Tripod for Modified 8x10 Horseman?

**HT Finley** · 16-Aug-2022, 12:44

Well with the advice I've received here I think I may be able to get this surveyor's tripod idea going. But after some study it seems I need to be on the lookout against the top patform not being flat. Apparantly there are some out there that claim to be flat, but are bowed upwards in the middle. Anyway, I just finished my Horseman modification. What do you see missing? The big heavy L arm on the back standard. Of course I lose some movements. But what good are they when you can't even get the thing out in the field without a fork lift? This is the adapter plate I designed in Freecad and made on my Ender 3. This one is the prototype proof. It's only 3 millimeters thick, but I needed to make sure all the screwholes lined up. The actual one is 10 millimeters thick. What pleased me to no end is that the M3-5 screw threads in the smaller holes actually printed. At least good enough for the job. I'm sure the threads are not very good. You have to fight the screw a little to get it started straight and not in a cross-thread. But after a few turns the screws went right down as snug as they can me. Here you see the camera atop my Leitz Tiltall, which is all I've had for 46 years. The lens is a Baush and Lomb 8x10 12-in Tessar in a Betax #4 shutter. I'll be shooting X-ray film. I think I can be happy enough. Those raggedy bellows are not very pretty. But they work. PS, the back standard is not tilted back. I guess the cell phone shot is at fault.

**HT Finley** · 16-Aug-2022, 12:47

sorry. Accidental double post.

**Drew Wiley** · 16-Aug-2022, 16:09

Just try it out, see how it works, and then if necessary tweak the next one appropriately. Photography is always more enjoyable when you make or customize at least part of your gear yourself.

**HT Finley** · 16-Aug-2022, 16:24

Actually I can get by with the Tiltall, but I'd rather not. I have before, and that was when the camera still had it's rear L arm. I remember one time I had it set up out in the yard fully extended with that Mack truck of a camera sitting up on top. I thought surely the tripod head was going to snap off. I'd put the film holder in, and then wait for the camera to stop swaying and wobbling, then shot the picture. If a breeze had come along, the whole thing would have been a pile of rubble on the ground. Anyway I found this. Looks good to me. Goes to 72", all fiberglass. I wonder if the top platform is flat and not bowed like some "flat" ones are. I uderstand they even made a 1/4 inch adapter for it. This doesn't look like a piece of junk to me. Looks like its pretty nice.
https://www.engineersupply.com/CST-b...60-FGHD20.aspx

**Drew Wiley** · 16-Aug-2022, 16:40

Yeah, I once sold quite a few of those; and it's a good price, provided they actually have it in stock.

**HT Finley** · 16-Aug-2022, 17:00

Thanks Drew and everybody. It's on the way. As for how I'll get the camera mounted on it, I'll cross that bridge when it gets here. I sure hope that top is flat. I'm depending on that for a few ideas I've been cooking up. I've read in another thread about a Manfroto 029 head that one guy swears by. Not sure if I'll go with a head at all. Hadn't used a view camera in a while. But it seems to me everything I did was set the camera up dead level in both directions, and use my front rise. You can do that just changing the leg length with the lock buttons handy at groin height. I was first admiring the old school wooden ones, but all them had the leg lock way down at the bottom of the legs. That's surely not very handy. In the meantime, poor old trusty Tiltall will just have to suffer a little more abuse. My friend of 46 years.

**Drew Wiley** · 17-Aug-2022, 11:58

Those ole cast Bogen-Manfrotto heads are the best bang for the buck you can get in terms of a solidity, but make more sense as a boat anchor than a monorail support. They're tall (increasing overall torque on the legs), darn heavy, and in this case, functionally redundant. I repurposed mine for use on a heavily built copy stand.

In terms of using a legs-only approach when needing to aim straight down, or nearly so, I rarely do need to do that. But here's how it's done at a fraction of the weight and expense of a tripod head : just tap a sufficient solid stainless L-bracket instead. I've made these in various sizes, all the way from quite petite for sake of my 6X9 RF's, midsize for my P67 and 4X5 folder, or a bit heavier for long monorail or 8x10 use. You need the proper dia. cobalt bits for 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 taps; but the brackets themselves are going to cost you around five bucks apiece if you hunt around a bit. Even the heaviest that I'ver ever made is about 5% the weight of that venerable Manfrotto cargo ship anchor, but actually more solid in terms of controlling vibration.

No, it's not as fast to use as a pan-tilt head. But if you just think of such a bracket as an optional accessory, ordinarily tucked out of the way except for those rare times you actually do need it, the L-bracket concept makes a lot of sense. For a high percent of shooting needs, it's nearly as fast to work with legs alone than using a tripod head, once you've become accustomed to doing so. I can't think of a single shot I've missed due to my head-only preference, and I've had my LF cameras in some awfully precarious places! With lightweight MF setups, I do routinely use a decent Gitzo pan-tilt head; but i consider any kind of head to be a potential liability with the higher torque and weight imposed by most LF or big MF telephoto setups.