I have had my series 5 3-way head for quite a long time. I think it is the earlier version of the G1570M. I did have a machinist cut the longer handle down to 4 inches or so because I was working with wide angles on 4x5 with it. That handle was always in the way. I have had no problems with using the shorter handle and my C-2 Calumet 8x10 - monster - my shortest 8x10 coverage lens a 160mm.
I have had my series 5 3-way head for quite a long time. I think it is the earlier version of the G1570M. I did have a machinist cut the longer handle down to 4 inches or so because I was working with wide angles on 4x5 with it. That handle was always in the way. I have had no problems with using the shorter handle and my C-2 Calumet 8x10 - monster - my shortest 8x10 coverage lens a 160mm. I do have a Gitzo ball head - it has been harder to use for my 4x5 - as well as medium format cameras
Ries.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Robert,
That long handle on my vintage '70s Ser. 5 3-way head bugged me too, so I decided to make my own shorter one. The process cost me about $25 in misc parts from Lowe's and Tacoma Screw, from which I cut-to-length what I needed and stowed the leftovers in my scrap pile for future use on various little projects. No pics of the finished handle, but for anyone interested in this just PM me for the how-to. It has worked well with my Sinar Norma 8x10.
Jerry Glaziers gave me a number for a guy that had a rather complete metal shop in his garage on Queen Anne - (I think) He cut and tapped the threads in one afternoon between other projects. I don't think it was that much either! I do like the shorter handle very much! You solution sounds like a very good fix.
I use Manfrotto #268 super ball head for 8x10. No worries for weight
I use a bogen/manfroto 247 for everything from 4x5 to dslr. One on a zone vi wood tripod, one on a smaller aluminum manfrotto. The hex plates are permanently bolted to the cameras. These heads are solid and work well, with the caveat that you have to double check that the hex plate engages properly. It's possible for them snap halfway in, which is bad.
Someday I may look for a more precise head. Probably not geared, because I don't need the added weight. But a very smooth 3-way. And one that takes Arca-swiss plates, which seem like they're probably the best QR system. I don't know which head best fits that description.
A couple months ago I watched a documentary film on Ansel Adams. He was using large format cameras with flat bases, not the more modern monorail types we now use. His tripod had a geared head. (Sorry don't remember more.)
I have been using a Gitzo/Manfrotto "joystick" style ball head for my Crown Graphic with no issues. The tripod is my ancient Gitzo set of legs.
Now that I have a fairly heavy Rodenstock 300mm f5.6 lens hanging off the front of my 4x5 Cambo, I'm going to test it with my Manfrotto video tripod which has a 75mm bowl for precise alignment. Yes, the Manfrotto legs and fluid head are heavy but I'm not a back packer, I shoot on locations that I drive to. More on the test in a couple days...
Ansel was kind of promiscuous with his gear ;-p I have seen photos of him from the 70s using a Husky QuickSet and an early 4x5 Arca-Swiss (the kind with the plastic parts). That was nice enough gear but hardly top of line. It was balanced in the sense of being the right-sized tripod for the camera but many of us would sneer at it ~ you could pick it up for a few hundred bucks on eBay (not the Holy Ansel's but some duffer's).
When you think about it, he and the other greats used gear most of us would consider pretty shabby, not robust enough for our demanding standards ;-)
For large cameras, I've owned a Majestic, Gitzo Low-Profile Pan-Tilt G1570M, and various others, but I've settled on the Arca-Swiss B2, which looks like a ball head and has the strength/weight ratio of a ball head, but is really a pan-tilt head with two concentric balls and three independently adjustable axes, very smooth panning if you ever want to use it for video, and more solid than even the Majestic or the Gitzo. The balls are slightly eccentric, so that as the tilt angle increases, the strength also increases, and the camera doesn't flop (presuming you've set the tension).
Downsides: Expensive and might not be available new. They've been talking about a Z2 replacement for ages, but I've never seen one. Weight is 1642 g. If you get an old one with the large clamp knob, and you want it use it with a flatbed camera, you can get a smaller clamp knob from RRS.
I use it on a Gitzo GT5540LS leg set.
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