wrote up a little piece comparing several lightweight ball heads (since weight seems to be on you mind - I've got a back like yours and it's always on mine)

http://www.twentymillionthings.com/2010/10/15/three-lightweight-ball-heads/

It's a start. There are plenty of ball heads out there. Just learn to set the drag fairly stiff and you'll be happy with most any well made ball head.

[Richard Wasserman]

I dislike ball heads with large format cameras, I find them much too fiddly. I would use a 3-way head and suggest you look at a Manfrotto 804RC2. It works well with light-weight cameras such as your Toho, and weighs less than 2 pounds.

[Alan Gales]

Leonard,

I had a back fusion back in 1994 so I empathize with you.

Do yourself a favor and don't make any decisions now. Finish your therapy and then go back to photography. Your back will let you know what you can and can't do at that point. Then you can make educated decisions.

Good luck to you!

Alan

[Leonard Evens]

I dislike ball heads with large format cameras, I find them much too fiddly. I would use a 3-way head and suggest you look at a Manfrotto 804RC2. It works well with light-weight cameras such as your Toho, and weighs less than 2 pounds.

That would certainly work with my normal setup. But I also have a panoramic head weighing about 2 lbs. That might be more than the 3-way head can take easily. Of course, in principle the pan head would fit directly on the tripod legs, but then I would have to level it by fiddling with the legs.

I do in fact do quite a lot of (outdoor) architectural photography, and I often spend lots of time getting verticals vertical.

While I'm at it, can anyone recommend very light tripod legs which will easily support my Toho. I'm not committed to the Calumet Carbon fiber, but I don't want to spend a fortune.

[Ari]

Leonard,
I just bought a Triopo CF tripod from these guys: http://www.linkdelight.com/
They have several models, the one I bought weighs about 2lbs and can support up to 14kg (30lbs); it also came with a ball head and cost around $220 including shipping.
And Alan is right, too; get back to it when your body says it's ok.
Good luck.

[darr]

Hey Leonard!
I love my RRS BH-55 (http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=BH-55-Pro&type=3&eq=&desc=BH-55-Pro%3a-Full-sized-ballhead-with-Pro&key=it) for my Ebony 45S, but not for my A/S cameras past & present. For these metal view cameras it is the studio stand or pan head on heavy aluminum tripod (Gitzo Pro-Studex w/Rational 4 pan head - will be posting in For Sale section soon). If your camera weighs around the Ebony's weight (~5lbs without lens) and has a top handle (I hold onto the Ebony's when adjusting the ball head), I would consider a ball head.

Kind regards,
Darr

[Leonard Evens]

Leonard,
I just bought a Triopo CF tripod from these guys: http://www.linkdelight.com/
They have several models, the one I bought weighs about 2lbs and can support up to 14kg (30lbs); it also came with a ball head and cost around $220 including shipping.
And Alan is right, too; get back to it when your body says it's ok.
Good luck.

I can't find that tripod at that site, nor at any other site.

[Dan Fromm]

Leonard, I'm sure that the last thing you need is more weight and complexity, but do look into a ball leveler, either something like the Manfrotto 438 (not the only one of its kind) or a tripod with an integral leveling ball. Some of the Berlebach line have them, and I'm sure there are others that do too.

I make the suggestion because I use a Manfrotto 138 (ancestor of the 438) with a 3-axis head on top of it and rarely have to fiddle with the legs to make the pan axis vertical. Setup is fast and easy. Only fairly uneven ground forces me to level crudely with the legs.

[Ari]

I can't find that tripod at that site, nor at any other site.

The GT-3228:
http://www.linkdelight.com/K9T-Triopo-Carbon-Fiber-Tripod-GT-3228X8.C-4-Section-w/-B-2-BallHead.html

[Bruce Watson]

I've been using a Toho (not Toyo) FC-45X camera with an old Tiltall Professional tripod. The camera with my heaviest lens weighs about 4 lbs, so in terms of weight is more like a medium format camera than a large format camera. My tripod weighs about 6 lbs, and is more than adequate to handle the camera.
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but if I get a small ball head, adequate for the weight, I will save one lb.
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I am nervous about switching to a ball head.

I use a Gitzo 1227 tripod with an Arca-Swiss B1 under my Toho. The B1 was the best thing going when I bought it, but there have been a number of smaller and lighter ball heads introduced since then. My tripod/head weighs in at 5.1 lbs.

As to use, it's easy and simple, but your workflow will change. What I do is secure the camera on the head (quick release plates are highly recommended), then immediately level the back. The Toho makes this easy since it's so light. I hold the camera from underneath by the rail where it's easy to control, then loosen the ball and level the back and tighten it back up. Then I plumb the back separately. It's quicker to do it than to describe it.

[Doremus Scudder]

Leonard,

I've used a very lightweight tripod (the carbon-fiber tripod is even lighter) and the Manfrotto 3D Junior camera head (056) for years now for my field kit. It supports a Wista DX with an SA 90mm or the Nikkor M 300mm with no problems. All my other lenses are lighter than those two (I like to keep things light). I like the 056 head because of its lightweight and the fact that I can use it both as a ball head and a standard 3-way head. If one loosens all controls, it functions very much like a ball head, but one can also adjust pan, and both tilts independently.

You can see it here (scroll down a bit): http://www.manfrotto.com/photo-heads-three-way

The problem I have had with ball heads in the past is that when one needs to level side-to-side or front-to-back, you also have to loosen the pan control. This often makes it frustrating to make small adjustments. There are ball heads with a separate pan lock, but they are just about as heavy as a regular head.

Hope this helps a bit,

And, all the best for a speedy recovery and return to photography,

Doremus

[Brian Ellis]

I don't care for ball heads with LF but I use a Really Right Stuff ball head for my digital camera. It's a great head, maybe the best you can buy to deal with your concern about an accident while tightening the head. The RRS heads use a lever to tighten the clamp rather than the more common knob. Set the camera in the clamp, snap the lever shut, and that's it, the camera is securely mounted. I've never had the camera drop while tightening the head with the RRS head but that happened 3 or 4 times with the Arca Swiss knob style over the many years when I used that head - clearly my fault, not the head's fault, but something that for me was more prone to happen with the knob system of tightening rather than a lever that snaps into place.