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Leica Tripod

david berry

By david berry
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wlaidlaw

wlaidlaw

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Does anyone use a tripod with their Leica and if so what one do you recommend?:)

 

I use two - an old Leitz table tripod with a Leitz ball head. I can fit this when folded up, in the front of my Billingham M, if I leave out a lot of the other stuff I usually carry. If I know I want a larger but still lightweight tripod, I use a Giotto MT92418 with a Manfrotto 484RC2 ball head which takes a PL12 type QR plate. This is not an expensive tripod but is reasonably stiff and is well made.

 

If for any reason I need a heavyweight for lens focus testing etc, I do have a Manfrotto 190NAT with a three way head on it that also takes the PL12 plate. I would not want to carry that around for long - it weighs a ton.

 

Wilson

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carstenw

carstenw

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I've got the Leica tabletop tripod, which is really nice. I also use an old chrome Manfrotto 055C with the RRS BH-55. I have a Manfrotto monopod with the RRS BH-25. Both ballheads are very good, but... they are ballheads. It is easy to get them pointed in the right direction and locked down, but as soon as you want to make minute changes, for example to get the ground level or the crop just right, they are like most ballheads: very hard to control accurately. I am strongly considering changing my BH-55 for a Manfrotto 410 geared head, or for something more expensive. I am not aware of any ballhead which allows you to make small changes in a controlled (read: geared) fashion.

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marknorton

marknorton

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The issue I have with tripods is the hassle of setting them up - all those clamps, often as many as 12 to adjust the thing.

 

Enter the Manfrotto NeoTec where you simply pull out the legs as far as you want them and they lock automatically. To close, press a button and push all the way home. So much easier and they do a monopod which works the same way.

 

Agree with Carsten about ball heads, fundamentally unstable, and I use a Manfrotto 405 geared head. For a long lens, I also use a Custom Brackets Gimbal Head which makes manipulating a big lens so much easier.

 

That's for DSLR; I hardly ever use a tripd with a Leica...

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dfarkas

dfarkas

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I use a Gitzo GT1541 with a Gitzo GH1780 head. The whole combo weighs 3.1 lbs yet goes to eye level (or above if I pull the legs in a bit) and is super stable. I carry it in a padded Gitzo tripod bag over my shoulder and don't even notice it is there. I also have a GT1550T Traveler tripod as well, but tend to prefer the GT1541 because of the added stability and height.

 

Then, in my camera bag, regardless of whether I have the GT1541 with me or not, I carry the Leica table top tripod with ball head, broken down into two pieces. Very handy as a low-down pod or as a wall pod.

 

I love night photography (with long exposures), so can't imagine life without at least one tripod.

 

David

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peter_n

peter_n

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I use a Gitzo G-1228 (new version is G-2540) and I strongly recommend the Gitzo legs, they are seriously well-made tripods. I replaced the center column in mine with a Markins base plate for rigidity. I use a Linhof Profi II ballhead and like it, no creep and the ergonomics are great, simple controls and big rubberized knobs that can easily be used in the winter with gloves.

 

If I were buying today I would look at the Arca-Swiss Z1 and the Markins ballheads. Whatever ballhead you buy, get one that takes an Arca-Swiss type quick release system, this is a more-or-less standard QR system supported by a number of manufacturers so there is competition and the pricing is reasonable. I use Markins screw clamps and camera plates from a number of makers. Buy clamps with a screw tightener and stay away from the flip-lock types, they have had reliability problems. I would also advise staying away from the RRS clamps, users have reported compatibility problems with plates from other manufacturers.

 

I've had my rig for 3+ years with no problems. I only had Leica at the time but bought the tripod with an eye to the future. I now also use a heavy 617 panoramic camera and my setup handles it easily so I'd advise getting a support system that's a bit of overkill for what you run now.

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brt3

brt3

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What about monopods? I see these being used in Digital Camera Magazine, are they really any help, perhaps midway between a tripod or hand held?

Richard

I have used a Gitzo GM3551 6X Carbon Fiber Monopod for a couple of years. Typically, this has been used with my Nikon D700 + 70-210 combo in shooting available light stage productions that are not professionally lit.

 

Though I would like something a tad smaller and lighter for my (soon-to-arrive) M9, I am limited by my height. At 6'7"/202cm, there are very few tripods and monopods I can comfortably use.

 

Regardless, I probably get two stops out of using the monopod with my Nikon. Most of this should carry over to the Leica. Though I realize the M9 is a fraction of the weight, my Nikon setup is fairly well-balanced and easy to use in this fashion.

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UliWer

UliWer

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What about monopods? I see these being used in Digital Camera Magazine, are they really any help, perhaps midway between a tripod or hand held?

Richard

 

In many situations a monopod is more useful than a tripod - for example uneven ground and especially for you have almost no limits to adjust of the camera to the position you want. In other situations - for example close-ups or makro, they are only a compromise, for they don't allow a fixed position of the camera.

 

Most important with a monopod is the foot. Even good monopods, like Gitzo, have suboptimal feet. There is the ideal foot by "Monostat" which you can get seperately and fix it to the Gitzo (the Monostat monopods don't seem as good).

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chuckw

chuckw

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I would recommend any of the Gitzo carbon tripods. I personally use a Gitzo G1228 with a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head. That head is over kill for a Leica but I at one tome had some big glass. The RRS BH-40 would be lighter and would be better suited for a Leica.

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gyoung

gyoung

Posted
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Does anyone use a tripod with their Leica and if so what one do you recommend?:)

 

Leica table tripod and ball head sometimes used when travelling, it goes 'everywhere' with me, and used with a grip on the camera to provide a central socket. I also have an RG Lewis camera cradle which I have had for a very long time, but its more bulky than the grip.

Otherwise I have a Manfrotto tripod for technical stuff but very rarely use the Leicas for that, more often I use an SLR for that sort of thing.

 

Gerry

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sender

sender

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When I travel, I use the Leica table-top tripod and large ball head. For more local use, I use an old Tiltall. Both are sturdy enough for a Leicaflex with long lens or bellows, and even medium format equipment.

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Ed_K

Ed_K

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I have a 2nd hand Gitzo that had been handed down to me some 20 years ago, not sure about the model number but one of its leg can be detached which i use occasionally as a monopod ... pretty handy.

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