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Peter Galea
8-Jun-2012, 18:57
Would you trust this setup?
My wife and I are going on a 5 week camping/fly fishing trip through the west. I need to bring the 8x10 but
as space will be limited I can't bring the wooden tripod. This tripod is a Linhof and I know it's not made for
large format, but it is sturdy and the controls lock down tight. I know it's a compromise and not the ideal
situation, but what do you think?

74931

dsphotog
8-Jun-2012, 19:28
If you can't make room for your regular tripod.... It's gotta be better than not shooting.
Or get a bigger car:)

Marc B.
8-Jun-2012, 19:31
You don't say that you are going to hike with your 8 X 10 photo gear.
When there are times to fish...you fish. Camp...you make camp.
Set aside times for LF photography. It's not like you 'shoot from the hip' with LF cameras.

Are you going to have your car near each camp site?
There are enclosed roof-top baggage carriers if you're running out of room inside your vehicle.
You don't need to purchase a carrier, U-Haul also rents car top carriers.

http://www.discountramps.com/roof-box.htm

John Kasaian
8-Jun-2012, 20:07
Tig weld a male 1/4-20 to the hood of your car?

Peter Galea
8-Jun-2012, 20:57
Tig weld a male 1/4-20 to the hood of your car?

Geez John,
I'm supposed to know how to shoot large format, fly fish - and weld?

Erik Larsen
8-Jun-2012, 21:18
Peter, if you are gonna make your way near grand junction Colorado, look me up and I'll take you to my favorite spot on the gunnisson river.
Regards
Erik

sumo
9-Jun-2012, 06:09
What are your alternatives? Shoot smaller format or use another tripod? I think that if this is all you have then why not? As mentioned above, its got to be better than shooting nothing. Just make sure you are careful inserting/removing film holders and wait for vibrations to die down before taking the shot. I generally find huge leg sets to be overrated and put a lot more worth in a good solid head. Linhof legs are reputed to be pretty heavy duty though so it they may look skinny but will probably stand up to the Dorff no problem.

Gem Singer
9-Jun-2012, 07:27
A Dorf, mounted on a spindly spider legged tripod, is as useless as a milking stool for a bull elephant.

BTW, how does your wife feel about you taking your 8x10 outfit on her vacation trip?

E. von Hoegh
9-Jun-2012, 07:37
Eerrrm. I don't trust it. I have a V8, and the first two photos I made with it, it was on a Tiltall. I waited to use the camera further until I got a proper tripod.

You have two problems, instability and vibration. You risk damaging the camera and wasting film. Bring a smaller camera or a bigger tripod. If you have room for an 8x10 camera, you have room for the proper tripod. If you don't have room for the tripod, you don't have room for the camera.

John Kasaian
9-Jun-2012, 08:35
Eerrrm. I don't trust it. I have a V8, and the first two photos I made with it, it was on a Tiltall. I waited to use the camera further until I got a proper tripod.

You have two problems, instability and vibration. You risk damaging the camera and wasting film. Bring a smaller camera or a bigger tripod. If you have room for an 8x10 camera, you have room for the proper tripod. If you don't have room for the tripod, you don't have room for the camera.

My thoughts exactly. When I first got my V8 and was waiting for a tripod, I put it on a Tiltall, which can handle 4x5s,just to play with the movements and even that combination was so scarey I still have flashbacks about it (and that was in my living room with carpet!)

Eric Ashcroft
9-Jun-2012, 09:24
Your tripod should be ok if your not taking photo's & its not Windy ! ho ho .It may look passable if your using a W/A but, put a long lens on & watch what happens,.I have this similar Deardorf 8x10 Sturdy is Best!! they are not overated,believe it/ me, & do you use a bulb shutter release,... but really, why lug all that stuff to miss out ? Peter,..borrow a roof rack-could be easy, Hire a camel ?- Alternatively Take a small axe and improvise-or leave the tripod, take a gun & shoot bears.:cool:
but Seriously, surely it can't be too diff' to strap yo' Big tripod on there somewhere,how about crossways on the rear Fender.
Good luck on yo' shoot, Kind R'grds.. Eric.

aluncrockford
9-Jun-2012, 11:45
Your tripod should be fine, just take a string bag with you and when needed fill it full of heavy stuff and hang it from the centre column, that will solve your stability problems

darr
9-Jun-2012, 15:27
I really would not trust that tripod. I once put a Wisner 5x7" on a Gitzo that was rated for up to 4x5", I learned quickly what "up to" meant shortly after racking it out. A later phone call to Wisner (when they were still in business) about a possible repair made me realize the value of a tripod designed for appropriate gear. My 2 cents.

Brian Ellis
9-Jun-2012, 15:59
I'd go by how it feels to you. If it feels sturdy enough it probably is. I sometimes used a Gitzo aluminum medium format tripod with my 8x10 Deardorffs (if anyone's interested I'll dig out the tripod and get the exact model name, I haven't used the tripod in years). It was sufficiently sturdy and worked fine even though it was supposed to be for medium format cameras.

TheDeardorffGuy
9-Jun-2012, 18:10
The most critical part on a Deardorff V8 is the rear extension and how the focusing shoes fit in the slots. If you can lock down the column and NEVER use it and the shoes do not rock back and forth this tripod will work just fine. Why can you not bring "the wooden tripod"?

cdholden
9-Jun-2012, 19:30
Peter, if you are gonna make your way near grand junction Colorado, look me up and I'll take you to my favorite spot on the gunnisson river.
Regards
Erik

Veering from the topic, I know... but I can offer a similar service if you should ever find yourself in middle or eastern TN.

Peter Galea
12-Jun-2012, 18:08
OK, I am taking the Ries. I will find room.
Gem, you got me with the "spindly spider legs", thing. What was I thinking?

Thanks for all the replies, especially Eric and cd, with the fishing offers. (you guys really know what matters).

Vaughn
12-Jun-2012, 18:16
Go for it. Take extra care setting things up, let things settle down before tripping the shutter, and don't use it in the wind. I have used worse combos.

Edited -- you are taking the Ries. Good!

Jody_S
12-Jun-2012, 19:24
So long as it's not too windy, you should be ok if you take basic precautions. That's about what I use with my V8, since I haven't found a good tripod yet.

mandoman7
14-Jun-2012, 08:18
If you have the right technique and run some trial tests, you can occasionally work around some of photography's standard rules. If you put a small glass of water (plastic cup or shot glass) on top of the 8x10 with its tripod, you'll get a vivid look at what makes your outfit shake, and when things are actually still. One thing I learned doing this was to wait a few seconds after pulling the slide, as it takes a moment for a big outfit to settle after being touched, even on big, heavy tripods. Another thing the glass revealed was that some shutters can introduce movement (like packards) even when the camera's support is rigid. The point being, its good to test your equipment and to know when and where the movement occurs.