What would be a good tripod/head combination for use with 7x17 and 8x10 cameras? In the past I have used Bogen 3050..
Thanks, Steve
What would be a good tripod/head combination for use with 7x17 and 8x10 cameras? In the past I have used Bogen 3050..
Thanks, Steve
Don't get a Berlebach. All roads lead to Ries by my recent searching. Plenty of threads covering this around but to save you the hassle everyone says Ries.
I scrimped on getting a Ries and went for the 'cheaper' Berlebach report tripod a couple of years ago and regretted it pretty quickly. Not very sturdy for 8x10. 4x5 definitely but nothing heavier than a 4x5 monorail.
I will be investing in a Ries system very soon.
I have a Foba Alfae which I reckon could hold anything. Wouldn't want to go hiking with it though.
+1 Ries
"We work in the dark, we do what we can, we give what we have."
Henry James
Not sure which one you tried to use, but I have to strongly disagree with you on this. My 3030 has no difficulty whatsoever supporting my Toyo 810M. It's solid, rigid and dependable.Originally Posted by AlexGard
++1 Ries!!!!! and I have a Berlebach and 2 Ries! Just get the A100 with the A200 head for anything larger than 8x10! The A200 is plenty heavy for anything smaller than say 16x20 and you use the tripod legs for left to right leveling! You can often find them used in the $700 range for both!
I've been using a Gitzo G1348 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...&fromDisList=y with my Toyo 810MII field camera which weighs 15lbs without the lens with zero stability issues. Instead of a center column I mount an Arca Swiss Zi-sp http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...rch=yes&sts=pi directly to the center plate and an AS Long QR plate http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...l/prm/alsVwDtl on the camera body. This combination of tripod, head, and QR system allows me to day hike for several miles without sacrificing camera stability. It provides stable support for large and heavy 8x10 lens such as the 350 Schneider Symmar-S and the 14" front loading Wollensack with zero issues.
Thomas
I have J and A series Ries and either is fine for a modest 8x10. For an 8x10 monorail, stick with the A series. For my J I have a 3047 head and a 3025 head. The 3047 head is good for some 8x10 use and the 3025 I use for 4x5 and smaller. The Ries heads are sturdier but there are also reasons why 3047 head et.al. are popular. So +1 for Ries even if you use another head.
Depending on which 8x10 you use, I'm very pleased with my carbon fiber Feisol 3372. Beefy legs, and it weighs less than 4 lbs. (I normally associate beefy legs with something much heavier.)
Versus some of the other Feisol tripods, the 3372 has a machined crown that both decreases weight and adds to strength. There's also a long version of the tripod that has a greater maximum height.
As CF goes, the Feisol tripods are reasonably priced. Mine easily handles a Deardorff 8x10; but, I wouldn't use it with a Toyo 8x10G 19 lbs rail camera. Kerry Thalman no longer sells these. However, you can see explanations and a good comparison table at his www.reallybigcameras.com. These tripods also make it easy to swap heads, if that's needed. Accessories are also reasonably priced. I got mine with a center column. See the Feisol site for pricing and descriptions.
Last edited by neil poulsen; 20-Dec-2015 at 22:47.
I've been using a Gitzo 1548 with the 1570 pan tilt head for 8x10, 10x12 and 7x17. It's more than capable of handling these cameras. There are some downsides to the big Gitzo. No ready possibility of spikes for the feet, the locks are hard on the hands over the course of a days shooting, and related to that there are too many leg sections (which does make for a compact tripod though.)
I just switched to a Ries J100-2, which is the A series legs on the smaller J series crown. I really like it. Super stable with the spiked feet. Still with the Gitzo 1570 pan tilt head. Which I think works better than the Ries heads because of the sliding camera screw. With the F&S you can position the camera far enough back on the head that you can get some of the front focus rail on the head. Really a bread board mounted to the head would be best for camera stability. The F&S focus rail is 8" wide to accommodate the front panel sliding between the rails while using lots of front fall. With the Nikkor-M 450 I do get some sagging of the focus track, but it hasn't resulted any soft pictures so far as I can tell.
The Ries is heavy, but (especially) the J100-2 is very comfortable on the shoulder. More so than the A100, because the legs are closer together with the smaller J series crown. The regular J100 is not really adequate for the 7x17. It was borderline with an 8x10 Deardorff, which is heavier than the F&S 7x17, but the mass of the F&S 7x17 warrants the heavy duty J100-2.
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