A must-have: the Leica tabletop tripod

[glenerrolrd]

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I have had the Leica Table Tripod and Large (Chrome) Head for many years with my M-Series. I also have the smaller...shorter(Black) Head which I don t use much. The advantage of the larger head is the ability to use the tripod as a chest pod when shooting hand held. Generally I look for walls, fences, tables etc and try to brace the small tripod . This has been particularly useful when traveling ..where I am always getting caught taking night shots at ISO settings that ..result in too much noise. The M series is so light I am trying carry the LPod all the time . I put a small RRS clamp on it..I think its the same one you get with the BH-25 and keep a small RRS quick release plate on one of my M8s all the time. You can get these on ebay for $75 -90 for each piece. Overall an extremely useful assessory for your M8.

[wlaidlaw]

I think they are lovely little tripods and very pleasant to use with the adjustable friction on the ball head. I would like to find another one or preferably two as I want one user and two for display purposes. The prices seemed to have really climbed over the last few years. I paid, I think, £15 for mine second hand, about five years ago.

 

Wilson

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[Michael Jones]

Another very fine table top tripod of Leica quality was made by Minox. It is incredibly well made. Solid brass, chrome finished.

 

I once passed on one at a camera show because I thought it was missing two legs! The legs are stored within eachother! The last leg has a very nice cable release stored within it! And to top it off, it has a ball head. It is not much larger in diameter than a fat pencil and not much longer.

 

Used today, they are about $25 to $35. I bought mine at a flea market for $8.

 

Regards,

 

Michael

[Bill W]

I picked up mine probably 20 years ago at a local camera store with the small Leitz head already on it. The head was already out of production at that time I believe.

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[bsmith]

I've found to be the best small tripod on the market, more stable than the others

[wlaidlaw]

I agree William but even all folded up, the Leitz tripod takes up sufficient space in the front pocket of my Billingham M that I would have to leave my SF24-D flash and a few other bits behind if I take it. The one I carry all the time, as it takes up virtually no space when folded, is this little Sony tripod. it is reasonably stable even on rough ground and whilst nothing like as sturdy as the Leitz one, is proving very useful.

 

Wilson

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[AlexanderD]

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I just recieved the tripod and the head and I am a bit puzzled.  it seems that after I attached the head to the the tripod, the connection is not fixed, at any movement of tripod the head tends to unscrew.  the same goes with the camera connection, very easy to unscrew, to the point that camera rotates when I brace the jig against the chest.  Is any trick here I miss?  Does one needs an additional locking washer at every junction ?

 

Alexander

[Jeff S]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/243177-leica-tabletop-tripod-and-ball-head-problems/

 

The above link is recent, but my tripod/head is a lot older than this thread (8 years old) to which you posted.  Somewhere along the way I replaced the Leica head with a Manfrotto 482 head, both of which worked well to secure the camera. The lever both secures the rotating ball as well as the head to the tripod; if not, there's an issue.  

 

You shouldn't have a problem if it was bought new; otherwise you'll need to repair or replace.

 

Jeff

[AlexanderD]

Jeff,

 

thanks for the reply.  Camera is secured relatively well to the head due to the rough mounting surface on the camera.  the main problem is attaching the head to the tripod.  head has a smooth bottom surface, so the soft mounting washer on the tripod does not "bite".  it is very easy to unscrew the head from the tripod, making the connection unstable.  I ended up attaching the thin soft fiberglass washer to the bottom of the head, now the friction between washer on the head and washer on the  tripod ensures the head does not unscrew itself.  Still wonder how nobody mentioned it before.  the parts are new and do not look like there is a manufacturing problem, more like a design one.

 

Alexander

[Berlinman]

I have the Minolta-Version since more then 30 years. Hard to find today, but more compact due to an integrated ball head. One of the little things from these old days where Leica snd Minolta shared know how.

[Herr Barnack]

@Carsten -

 

The link is dead - is the tripod you refer to the Leica tabletop tripod #14100?

 

Thanks...

[bocaburger]

I've got a half dozen Leitz table tripods (LTM-era crackle finish, M3-era gray-green hammertone, and current style black) and at least a dozen Leitz ballheads, small ,medium and large.  Never had a problem with them unscrewing from the base.  I give them a good twist and they stay put.  The only issue I've ever had was with the final, black small ballhead.  It's the only one with a smooth, non-serrated ball, and it doesn't lock down anywhere as solidly as the others.  I also have a couple of the Minolta clones, and they are nice but again, smooth balls and not as solid. 

[pico]

Note that this is not with the tripod standing on a table, but with the legs spread and placed against the chest and shoulders.

 

 

I tried that position many times. No joy. My heartbeat would cause movement. With my luck the the time my heart stops, I won't have a camera with me.

Edited May 13, 2015 by pico

[Jeff S]

Funny…but I hope Carsten hasn't been waiting 8 years for the punch line.  

 

Jeff

[Rick]

...with the legs spread and placed against the chest and shoulders.

 

Ah yes, this method works quite well for me also.  I have quite a bit of success with this method especially late in the evening when I just don't have the energy remaining in my arms to provide the steadiness required for adequate performance at slow speeds.  Often, I just look for a table of the correct height and spread the legs and place them on that.

 

Rick