One Tripod to Rule Them All?

[William Whitaker]

For a long time I have been an advocate of Ries tripods for LF and ULF. But they are undeniably heavy. Even just walking with my 5x7 field camera and a Ries J100, that tripod wore me down quickly despite being a "smaller" Ries, and I began to regret bringing it. And as far as the A100, it is a beast when it comes to operating anywhere beyond the rear bumper of my car.

Interesting that this thread popped up this afternoon in my 'new posts' list as I received just now the FLM CP38-L4 II that I ordered a few weeks back. It is an impressive bit of kit and looks as though it will be a valuable addition to my collection of tripods. I ordered it to essentially replace my Ries A100 as it allows use of a 100mm half-ball. And since my main use of the A100 is to support my 12x20 camera, that half-ball can act as a leveling head since for that format I'm most concerned with a level horizon and no fancy moves.

I do also have a Gitzo G1548 Mk2 which I have used in the past mostly with a Sinar Norma (5x7 and 8x10). That Gitzo is a fine tripod, but the FLM will probably relegate it to the closet for now. I am impressed with the fit and finish of the FLM as well as its functionality. And Ari, the North American distributor for FLM and who is a member here, is great to work with. If you have questions, he's the guy to contact.

I look forward to working more with the CP 38 later this week and can report more on it then. I'm not familiar with FLM's other offerings, but I'm confident that they're every bit as nice as the CP 38.

Good luck in your search. If you can get away with just one tripod, you're doing much better than the rest of us!

[Drew Wiley]

Aluminum survey tripods are vibration prone, and elevating columns make them even worse. Serious survey tripods were once made of maple hardwood, but are now mainly fiberglass-clad lighter wood. I should know - I sold all kinds of em, as well as the instruments that went atop em. Consider any such aluminum product made in China equivalent to contracting Ebola. You'll regret it. Spending a little more for the real deal like Ries is well worth it. Otherwise, it's easy to convert a survey tripod. You remove the 5/8-11 turn knob and install a 3/8-16 one. Most survey tripods have the advantage of a true platform top to which you can directly bolt your view camera. Then learn to adjust the aim using legs alone, just like surveyors did it for decades atop remote mtn summits. It's easy with practice, and will save you the weight and risk of wobliness of redundant tripod heads. Carbon fiber tripods are a somewhat different topic. I use those too, when lighter weight is a priority.

[Peter De Smidt]

Unless you want to take a picture with the camera pointed down....or up quite a ways, such photographing a building that on a hill from the side of the hill. Sure, you might be able to point the camera in the right direction, but then you will limit how high it can go.

[Tin Can]

I received the same tripod and half ball today also.

It's set up in my studio with a Kessler Crane QR https://store.kesslercrane.com/kwik-...ly-mg1001.html with https://store.kesslercrane.com/kwik-stand-xl.html which works perfectly together with my Seneca 11X14.

I also like how easy on my hands the leg clamps are compared to a once borrowed Gitzo 5.

The big tubes feel better too.



Like Will, I need a tripod I carry more than 10 feet.

For a long time I have been an advocate of Ries tripods for LF and ULF. But they are undeniably heavy. Even just walking with my 5x7 field camera and a Ries J100, that tripod wore me down quickly despite being a "smaller" Ries, and I began to regret bringing it. And as far as the A100, it is a beast when it comes to operating anywhere beyond the rear bumper of my car.

Interesting that this thread popped up this afternoon in my 'new posts' list as I received just now the FLM CP38-L4 II that I ordered a few weeks back. It is an impressive bit of kit and looks as though it will be a valuable addition to my collection of tripods. I ordered it to essentially replace my Ries A100 as it allows use of a 100mm half-ball. And since my main use of the A100 is to support my 12x20 camera, that half-ball can act as a leveling head since for that format I'm most concerned with a level horizon and no fancy moves.

I do also have a Gitzo G1548 Mk2 which I have used in the past mostly with a Sinar Norma (5x7 and 8x10). That Gitzo is a fine tripod, but the FLM will probably relegate it to the closet for now. I am impressed with the fit and finish of the FLM as well as its functionality. And Ari, the North American distributor for FLM and who is a member here, is great to work with. If you have questions, he's the guy to contact.

I look forward to working more with the CP 38 later this week and can report more on it then. I'm not familiar with FLM's other offerings, but I'm confident that they're every bit as nice as the CP 38.

Good luck in your search. If you can get away with just one tripod, you're doing much better than the rest of us!

[Drew Wiley]

Peter, all you need is a supplementary solid threaded L-bracket if you want to point straight down etc - a fraction of the wt of a head, and much more stable. I've been doing this for decades, often on extreme terrain. Even with small cameras like MF, along with CF tripods, I resort to an L-bracket when backpacking or airline carry-on weight is a priority.

[Jim Noel]

i thought everyone had at least three, all wood of course.

[Roger Thoms]

i thought everyone had at least three, all wood of course.

Three wood tripods here, just assumed that’s the norm.

Roger

[William Whitaker]

Tha's why they're called "tri"-pods, Right?

[Jim Jones]

If you really need widely different camera formats, you need different tripods. Choose your cameras well, and choose your tripods even more carefully; they should outlast your cameras.

[Tin Can]

Tripods do last long. I have all I ever bought which is only 22 years. Before that I always shot handheld 35mm.

I guess I have 9 or more 'Try'-pods...

Try-pod by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr