Welp, I did it, I ordered a lightweight 8x10

[r.e.]

Gitzo & Manfrotto (once Bogen) are owned by the same roof.

Yes, Videndum, a publicly traded UK company, owns both Gitzo and Manfrotto. It also owns Sachtler, OConnor and Vinten. Plus a lot more: Videndum Brands

One page list of Videndum brands:

[letchhausen]

I had the Intrepid first release. I found that to be too tweaky to use and sold it. I hear they've fixed a lot of that stuff on the new ones.

My experiences with 8x10 taught me that vibration control becomes a bigger deal. So I decided against a lightweight camera and bought a Calumet C1. That thing is rock solid. I have a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod ( the current model is Gitzo GT3543XLS - no center column) that I use with my 4x5. Which is fine with that camera, but I do use the Arca Swiss Z2+ which is a beefy head that weighs as much as the tripod, together is 10 pounds. I had a lighter weight head, but that thing wasn't stable. Because weight is stability. Perhaps the Gitzo will work with the Intrepid. For myself, my current tripod/head combo won't work with the Calumet (14 pounds). For the C1 I'm looking at getting a Ries tripod and head because weight is your friend. And wood is stability.

[r.e.]

Just want to say that Eric's first post gave me a laugh.

I use a carbon fibre Gitzo and a wooden Ries to support an Arca-Swiss F-Line Classic in 4x5 and 8x10 configurations.

The current Gitzo tripod that comes closest to mine in specs (mine is no longer made) is the GT3533LS. It is a Systematic Series 3 tripod with no centre column. For me, Series 3 is robust enough, but some people prefer a Series 4 or even Series 5.

The Gitzo can be paired with a levelling base, which I like a lot and is very cost-effective, or with any tripod head that takes a 3/8" tripod screw.

My Ries tripod is a J100. The J100 works for me, but Ries recommends its heavier A100 for 8x10 and some photographers no doubt agree. I've paired the Ries with the company's J250 Double Tilt Head.

I like the Ries for its feel, for the fact that individual legs can be set at angles that are impossible with a carbon fibre tripod, and because the Double Tilt Head is a pleasure to use and rock solid.

My Gitzo is also very well made, and it is significantly lighter. With a levelling base, it's also cheaper. There are a number of Gitzo competitors, a few of which appear to be good value. For example, FLM tripods are not well-known, but they are said to be well-made. Regardless of which carbon fibre brand one chooses, I would suggest a tripod that copies Gitzo's Systematic Series specs. Ones that do, which is most of them, say so in their marketing. The reason is that Gitzo's Systematic specs are used for many accessories. A 75mm half ball made by Benro will be cheaper than, and fit the same as, a 75mm half ball made by Gitzo.

I get sticker shock every time I look at the prices of this stuff. There's a lot to be said for second-hand.

For me, this sums up the tradeoffs perfectly:

I'm jelly of you guys that can sling a tripod, and 8x10, with a lens on your shoulder and go tripping around. I want to be cool like you guys, not some guy with 100 pounds of gear in a garden cart. "Dad you coming? Dad you need help? Dad, maybe you should have just carried your iphone, dad dad? dad? are you okay? why are you lying on the ground?"

[letchhausen]

Since I live in Seattle, when the time comes, I'll be taking a ferry to Bremerton to get it from Ries and getting that 10% discount. I also like the idea of buying something from a company here, as opposed to some global conglomerate. But I won't be traveling with that thing. So sayeth my back.

[interneg]

Series 5 Gitzo, preferably one of the metal ones. Just a pity that that the G515/ G1515 are pretty rare these days. Even a Gitzo Giant + head + average 8x10 isn't that enormously heavy if you are even moderately fit & have a clue about how to get the thing on your shoulder and keep it there. Just be aware of your circle of destruction when you turn/ stop.

I still wouldn't be sticking a big 8x10 monorail on one though, not least because if you are going any distance carrying the thing without a crew of assistants you probably aren't working with the sort of subject matter (or AD) that demands you carry a camera-pretzel-in-potentia, no matter the bizarre hypothetical demands of camera movements some on here seem determined to make.

[letchhausen]

Yes, it's good to think about what one can accomplish with such a camera. My Ebony 4x5 suffices for traveling and general use. But I'm not doing that with 8x10. So I identified certain use cases for getting one. I have just enough space to do contact prints at home, so a contact printable negative appealed to me. Since I got the camera I've been experimenting with RA-4 paper negatives and those I can develop at home easily. But I'm not printing from that negative, the negative is the end result. I think our physical relationship to the tools we use affects how we see and think about the work we're doing. So I see the 8x10 as a tool for specific ends. But I feel it requires concomitant equipment and for the C1, that's a bigass wooden tripod and heavy-weight head.

[ericantonio]

Yes, it's good to think about what one can accomplish with such a camera. My Ebony 4x5 suffices for traveling and general use. But I'm not doing that with 8x10. So I identified certain use cases for getting one. I have just enough space to do contact prints at home, so a contact printable negative appealed to me. Since I got the camera I've been experimenting with RA-4 paper negatives and those I can develop at home easily. But I'm not printing from that negative, the negative is the end result. I think our physical relationship to the tools we use affects how we see and think about the work we're doing. So I see the 8x10 as a tool for specific ends. But I feel it requires concomitant equipment and for the C1, that's a bigass wooden tripod and heavy-weight head.

I totally agree with you. Right now, I bought an Epson P700 and want to make a bunch of prints. I find it hard to find binders and binders and boxes and boxes of old negs. Glad I wrote down the general information on them. These are 35mm and 120s. LF, 8x10 in particular, seem so much easier to find, just old them up to the light and bingo! You found the right one.

I get you with the space/contacts at home thing. I'm down to a tiny place and I do all my 8x10 processing in the bathtub with double light tight curtains on the outside of the door.

[Two23]

J
My Ries tripod is a J100. The J100 works for me, but Ries recommends its heavier A100 for 8x10 and some photographers no doubt agree. I've paired the Ries with the company's J250 Double Tilt Head.

I have a Kodak 2d 8x10, as well as Gundlach Korona 5x7 and Chamonix 4x5. I also have the Ries J100 with J250-2 head and a Gitzo 300 series (1325) carbon fiber tripod. My experiences are the Ries is perfect for the Kodak 2D, good with the Korona 5x7, and overkill for anything else. I think a used Gitzo 1325 would easily handle an Intrepid 8x10 as they are very light, but with one caveat. The real issue isn't the weight of the camera, but resistance to wind. An 8x10 has a lot of surface area. While I do think a 300 Gitzo would hold the camera, it is a relatively light tripod and I wouldn't trust it if the wind was something you notice. That's why I stick with teh Ries tripod here on the Northern Plains. It has enough mass to resist being blown over. I also have a Berlebach and while it's a good tripod, I don't feel it's quite as good as the Ries. It would be a better choice if you lived in Europe as I suspect it would a bit cheaper though.


Kent in SD

[neil poulsen]

What you say about down-weighting the tripod is true. I had the next model after a 3036, and it was just as heavy. Of course, as one might expect, the legs were heavier than the 3039 head that I had. (Great head, though.) But after I down-weighted to a CF tripod, the head was significantly heavier than the CF tripod.

My solution was to get a Arca Swiss D4 head that weighs a little less than half the tripod. (1.8 lbs, versus 3.86lbs.) Of course, that was months ago, and I'm still paying installments. But it was worth it, given the build quality and versatility of the head.

[Sal Santamaura]

"Lightweight 8x10" is an excellent description of my Phillips Compact II. They do come somewhat lighter than that, but not much. After trying a lot of different support combinations, I established that leverage and vibration are significantly more important in 8x10 than for smaller view camera formats, even when the camera is light. This is what I ended up with:

https://www.largeformatphotography.i...=1#post1299272

It's been adequately stable holding the Phillips under any environmental conditions that I'm willing to personally be in, and is a good compromise weight of around 8.5 pounds total (legs, head and panning clamp). I've found the damping of carbon fiber legs to be greater than wood and vastly better than aluminum, something important if any wind is blowing.

Now the only challenge would be finding a Burzynski head.