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Thread: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

  1. #1

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    May 2008
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    Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    Howdy all. I just got my first large format camera yesterday and it's a lovely unit. It's a big Wista M450 monorail view camera. It's heavy, at least 10 or so lbs (5kg), maybe a little more.

    I have a nice Hakuba 503MX carbon fiber tripod with the original pan head which seems to be good enough for me, the camera doesn't shake on the tripod unless I deliberately touch it.

    But I am worried about moving the camera with it mounted to the tripod. The tripod has a standard 1/4 inch bolt as is found on every normal camera in the world. Is this bolt going to be strong enough to withstand the weight of such a heavy camera? Has anyone here broken a tripod bolt while carrying their tripod over their shoulder?

    Worries me as this camera's in pristine condition, but taking it all down every time I need to move it rather than just putting it over my shoulder is a bit of a pain.
    Speed Graphic 4x5 for LF, DIY wet / dry plate getup for ultra LF, Rolleiflex for MF, a bunch of others for 35mm.

  2. #2

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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    My 5x7 Technika weights around 12 lbs and I carry it over my shoulder all the time with no problem.
    Jerome

  3. #3
    Big Negs Rock!
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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    If you have a stainless steel bolt made for the purpose you should be fine. The manufacturer is the one who made the 1/4-20 hole. If there is an insert, take it out and use the 3/8-16 bolt. It should be more than enough.
    Mark Woods

    Large Format B&W
    Cinematography Mentor at the American Film Institute
    Past President of the Pasadena Society of Artists
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    Pasadena, CA
    www.markwoods.com

  4. #4

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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    I trust the experience of our colleagues... but I don't and I wouldn't no matter how much anyone says they do. I carry my camera on tripod in an upright position (which means that I don't carry it very far) or cradled like a baby so my arms are supporting the weight of both the camera and tripod (which also meas that I don't carry it very far).

  5. #5
    Photographer, Machinist, etc. Jeffrey Sipress's Avatar
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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    Those bolts are stronger than they look. But I do like the idea of changing to a 3/8-16 stud. I carry my cameras over my shoulder a lot, but I always employ a lanyard tether from the camera to the head incase of mechanical failure. Ever time I mount my camera (4x5 or 1Ds111) I clip on that lanyard to a loop i added to the camera.

  6. #6

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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    I'm sure many of us carry our cameras that way, but I think that it's tempting fate.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  7. #7
    Resident Heretic Bruce Watson's Avatar
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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    Quote Originally Posted by paradoxbox View Post
    Is this bolt going to be strong enough to withstand the weight of such a heavy camera?
    Good grief. You really think you can break a 1/4 - 20 bolt with a 5 Kg camera? This you can easily prove to yourself. Buy a replacement bolt, put it in a vice, and wale away at it with a hammer. If you can't break it that way, one would think that something as small and light as a camera isn't going to have much of an effect, yes?

    Unless the bolt is defective (which happens, if rarely) it's probably several orders of magnitude overkill for your purposes. IOW, you could probably destroy the tripod and the camera and leave that bolt still looking new.

    The reason it's as big as it is, is for easy handling by human hands. Doesn't have anything to do with required strength.

    Not that I recommend doing the "shoulder walk" with a camera. Too many bad things can happen -- you can easily trash a lens with a tree branch or a swinging shutter release, you can turn a corner fast and bash the camera into a tree truck, you can become unbalanced, slip and fall, etc., etc., etc.

    But if the camera gets trashed, it's not likely going to be due to that bolt.

    Bruce Watson

  8. #8

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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    "Ansel lugging his camera by the sea"

    Photo by David Hume Kennerly for Time Magazine, September 3, 1979.

  9. #9

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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    riding in car with you must be the most stressful event of most lives lol
    OMG CAN THESE TIRES POP?
    OMG CAN THESE
    HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR RIVETS
    WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME
    I'm making this into a hit episode, too

  10. #10

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    Re: Afraid......! Is my tripod bolt going to break!?

    I consider this a valid question/concern. It should be fine... just don't go swinging it around as you would a baseball bat.

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