New FLM Series II Tripods

Posted with moderator approval.

Greetings, everybody!

I've been away for a while, taking a break from photography and honing my carpentry skills. But I still represent FLM ball heads and tripods, and I wanted to let you know about the new Series II tripods.

We have 3 new tripods on offer: CP30-L4 II, CP34 L4 II and CP38-L4 II; all of them would be ideal for large format photography - especially the latter two.
The number (30, 34, 38) in the designation refers to the maximum tube diameter (mm); L means Long (longer leg sections).

The center post has been entirely eliminated, and all three tripods reach a maximum height of 68 inches (173cm).
You can see specs and other details here: http://www.flmcanada.com/new-series-ii-tripods.html

The new features include an updated carbon fibre structure (stronger and lighter with increased load capacity), a leaner design resulting in lighter weight and smaller bulk, standard size 3/8" spike feet, 10x carbon tubes, built-in half-bowl (CP34 and CP38), and a greater maximum height.
The CP34 accepts 75mm bowl accessories, and the CP38 accepts both 75mm (with adapter) and 100mm bowl accessories.

These “L” (Long) size tripods are only available in North America; the European and Asian markets offer different sizes: medium (M) size and small (S) size, respectively.

You can order a tripod directly from the linked website and save 15% off the (eventual) store price. My first delivery will be in September.
If you have any questions, you can post them here, or contact me directly by email: ari @ flmcanada dot com (without the spaces).

Thank you

Timely!

Wonderful

Ari,

What do the rubber feet look like?

Are the spikes storable inside the lower leg?

How do the spikes fit with rubber feet?

Are the legs sealed from dust and water?

Will you offer a leveling ball, preferably 100mm?

Is there a hanging hook or female threads under the plates?

Is the CF still Japan sourced?

The rest is still German machined and assembled in Germany?

Are the locks 1/4 turn?

Lastly, how much torque is required to lock legs? I know that may vary, but I have seen GITZO I cannot open. Old man, painful hands...

Hi Randy,
Good questions, thanks for asking.

What do the rubber feet look like?
Are the spikes storable inside the lower leg?
How do the spikes fit with rubber feet?
Here is a photo of the leg with rubber foot and one photo of the leg with spike.
Attachment 193316
Attachment 193317
The spikes are not meant to be stored inside the leg, the rubber feet and spikes are two different things, i.e., one is not retractable, revealing the other., and you have to remove one in order to use the other.
Hope I understood that question correctly.

Are the legs sealed from dust and water?
Having felt-lined grips would offer good protection, but it'd also make the leg sections much harder to retract and replace.
Without using felt-lined grips, FLM grips have always been quite good in protecting against water, sand and dust.
The design permits quick and simple disassembly for regular cleaning. A tripod can be disassembled, wiped down and re-assembled in about 5-6 minutes.

Will you offer a leveling ball, preferably 100mm?
Yes, we have 75mm and 100mm levelling balls.
If you want to use a 75mm ball on the CP38 tripod, which has a 100mm bowl, then we also offer a 100-75 reducer.

Is there a hanging hook or female threads under the plates?
There's a socket for a hook.

Is the CF still Japan sourced?
The rest is still German machined and assembled in Germany?
New owners have been in place for two years now; I'm not as involved with day-to-day affairs as I used to be, but I don't think any of the suppliers have changed, nor has the supply chain been greatly affected.
Our CF is sourced from Japan; plastic bushings, rubber feet and nylon parts are made in Taiwan; aluminum machining and assembly is done in-house (Germany), while some other parts come from Central Europe (Czech Rep., Hungary).
The ball heads are still 100% German made, and the factory is slowly moving towards full automation for the ball head manufacturing. Some assembly will still have to be done by humans, especially the friction control assembly.

Are the locks 1/4 turn?
Lastly, how much torque is required to lock legs? I know that may vary, but I have seen GITZO I cannot open. Old man, painful hands...
Yes, they've always been 1/4 turn, or close to, on every tripod. I'd probably say it's more of 1/3 turn, but not a big difference.
The important thing is that the tripod opens and folds quickly and easily, and above all, that it never gets in the way of one's work.
Best thing about a tripod is when you don't notice it's there.
My hands are ok, but I've never strained to tighten the grips of our tripods, or loosen them.
When tightening, once enough friction is felt, a quick light cinch is enough to secure the leg section.
Don't know what that translates to in pounds per foot, but if you can tighten down an 8x10's front standard, you should be fine.

Thanks for the questions.

So these tripods are an evolution from the Indiegogo Berlin 38.4 Tripod? https://www.dpreview.com/news/111743...d-on-indiegogo

I must have missed that offering. I was very busy in 2017.

The FLM Canada website does not show a 100mm leveler. http://www.flmcanada.com/

Correct, the CP38-L4 II is an updated Berlin; it also uses 38mm tubes, but the spiked feet are now universal 3/8".
The method for changing accessories (flat plate to half-bowl, for example) is now different.
The new CP38 tripod weighs about 200g less than the Berlin, and is noticeably slimmer at the top when folded. It can also stand more weight thanks to a design tweak and a new carbon weaving method.

As for the CP34, we've never offered this tripod, as far as I know, and certainly not in North America.

I've updated the FLM Canada website to show that the HB-75, HB-100 and 100-75 reducer are also available.
I can supply prices for those by email, but expect the HB units to be in the $50-$60 range, and the adapter to cost around $30.00.
Thank you

Thanks, Johnny. Here's the updated link.

Mark Morris reviews the Series II tripods:
https://youtu.be/TcUkYD-lOw0

Anybody else preorder a tripod?

My first new tripod in 20 years.

I went for the CP38-L4 II & HB-100, exactly what I wanted from FLM 5 years ago.

I'm still using the Bogen tripod I got in 1985. Maybe it is time to upgrade. What about that ball head? How does that work with a LF camera? What are all the knobs. I'm afraid I loosen the ball and the camera spills over right, left or center... I have only used a ball head with a plastic camera or something I can hand hold.

I hope Tin Can posts some pictures of his in use with an 8x10 camera on board.

I didn't buy the ball head as I don't want one ever. I have tried them.

When I get it, I will show you mine, if you show me yours. :)

I rarely use a ball head with LF cameras anymore, unless I need to position the camera more than 15˚ off-axis. That very rarely happens.
Randy's set-up is ideal: study tripod with a large, wide base providing 15˚ of movement in any direction, that also locks down rock-solid.
I've been using an identical set-up (with a previous-generation tripod) for some years now, and it's proven to be utterly reliable. Not difficult to carry either.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tin Can

I didn't buy the ball head as I don't want one ever. I have tried them.

When I get it, I will show you mine, if you show me yours. :)

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I like my tripod but I'd like to believe that modern materials can make one lighter with the same strength. I think this model was designed in the late 1970s.
Attachment 193561

Looking at the photo of that Bogen brings back vivid memories of sore shoulders and displaced vertebrae.
Yes, modern gear is a lot lighter and just as capable.

Is that the one with levers that release the legs? I have one, my knee knocks the lever open, oops! Or the one which has red levers under the head that unlock the legs, I have one of those also, way heavy and I fear it will fail and drop the camera.

You think the FLM are too heavy...

I also tried an old Series 5 Gitzo, not good for me.

Now we all wait for delivery.

Be patient...

I am.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ic-racer

I like my tripod but I'd like to believe that modern materials can make one lighter with the same strength. I think this model was designed in the late 1970s.
Attachment 193561

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Delivery is now confirmed for first week of September for all orders, and "thank you" to everybody here who took us up on the new tripods.
There will be a few tripods remaining, so the special prices will remain in effect until supply runs out.

I've also added a new tripod, the CP30-S4 II, essentially a short version of the L4 tripod.
It gets to 55 inches tall, folds down to 19 inches and weighs 2.8 pounds. No center post.
It's now available for direct purchase from the FLM website: http://www.flmcanada.com/new-series-ii-tripods.html

Thank you

EDIT: My apologies, a minor correction in the specs for the S4 tripod.
It reaches 53.5 inches in height, or 136 cm.

Great news Ari!

After using my new one, I may also be interested in the S4.

Waiting patiently...:cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ari

Delivery is now confirmed for first week of September for all orders, and "thank you" to everybody here who took us up on the new tripods.
There will be a few tripods remaining, so the special prices will remain in effect until supply runs out.

I've also added a new tripod, the CP30-S4 II, essentially a short version of the L4 tripod.
It gets to 55 inches tall, folds down to 19 inches and weighs 2.8 pounds. No center post.
It's now available for direct purchase from the FLM website: http://www.flmcanada.com/new-series-ii-tripods.html

Thank you

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My apologies, a minor correction in the specs for the S4 tripod.
It reaches 53.5 inches in height, or 136 cm.

Just wanted to thank everyone here who bought a tripod, and also let you all know that we are in production again.
More tripods are on the way and special pricing will remain in effect for one more production run.
I expect the next delivery to occur around Hallowe'en.

There are a couple of CP38 tripods still in stock if time is of the essence.
Let me know if you have any questions; thanks.

Update for everyone:
There are two new members of the Series II family: a new travel tripod and what we call a hybrid tripod.

• CP26-Travel II is an update to the successful CP26-Travel introduced in 2016. It has the same features as other Series II tripods: no centre post, revised leg angle locks and standardized interchangeable feet. It's a 5-section, carry-on friendly tripod that can be used with a wide variety of cameras and lenses.
• CP30-M5 Hybrid is somewhere between a travel tripod and a traditional, standard-size tripod, but with thicker legs. Still carry-on friendly, yet taller than average, and very sturdy for a 5-section tripod.

Both tripods are now available for pre-order on this page (scroll down): http://www.flmcanada.com/new-series-ii-tripods.html
I've also attached the full spec chart here.

Thank you

Attachment 200094

When does pre order end?

Pre-order will likely end around Feb 20, and by then, the stores will be offering the tripods on special from Feb 20 to March 2.
Store specials should be roughly the same as the pre-sale prices.
Thanks, Randy.

Ari, It seems lots of tripods have a max height around 60 inches. Could an 8 or 12 inch carbon tube extension be screwed into the feet threads that would be stable for those of us that want just a little more height?

Hey Eric,
Actually, all tripods ending in "L4" reach 68 inches, the others vary in maximum height from 53" to 60".
CP30-L4, CP34-L4 and CP38-L4 are all 68" tall. Most customers I've spoken to, who are 6' and over, find these tripods to be very comfortable to use; add a head and QR clamp, and you'd be at 72".
If you need a taller tripod, we do make a 5-section CP34 and CP38 that reaches 73", but that's special order and will take extra time to get.
Alternatively, the CP34 and CP38 tripods will soon have a center post available, hopefully by late spring 2020.
Thanks for the question, let me know if you need more information.

No centre post yet, but we did introduce 2 new tripods, and a third is coming soon.

• CP26-Travel II - a revised version of our successful travel tripod; this one reaches 53" in height, collapses to 20", and has no center post.
• CP30-M5 II Hybrid - my new favourite tripod; it reaches 60 inches high, collapses to 18 inches, uses 30mm tubes and is good for traveling with heavier cameras, like a Mamiya RZ67 or a 4x5 field camera.
  A good balance between portability/compactness and strength/sturdiness.

Coming later this month is the smallest tripod of the bunch, the CP22-S4 II.
It is a thin-tube tripod, capable of morphing into a monopod, tabletop tripod, mini tripod, walking pole, grapple stick and more.
MSRP on that will be ~$300.00

Let me know if you have any questions.

Just letting everyone know, if you were considering an FLM tripod, they're on sale at the moment: 15% off through B&H and Adorama.
Ball heads are at 10% off.

This sale runs until September 25, but will resume a couple of times over the fall, ending for good in the new year.
Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ari

Just letting everyone know, if you were considering an FLM tripod, they're on sale at the moment: 15% off through B&H and Adorama.
Ball heads are at 10% off.

This sale runs until September 25, but will resume a couple of times over the fall, ending for good in the new year.
Thanks!

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Thanks to the sale I finally pulled the trigger on the CP34 L4II. Its only a pound and a half more than the travel tripod I had been using but feels so much more durable and stable, and is really, really tall. I have only used it on one outing but like it so far. One minor issue - When you carry the camera on the tripod and leave the legs extended, they tend to cross. Needs a zero position lock or a barrier near the angle lock.

Hi Eric,
Thank you for the sterling recommendation and for your suggestion as well.
You can tighten the two screws on either side of the "knuckle" and adjust the tightness to your taste.
Before doing that, though, see if the legs are as loose when one or two leg sections is retracted. If yes, then adjust.
If not, then you should leave it as it is, as it's been properly adjusted at the factory.
Thanks again, and enjoy your new tripod!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to let you know about our last sale of the year, happening now until January 4.

FLM tripods are at 15% off, ball heads, clamps and plates are at 10% off. B&H, Adorama, FLM USA and FLM Canada are the participating retailers.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me here or through the FLM Canada website.

Thanks!

I recently bought a couple RRS ball heads. I looked at the MODERN Manfrotto and Gitzo stuff and was shocked at what kind of junk is being sold. I picked up some vintage, mid 90's NOS Black anodized aluminum Manfrotto legs, not anything high end carbon fiber.

I will give a look at your products.
Best Regards Mike

Mike, good to hear from you. I welcome any and all inquiries and questions.

Hello, I am trying to revive this older thread. :) I am searching for a tripod which would be more suitable for large format than my current (old) Manfrotto 055PROB+488RC4. While the Manfrotto is so-so okayish with my lightweight wooden 5x7 camera togehter with short to tele lenses (my maximum is Tele-Xenar 360 5.5), it is quite wobbly with Burke&James Commercial 5x7. Maybe in the future I will want to try some lightweight 8x10 with a standard lens, Intrepid or similar weight. I am 175 cm tall(=should be nearly 5′9″). Usage planned is in the field/studio 80/20. Landscape/portrait. I am looking at FLM CP34-L4 II in combination with the leveling base HB-75 + QLB-80 plate. What I plan to gain against the Manfrotto mentioned is better stability and lower weight. I do not plan to use any ballhead for LF anymore. Can you recommend this solution? I would purchase it in the FLM Europe e-shop. I can see, there is now the L version available for Europe too...

Dobry den,
Your proposed set up is an excellent choice. If shooting 8x10, I would not go any lighter or smaller than the CP34 tripod.
As such, depending on your eventual 8x10 camera, you might want to consider the CP38-L4 II, with either the HB-100 or the HB-75 with the 75-100 adapter.
You'll find the L4 quite tall for view camera use, but tat's better than too short.
If Europe sells a CP34-M4 or CP34-S4, it would be worth considering if this tripod will be used mainly with view cameras.
Good luck!

Thank you for super quick reply! I would consider the medium and small version too. The long version would bring some benefits when used on the slope in the field. As I can see in the German FLM e-shop, the L version is available too.. https://shop.flm-gmbh.de/stative/ser...p-34-l4-ii.php
Or am I missing something?

edit: I read you post wrong. The availability of the M or L version in Europe is clear. I will check both and decide. Thank you for your help!

It looks like Germany offers the M4 and L4, medium and long, respectively.
The S4 is available in North America: https://flmcanada.com/product/flm-cp34-s4-ii-tripod/
You can check with Germany if they can get you the S4.
It's shorter but that would be a better height for view camera use, and faster to set up since you'd probably just extend the legs fully all the time.
It can be packed in a carry-on, and because of the shorter tube lengths, it's a bit more stable than longer-tube versions.

I finally ended with the CP34-M4 II + HB-75 and I am very happy with those so far. For view cameras I do not need to use the last section, it is just ok for my height. I it is a joy to use in comparison with my old MA055PROB.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by notorius

I finally ended with the CP34-M4 II + HB-75 and I am very happy with those so far. For view cameras I do not need to use the last section, it is just ok for my height. I it is a joy to use in comparison with my old MA055PROB.

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Great to hear!
Thanks for posting.