Advice about tripod

[Bruce Watson]

I've been using a Toho (not Toyo) FC-45X camera with an old Tiltall Professional tripod. The camera with my heaviest lens weighs about 4 lbs, so in terms of weight is more like a medium format camera than a large format camera. My tripod weighs about 6 lbs, and is more than adequate to handle the camera.
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but if I get a small ball head, adequate for the weight, I will save one lb.
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I am nervous about switching to a ball head.

I use a Gitzo 1227 tripod with an Arca-Swiss B1 under my Toho. The B1 was the best thing going when I bought it, but there have been a number of smaller and lighter ball heads introduced since then. My tripod/head weighs in at 5.1 lbs.

As to use, it's easy and simple, but your workflow will change. What I do is secure the camera on the head (quick release plates are highly recommended), then immediately level the back. The Toho makes this easy since it's so light. I hold the camera from underneath by the rail where it's easy to control, then loosen the ball and level the back and tighten it back up. Then I plumb the back separately. It's quicker to do it than to describe it.

[Doremus Scudder]

Leonard,

I've used a very lightweight tripod (the carbon-fiber tripod is even lighter) and the Manfrotto 3D Junior camera head (056) for years now for my field kit. It supports a Wista DX with an SA 90mm or the Nikkor M 300mm with no problems. All my other lenses are lighter than those two (I like to keep things light). I like the 056 head because of its lightweight and the fact that I can use it both as a ball head and a standard 3-way head. If one loosens all controls, it functions very much like a ball head, but one can also adjust pan, and both tilts independently.

You can see it here (scroll down a bit): http://www.manfrotto.com/photo-heads-three-way

The problem I have had with ball heads in the past is that when one needs to level side-to-side or front-to-back, you also have to loosen the pan control. This often makes it frustrating to make small adjustments. There are ball heads with a separate pan lock, but they are just about as heavy as a regular head.

Hope this helps a bit,

And, all the best for a speedy recovery and return to photography,

Doremus

[Brian Ellis]

I don't care for ball heads with LF but I use a Really Right Stuff ball head for my digital camera. It's a great head, maybe the best you can buy to deal with your concern about an accident while tightening the head. The RRS heads use a lever to tighten the clamp rather than the more common knob. Set the camera in the clamp, snap the lever shut, and that's it, the camera is securely mounted. I've never had the camera drop while tightening the head with the RRS head but that happened 3 or 4 times with the Arca Swiss knob style over the many years when I used that head - clearly my fault, not the head's fault, but something that for me was more prone to happen with the knob system of tightening rather than a lever that snaps into place.