bogen 3047 vs. tiltall

[jp]

Being a noob to proper photo tripods,it seems odd to me that these don't have any struts running between the legs and the center column, and that the legs are just one piece. Having never dealt with them in person, the lack of triangles in the design just seems flimsy, but maybe the tolerances and build quality make it ok. Still, BH says of the 055 "ideal for 35mm and light medium format cameras".

Manfrotto and Tiltall are both good brands of tripod that don't need struts. The legs are sufficiently rigid and the hinge tolerances are good. If you think about the physics in terms of load vectors, the struts would basically reduce side-side slop in the center column if the legs are stable by 50%, and if the legs are stamped aluminum rather than steel (like a cheap walmart video tripod) they are more susceptible to rotational torque than a round tube leg (which can handle torque like a driveshaft). So if you have a cheap tripod with less stable stamped legs and a sloppy column, the struts don't do much for stability but might reduce warranty claims and returns from people snapping legs off the tripod like legs off a crab or lobster.

[Alan Gales]

Buy a used Tiltall for your Speed Graphic and RB67.

Buy a used Majestic for your monorail.

[E. von Hoegh]

Don't buy a NEW Tiltall -- get a used one made by Leitz.

Leitz or Marchioni (Marchioni is the ur-Tiltall), I've had both and they're of equal quality with some very small detail differences.

[jp]

Leitz is anodized which is a little more corrosion resistant but less pretty than the polished Marchioni.

[Chuck Pere]

If you want a bigger Bogen than the 3021 look at a 3036. Heavy but has a lot of height adjustment. They should be fairly cheap on the used market.

[PureQuill Photo]

I strongly recommend the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 (now called the 055, I think) legs. They are the perfect match for the 3047 head. It is a classic and very common tripod setup for LF.

You see every piece of gear has its fans. I have a 3047 head that I really like the 3021 not so much see this thread why....
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...an-3021-tripod

[BradS]

I strongly recommend the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021 (now called the 055, I think) legs. They are the perfect match for the 3047 head. It is a classic and very common tripod setup for LF.

You see every piece of gear has its fans. I have a 3047 head that I really like the 3021 not so much see this thread why....
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...an-3021-tripod

...but, to be fair, that is an ancient 3021. They have not had that style of leg clamp for years. The new ones are much better.

[PureQuill Photo]

...but, to be fair, that is an ancient 3021. They have not had that style of leg clamp for years. The new ones are much better.

Fair enough I cant speak for the new 3021’s my only experience is with the one I own.
Hopefully they have fixed the lever problems I have experienced with the redesign used now.
Cheers
PQ

[mdarnton]

I've had a few tripods, and in general, I find light duty heads to be a lot more frustrating to deal with than light tripods. Spend your bucks on the head.

[Dan Fromm]

I've had a few tripods, and in general, I find light duty heads to be a lot more frustrating to deal with than light tripods. Spend your bucks on the head.

I used a 3047, if that's what you're reacting to, for years. It is well up to supporting the OP's cameras. It wasn't up to supporting my 25 pound Baby Bertha, so I replaced it with a 3039 (= Manfrotto 229).