As you may know, Richard does all sorts of custom mods. You might ask him whether he can offer a wind-stabilizer gadget to brace the standards, to provide a bit more rigidity at the cost of a slight increase in setup time. Or check with Alan Brubaker to see whether he's still in business and can supply one of his.
Its been my experience stability is not totally dependent on the camera*. The format and tripod weigh in mightily. Consider what we are using is basically a “box” the size of our format. A 4x5 is a no-brainer to set up in the field. An 8x10 is a bit more complicated as the camera mass and profile are exposed to wind. It is exponentially more difficulty to use a 20x24 with 6’ of bellows in the field. Is a Ritter as stable as a Sinar on a camera stand? No. Neither is a Chaminox (or others). Is a Ritter as stable as a Chaminox or Phillips in the field? Yes; and I have the use of all to back that up. And like Francis F. I can vouch a 26 pound Ritter 20x24 is stable in the field. Did I use two tripods; sometimes. But mostly I set in up in calm conditions. Did I use it in strong winds; of course not. Why would I; my subject is likely moving as well.
The mass (primarily weight) adds to the stability of the area setup. Hoisting a 26 pound V-11 onto a Reis A tripod gives you about 40 pound package. My current camera, an 8 pound Ritter 11x14 on a Reis J is about 15 pound package; similar to many 4x5s, but with a large “frontal area” exposed to wind. The size of the boxes is the same, 11” x14” x16”, but the Ritter weight is less than 1/3. However, the Ritter is stable and locks down; its mass and profile make how & when it’s set up critical. I hang my equipment bag from the tripod for good measure. I can pack the Ritter places I could not carry a V-11. Its quick to set up and locks down nicely.
Much in photography is a trade off; how much do you want to carry and how far?
Once you get past a Ritter looks different, it works just like other cameras; it just does not weigh as much, Chaminox Alpinist and Phillips Explorer aside. BTW; I lost my Explorer in Utah when after setting up I turned to get a film holder and an unexpected wind gust wind blew camera and tripod into a ravine. It had been stable; it just became more like a sail for a fraction of a second primarily because it was basically an 8” x10” x12” five pound box exposed to the wind.
My thoughts (plus 69 cents gets you a cup of coffee).
Mike
*Having owed a number of 100 year old cameras, I can vouch they are rickety-restored or not- and seldom stable, but eminently usable when you consider their limitations.
“You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”
I have the same set-up. My old Eastman 11x14 was great...just a lot of care needed. And camera shake happened rarely...and usually from me using the lenscap as a shutter for short exposures (<2 seconds).
The 7x17 Ritter I used was very stable -- no complaints about set-up or use. My first 11x14 experience was with a friend's home-made 11x14 that puts the Ritter to shame, weight-wise. There was a little hassle to assemble it each time and the dedicated tripod it was designed to work with was a little funky, but I got some great images with it...this one was with a 355mm G-Claron:
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
You should talk to Marc Elliot about his 11x14 and Ritter experience
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